Oh Captain, My Captain

Chapters

A Day Unlike Any Other
What Remains
Jail Won't Be the Only Thing Broken
Unlikely Help
The Crusade
What They Needed
Repercussions
Death From the Heavens
Vengeance From Below
Starfall
Acknowledged
Builder
Follow the Leader
A Bad Idea
Folly of Man
Commanding Officer
Making the Grade
Taking It Back
Rocky Relationships
We All Fall Down
Teachings
Impossible Odds
Igniting the Fire
Promises
Plan Of Attack
Where My Captain Lies...
Message
Hero Killer
Stand Up
Back To Work
For Freedom!
Desecrated Memories
Nothing Special
Fight As One

A Day Unlike Any Other

Explosions and shrapnel roared past Shining Armor's head as he staggered into the entrance of the Crystal Palace, silently begging for forgiveness as he shut out the sounds of his comrades falling in battle outside while the doors slammed shut behind him. With tears staining his eyes and pain throbbing in his shoulder, he sprinted as best he could into the palace, blocking out everything that had happened so that he could complete Cadence's request...her last request.

He made sure to close his eyes whenever he ran by a window, not wanting to see the fires that consumed the buildings of the Crystal Empire nor the stone reapers that claimed life after life with ruthless efficiency. And then there were the Royal Guard, the brave mares and stallions that were out in the fire and death trying to save as many as they could, while he was racing through the halls like a coward. He knew that he would consider himself a coward for the rest of his life...a life that would most likely come to an end soon.

'But Cadence feared a day like this may come,' he thought, trying to push back the black thoughts as he reached a door that was heavily guarded with spells and enchantments. 'At least this part of the Palace hasn't fallen yet. Of course, not even those bastards could get in here, these enchantments could keep out even Celestia...dear Faust why? No, can't focus on them. Need to get in.'

He pressed his horn against the door, closing his eyes with a small sob as the magic that shielded the room fell. He used to be one of only two ponies in the whole empire that was able to get in...and now he was the only one left. He threw the door open the second the spell faded, slamming it shut behind him and reactivating the barrier before turning towards what the room held. A single mirror.

"The Mirror of Reality," he whispered to himself, able to forget the pain and war that was waging outside for just a moment while he gazed upon the mirror's beauty. Then he shook himself free of his shock before racing to the mirror, incanting the forbidden words that Cadence had told him long ago. His reflection in the mirror began to swirl, rotating faster and faster until soon there was only the vortex.

'Got to make this quick,' Shining thought as he pulled out his only piece of parchment, his horn glowing as he stabbed himself slightly with his knife to draw blood. He then began to write with the tip of his knife, speeding up his words when he heard the sounds of something starting to pound away on the door. The enchantments held strong and gave Shining enough time to finish his message, which he rolled up and tossed into the mirror...before he heard the voice of the pony he hated with all of his heart.

"Well of course you didn't make it through you idiots, look at the magic on that thing! Not even I would be able to break through that shield, and I have centuries of experience with magic!" With a cold heart yet burning eyes, Shining turned towards the door, taking the knife in his hoof to free up his horn, knowing that he would be needing both in a moment.

"However, you can see that while the door is heavily enchanted, the wall next to it..." Shining refused to flinch as the wall exploded and crystal flew by his head, narrowing his eyes when a dark pony with a sinister smile on his face waltzed into the room, flanked by two giant gargoyles that barely managed to squeeze in the hole behind him. "Ah, Shining Armor. I wondered where you had scurried off to."

"Sombra," Shining whispered with such wrath and venom that Sombra let out a small whistle.

"I'm impressed, pony. I didn't know you were capable of such hate," Sombra laughed with a smile.

"Hate? After all you did to me, my home, my FAMILY...you believe that I only hate you? "Shining seethed with absolute fury, yet all Sombra did in response was raise an eyebrow. "You attacked my home...you waged war against Canterlot and Ponyville...aided by Tirek and Chrysalis during the middle of a day of fun and relaxation...and then you kill my wife...my Cadence...when she tried to stop you. I don't hate you Sombra...there isn't a word that exists that describes how much I loath you!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute...that spell I hit Cadence in the back with actually killed her?!" Sombra asked with a laugh, smiling with victory despite the sheer fury that Shining glared at him. "Wow, I can't believe that she went down so easily! I must be better than I thought to kill a princesses so easily."

"You dare speak of her like she was nothing?! I swear I'll-"

"Oh give it a rest, Shining, this battle is already over, here and across Equestria," Sombra cut him off with a low voice, all mirth and joy gone from his face while he coldly stared down the guard. "This age of friendship and harmony that you and your wife loved to preach about? It's over. It dies with you; it died with your sister and it died with those two fools who thought themselves untouchable up in Canterlot."

Then the smile slowly spread across Sombra's face as he looked Shining up and down, a small chuckle escaping his lips as an idea came to him. "So all that's left is to figure out a way to deal with you. Now I could just leave and let these two tear you limb from limb, but I'm a fair, mad tyrant, so I'll make this interesting. We fight. You and me. And if I win, you'll get to see your wife and sister again. But if you manage to win...hell, you'll get to kill me! So it's really a win-win for you? What do you say, Shining?"

Sombra's words had barely escaped his lips before Shining hurled himself at Sombra with a cry that was devoid of sanity. Sombra barely managed to erect a shield to block Shining's knife, eyes wide while Shining screamed with unholy fury as he slammed the blade against the barrier again and again. With another bellow he shattered the knife against the magic shield, yet the shards had barely begun to fall before he unleashed all of his fury into the magical barrier with one magical blast.

"Not bad kid, you're a lot more of a challenge when your entire family's dead!" Sombra laughed while he slipped into the shadows and weaved behind Shining, popping out of the darkness and blasting Shining in the back with a dark bolt that hurled him to the floor. "Oh, didn't I tell you? We made sure to target your family and the families of the Ambassadors of Harmony as well. Because if being a damn thorn in my side runs in the family, then we'll burn the bush down before those thorns can grow. I'm sure you understand."

Shining slowly rose to his hooves, every fiber of his body trembling with hate as he slowly looked back to where Sombra stood smirking at him. With all of the concentration he could muster he conjured a blade of light from his horn, saluting Sombra before taking up a fighting stance. Sombra raised an eyebrow before he chuckled and conjured a blade as black as night, twirling his blade.

The two stared each other down before Shining let out an unholy scream and hurled himself at Sombra, who chuckled with madness as he swung his blade at Shining. The two swords of light and darkness collided, good and evil colliding for a brief moment...before Sombra's blade shattered and he was hurled backwards. He struck the wall and slid down with surprise written on his face before Shining's blade placed itself at his throat, getting Sombra to slowly lift his eyes up to the black eyes of the stallion.

"For my family," he whispered before lifting his sword over his head...and crying out in pain as a burst of green fire struck him in the back. He collapsed to the floor as the sword vanished in a flash, struggling to see through the tears in his eyes at the flaming maw of the gargoyle that had shot him.

"Well then Shining, I guess you lose," Sombra chuckled as he rose back to his hooves, using his magic to lift Shining up and smile into the stallion's face. "Your rage just wasn't enough to slay an evil tyrant like me."

"But...you said..." Shining stammered out weakly, before his eyes shrunk as Sombra plunged a black blade right into the heart of Shining Armor.

"Evil," Sombra reminded Shining as he removed his blade, watching with a smile when the light faded from Shining's eyes. Yet once the light faded, Sombra's smile fell and he tossed the body away with a careless air, having lost interest in the Captain of the Guard. "Come on you two idiots, let's head up to the balcony. I want to see what crystal looks like when it burns."

"But boss, I thought you've burned crystals before?" one of the gargoyles asked. Sombra glanced back at him before his horn flashed and the stone creature shattered into millions of pieces.

"You have anything stupid you want to say?" Sombra asked the other one, which shut its mouth and held both hands over it. "Ah, you must be the one I put the brains in. I wondered what I did with them." With that remark Sombra walked out of the room, leaving the body of one of the noblest ponies that had ever lived...and a mirror that had just finished sending its message, a message that Sombra could have stopped had he bothered to check it.

/ \
//A\
/// \\

Men and women raced back and forth through the gray hallways, each of them trying to keep up with their tasks under the pressure that came with being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, but for the man that walked through the crowd of agents, he found that he was simply happy to be back among friends...or those agents on the Helicarrier that he knew to be friends.

Yet, even with their busy schedules and multiple assignments that they had to do, every single one of those agents turned and either saluted or nodded to the man in the red, white and blue when he walked by. And he saluted or nodded in kind, to each and every one of the brave men and women on the home base of S.H.I.E.L.D., while some of the agents tried to flag him down. Captain America had been called off his "guaranteed" three days leave to come back to the base.

'So that means either Fury has somehow managed to doom the world or the world is doomed and Fury wants me to stop it,' Steve thought to himself as he entered an elevator and slowly began to go down, resting his back against the wall of the elevator. He felt a slight bit of pressure as he leaned back, assuring him that his most trusted comrade still had his back.

The elevator doors to the deck of the Helicarrier slid open and the Captain stepped out of the elevator, walking straight for the man in the black suit with the pistol strapped to his chest at the end of the room. The Cap narrowed his eyes slightly when the light beaming in through the windows got in his eyes, hating how Fury always seemed to love standing with his back to the light.

"You're three minutes late," Nick Fury said with a growl as he turned around to face the Captain, his one good eye narrowed.

"Sorry I'm late. Had to help put out a fire," Captain America responded, yet his response only made Fury's eye narrow further.

"I hate it when I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," Fury grumbled. "So how was your day off yesterday?"

"Making small talk, Fury? This must really be big then," Cap deduced, getting a snicker from Fury while he reached into a pocket and pulled out a small piece of parchment.

"Our resident hocus-pocus expert found this floating in his room when he returned to his house," Fury explained as he handed the parchment to Captain America, whose eyes narrowed as he began to read what was written on it. "Yeah, he didn't like it either. But he felt a strange magic coming off of that, a magic that even he himself hasn't seen before--magic that belonged to a whole other reality. And to remind you, his name is Strange."

"Seems like there's someone out there that needs help...an entire nation if I'm reading this right," Steve said as he finished the message, handing it back to Fury who pocketed it before crossing his arms behind his back and turning around to face the windows. "Yet, you're hesitant to send an Avenger or Shield agents out there to help? Fury-"

"Don't try and lecture me, Captain. You've fallen into plenty of traps because of a faulty plea for help," Fury reminded the Captain with a snarl. "We'll send a probe there and see what the situation is. If they really do need our help, whoever they are, then we'll send in the Avengers or some agents. But not until-"

"Many more have been killed," Captain America finished for Fury, who turned to face the Cap with his name flashing in his eyes. "Fake or real, that is a cry for help--a desperate cry for help, Fury, if their message is able to go across multiverses to get here. And I don't care who sent it and I don't care if it's a trap, the Avengers don't ignore cries for help. And I sure as hell don't. Now let's stop wasting time and get these guys the help they need."

"I really hate working with you sometimes, you know that?" Fury sighed before reaching back into his pocket and pulling out two items, one of which was a stone that had numerous strange markings engraved in it. The other was an earpiece that Cap knew was meant for him. "This is a dimensional stone. The good doc made one for us when he found out which reality the paper came from. It should be able to take you to wherever in hell this place is."

"Well, if it does take me to hell, there are more than a few people there that I would like to have words with," Cap joked as he took the stone and earpiece, able to feel the power radiating off of the stone. "How do I get it to work?"

"Just place it on the ground and stand on the circle it makes. Simple." Steve nodded before following Fury's instructions, eyes narrowing slightly when the stone created a circle of a crimson red near his feet. "You really want to go in alone? Not even going to take another hero or metahuman with you?"

"Which metahumans do you have that can get here in five minutes?" Captain America asked, his face telling Fury that he wasn't going to wait longer.

"Let me see...the only one that we have on hand is Wade," Fury replied when he pulled up a list.

'Oh please, let me go with him! I want to see this magical land of ponies.'

"Sorry, but I have doubts about taking Deadpool into a situation like this," Captain America replied with a shake of his head. "He's good to have when I want my enemies confused. I'll leave him out of this one.

'Aw, why are you so mean?'

"Guess you're doing this alone then?" Fury said with a shrug as Cap fitted the earpiece in before pulling his mask over his face, a smile crossing his lips as he did so.

"I never go in alone, Fury. Not as long as I got this," Captain America replied as he reached back and removed his shield, fitting it over his left arm before taking in a deep breath. "And besides, I've got you on comms in case you get lonely and want to talk."

"Was that an attempt at humor?" Fury asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm still learning about this strange world you call the twenty first century," Steve replied with a smile before he took a step into the circle, his vision beginning to blur the moment he did so. "And don't worry Fury, I'll save this world before you know it."

"Or you'll avenge it. According to the message there may not be anybody left to save," Fury reminded him. Yet even in the vortex that was making the Captain phase in and out of their reality, he could see the Captain smile at him.

"I'll save them. And don't look so worried, Fury. It's just saving a doomed world from the forces of evil. Just like any other day."

A blinding flash of light then went off, causing everyone on the Helicarrier to shield their eyes. Alarms blared, the ship shuddered for a moment and for a brief second no one was capable of seeing anything. When the light finally died down, Fury found that the Cap was gone...yet the stone was still laying on the deck.

"I hope you're right about this Steve," Fury muttered as he picked the rock up, the engravings on the side still as red as blood. "Because I have a bad feeling about this one."

What Remains

A cool breeze caressed Steve's face as he slowly knelt down onto the black ground at his feet, scooping up a bit of the dirt with his hand. His eyes narrowed while he rubbed the material between his fingers before he lifted his head and glanced around the eerily quiet landscape.

"And here I thought this might be soot, but no. It's ash," he muttered to himself while standing up, glancing around once more to find that he was in the middle of what seemed to be a desert made of ash. He slid his shield off of his arm and attached it to the magnet on his back, freeing up both of his arms. "Fury, this is Steve. Do you read?"

All the Captain received in response was silence, getting a smirk out of the Cap as he lowered his arm and began to run forward. 'No surprise, the comms don't work. I'll figure out a way to contact Fury later, but right now I need to figure out where I am.' For miles Steve sprinted, but despite the long run his body still felt slightly cool. The reason was obvious enough, for a simple glance at the sky revealed black clouds that flashed with lightning were blocking out the sun.

Hours seemed to pass as the Captain ran, keeping both eyes and ears out for any sign of life. He crossed over hills, leapt across dry riverbeds and even once thought he heard a bird, yet the sky remained as black and lifeless as ever. Yet, what finally caused the Captain to finally come to a stop was not a life, but instead the charred remains of where life used to be. Steve narrowed his eyes while he knelt down next to a blackened stump, rubbing his gloved finger down the wood to find that it was covered in the same ash as the place where he started.

'This is similar to the ash I found back where I landed,' he realized as he lifted his head, noticing the remains of more planet life that had refused to be completely burned away. A few blackened roots, the charred remains of a branch and numerous other items informed the Captain that where he stood may have been a forest at one point.

'But now it's been burned away to nothing,' he pondered while he continued his run, following the trail of burned stumps and destroyed landscape. 'And these ashes are the result of some kind of fire, but not one I've ever seen. Given, though, how Doctor Strange was the one who received the message, there's a chance that it was caused by magic. After all, those beings attacked by magic users would seek out a magic user to aid them.'

Steve's run came to another stop when he skidded to a halt at the edge of a large chasm, one that descended into fog far below. Yet the Captain barely spent a moment glancing down before his attention was grabbed by the remains of a building that rested on the other side. Reaching into one of the pouches on his belt he pulled out a pair of small binoculars, placing them in front of his eyes to get a better look.

What remained of the structure was a good number of stone bricks, most of which were charred like everything else, but some of them were covered in vines and mold. Cap figured that the place had been in a state of disrepair long before it had been destroyed, but he also noted if that was the case then someone had made sure to destroy a ruined building. Either they were thorough or held a grudge. He assumed the latter.

Unable to reach the ruins, Cap pouched his glassware and turned towards the opposite direction. He took off once more, his boots kicking up tiny puffs of ash with every step as he raced through the ruined forest. Yet, once more he came to a stop when he spied another item, a large cauldron in the middle of charred pieces of wood that hadn't yet rotted.

'Whatever this was made of, it must have been pretty strong to avoid being destroyed,' Captain America thought as he knocked his knuckles against the side of the cauldron, hear a slight ringing coming from within. He then turned his attention to what remained of what he guessed used to be a structure, but if anything had survived it had been taken long ago. Yet, as the Cap turned towards the cauldron one last time, he found that there was a small map carved into the bottom of the metal, finally giving him a location to go to.

Without a moment of hesitation, the Captain took off to where the map had instructed, surprised to see that the faintest remains of a path still remained engraved beneath the ash. It wasn't a long journey, but when he reached his destination the Captain couldn't help but frown slightly. As he emerged from the forest's remains, he walked up to the charred and splintered remnants of a sign that lay in the dirt. He knelt down and wiped away the ash with his hand, revealing a few words that read,

"Welcome to Pon..."

'Seems I was too late,' Steve thought as he lifted his head and took in the surrounding area, able to make out remains of what used to be buildings and a place of light. The Captain took up his shield once again as he began to walk through the ruins of the town, sadness beginning to fill up his heart while he gazed at some of the buildings that hadn't been completely wiped out of existence.

A sweet shop, a post office and a store where a few flowers defiantly grew were only some of the buildings that had yet to give into the destruction, but what truly broke the Captain's heart was when he tossed away a few beams that blocked the entrance to one building...and found numerous skeletons inside. Despite the skeletons looking like those of tiny horses, the Cap still had to avert his gaze when he realized where he stood had been where their last moments had taken place.

'Please...don't let those be the children of this species,' the Captain begged as he saw smaller skeletons held in the arms of some of the larger ones. Captain America knelt down next to the largest group and closed his eyes, saying a prayer for the lives that had been lost...before he snapped his head towards the ceiling with numerous holes in it that allowed him to see the sky.

'Roaring. Something's on its way.' Without a moment to lose the Captain took cover beneath one of the charred tables, giving him cover while still allowing him to see at the sky. For a long minute he waited in absolute silence before two massive, stone beasts flew by overhead. The Captain recognized them as gargoyles before, in an instant, he shot from his cover and rushed outside, able to see the two stones beasts flying to somewhere...with cages in their talons filled with creatures he couldn't make out.

But the Captain didn't need to know what those beasts held; he knew prisoners when he saw them. But a small smile still crossed the Captain's face when he began to sprint after the gargoyles, not needing to keep up with them since he knew where they were going. They were either taking the prisoners to a prison or a labor camp, but whichever one it was didn't matter to Captain America--because he'd free them.

And then break the jaw of the one responsible for all the destruction.

/ \
//A\
/// \\

'Seems it's a forced labor camp. I've seen too many of these in my time,' Captain America thought with a shake of his head as he glanced out from behind the boulder that provided his cover, allowing him to stare down at the massive, concrete structure that beamed with five separate spotlights. Behind the structure he could just make out a large, fenced in area that seemed to go down into a large pit. 'Probably where those who were captured are being forced to mine. I need to get in there.'

He knew the front door was suicide. In the past, when he had to sneak into places like this he had blended in with the prisoners, but after seeing the skeletons back in the town, he figured that the local populace there wasn't human. 'Besides, those gargoyles up front look like they're designed to keep others from getting in, meaning they won't be accepting visitors,' Cap figured before a small window near the top of one of the towers caught his eye. 'But if they're just going to leave the window open for me, who am I to deny their generosity?'

Now that he had a plan of entry, the Captain stared down at the prison and began to learn. Thirty minutes passed while he learned how the spotlights moved, where they moved to and at what times they swung around. He also noticed during this time that the gargoyles weren't particularly threatening, since they got into a fight with each other while the Cap had been observing patterns.

For a few minutes more the Captain waited, waited until the spotlight swung around and passed the window that was his target. The moment the light vanished the Captain took off at a full sprint, casting a quick glance at the gargoyles while he ran to see that they were too focused with each other to even bother a glance in his direction. He reached the tower wall within a minute and kicked up onto it with one mighty leap, discovering that the cracks in the wall were the perfect size for his hands.

With his powerful muscles he was able to start scaling the wall with incredible speed, yet his first real challenge came when he found that he would have to move around to the front of the compound before he'd be able to reach the window, due to the strange positioning of the bricks. Unfazed, the Captain followed the path of handholds to the front of the compound, casting another quick glance at the still battling gargoyles before he climbed higher.

But the structure wasn't as well built as he thought, for when he reached up to grab a brick his superhuman strength ripped it out of the wall and the pieces of it fell towards the gargoyles below. Realizing that he only had moments to act, Captain America hurled himself up the wall before kicking off with his legs, sending himself flying towards the window. His fingers gripped the edge just as he heard one of the gargoyles call out and the spotlight began to shine towards him. Yet when the light reached the window, all it found was gray bricks.

With shield in hand the Captain slowly made his way through the twists and turns of the compound, assuming he was in the guards' section of the place. At each hallway he would stop and listen for the sounds of movement, before racing across to the other side. At first he encountered no guards, but as he got closer to the area where the prisoners were being kept, he started to hear voices coming from the doorway next to him.

"Can you believe those idiots had us swing those heavy lights around just because a brick fell out of the wall?" one of the voices said, just around the corner from the Captain. Steve glanced back quickly and realized he wouldn't have time to run back into cover. He then glanced up at the exceptionally large ceilings and an idea came to him as he sheathed his shield.

"Yeah, with the condition this place is in, I'm amazed the whole tower hasn't collapsed yet," a pony in black, metal armor with green eye holes said to his partner while they walked into the hallway, both shaking their heads at the stupidity of the gargoyles. "And they didn't sound the alarm when that one pony managed to get out, but Sombra forbid, a brick falls on them and they wake the whole damn place up. Idiots."

'So what's your excuse for not looking up?' Steve thought to himself from the rafters, arms and legs pressed firmly against the walls on either side of him as he watched the two ponies walk under him. And he couldn't deny it any more, the species in the land had to be horses or at least some version of them. That didn't worry the Captain. What worried the Captain was the armor they wore didn't look like anything he had seen, meaning that he'd be blind going up against an entirely new race.

'But it's just another day at the office, Rogers,' Captain America thought to himself as he dropped down after the ponies exited the hallway, moving even faster than before as he rushed through the halls while still keeping an ear out for more guards. It wasn't until he reached a room that overlooked the large quarry that he discovered another guard, one who was sitting in a chair with his hooves up, looking out the window into the large hole of rock and minerals bellow him.

While Steve snuck up behind him, he dared a glance out the window. A scowl covered his face when he saw hundreds of horses that were a multitude of colors in chains. He also saw where nearly all of the guards had gotten to, since there were nearly three dozen guards in black armor walking around with staffs that crackled with red electricity.

"Can you believe our luck?" the pony said to the Captain, nearly getting him to freeze with both fear and anticipation. "Those jerks get to be out there having fun with the prisoners while we're stuck in here guarding the rocks and bricks that make up this place. Ugh, I wish I could just relax and have fun like them." Cap's eyes narrowed as he realized that the pony thought him to be another guard, the idea of an intruder not even crossing the pony's mind.

"Then why don't you take a nap?" The pony had just enough time to widen his eyes in shock before two massive arms wrapped themselves around his throat. The pony thrashed a little bit as Captain America dragged him away from the desk, before falling onto his back and wrapping his legs around the pony to avoid as much noise as possible.

Captain America finally let go when the pony stopped kicking and slumped to the side, allowing the Captain to drop him on the floor and hold a finger to his neck. Captain America nodded when he felt a pulse before picking the pony over his shoulder and dropping him back in his chair, arranging the guard so that it would look as if he had fallen asleep, if other guards entered the room.

With a moment to himself, the Captain then looked around the room. His eyes immediately were drawn to the large poster on the wall behind him. On it at the bottom were images of the guards that he had seen within the compound, but at the top stood five figures cloaked in shadows, but each of their eyes shone like spotlights that seemed to shine everywhere.

"Remember, we're always watching," Steve read with disgust as he resisted the urge to tear the poster off the wall, his desire to remain concealed preventing him from doing so. But then another sound reached the Captain's ears, one that made him turn around and rush to the window. Down in the quarry, an older pony had collapsed to the ground and one of the guards had discovered him. Steve watched with wide eyes as the guard struck the stallion with his electrical staff again and again, laughing all the while despite a young mare trying to get him to stop.

"I said get up!" the guard laughed as he drove the end of the weapon into the stallion, getting the elder to cry with agony as electricity coursed through his body.

"Please, leave him alone!" the mare begged while she clawed at the armor of the guard, who was having too much fun to even notice the mare beside him.

"You know the rules, old timer. No laying down until the job is finished! And I sure as hell don't see all of those crystals in that cart!" the guard cackled as he slammed the side of the staff against the side of the stallion's head, drawing blood while sending him crashing into the ground. Other ponies cast their dull eyes in the direction of the violence, but some only watched for a moment before turning away. Others shook their head sadly, unable to help at all.

"Please stop!" the mare cried out when she raced the stallion's side, tears streaking down her face as she mopped at the blood with her hoof. The guard let out another cackle while he grabbed the mare by the wrist and spun her around, a smile spreading under his helmet.

"Hey, you're pretty cute," he said sinisterly as she struggled to escape. "How would like to get some time off from here? Working all day can't-" In her attempt to escape she struck the guard in the helmet, slightly moving his head to the side. All the other guards in the area began to chuckle when the green eyes of the pony moved back to the mare, who was frozen with fear at that point. "Striking a guard? You know that's a no-no. And I bet you also know what happens to those who do, don't you?'

"No...please...help," she whispered while cowering back, getting an even darker chuckle from the guard.

"Help? You think anypony here is going to help you?" he snickered while he began to walk towards her. "You think that a hero will just show up, out of the blue and save a mare like you? Well guess what? It-"

CLANG!

That guard didn't even had time to swear as his head was slammed into the ground by whatever hit him from behind. Yet nopony in the quarry, be they guard or prisoner, paid attention to him. All eyes were on the red and white disc that had bounced off the back of his head and was now bouncing around the quarry. It bounced off a rock before striking off a wall, catching the edge of a ladder before...it was caught by the gloved hand of a being that stood in the center of the quarry.

"Ugh, what hit me?" the guard snarled as he rose to his hooves, anger flashing when he spun around to whatever had hit him...and his courage went cold at the sight of the creature that stood behind him. It stood on two legs, wore a red, white and blue uniform and held the shield that had bounced off the back of the guard's head on its left arm. But what unnerved every guard there was the look on its face, a look of cold fury.

"You must be pretty good at predicting the future," the creature spoke while it started to walk forward, eyes flashing like lightning as it did so. "Because everything you said right there?"

"It's all about to come true."

Jail Won't Be the Only Thing Broken

"What in the-?" the guard had just enough time to ask before the red, white and blue soldier lunged at the pony, slamming his gloved fist into the armored helmet of the stallion. Despite the helmet being incredibly durable, the blow from the Captain shattered the goggles and crushed metal beneath his fist. The pony let out a curse as he staggered back, eyes glowing with hate through the shattered glass. "Okay asshole, let's see how you like this!"

The pony swung his stun staff towards the Cap while he said this, yet with a well-practiced motion Captain America caught the staff with one hand before slamming the shield into the side of the guard's skull. The sound of vibranium on head reverberated throughout the gulag, making most of the other ponies wince at the sound of the impact. Cap then spun the staff around as he turned to face the other guards, while the one he had struck with the shield collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Alright, enough playing around! Take this freak down!" another one of the guards yelled as he charged, yet the Cap switched his grip on the stun staff before hurling it like a javelin. The staff struck the pony dead between the eyes and caused his entire body to be riddle with electricity, knocking the screaming pony flat. The guard groaned weakly when he lifted his head, just in time to catch a boot to the jaw that put him out.

With two of the guards beaten Captain America slowly stood up and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes daring any of the other guards to make a move. A Pegasus decided to take the Cap up on that dare and took to the skies while he drew forth a crossbow, but in a flash the Cap flipped sideways to build up momentum before hurling the shield at the guard.

"GRAH!" the guard cried in agony when the shield slammed into his wings, shattering bone as the vibranium caved in a wing. The shield bounced off the wing before striking a wall, reaching Steve's grasp just as the stallion began to fall. The Cap swung himself around before throwing all of his weight into a shielded tackle, driving his full mass into the shield that slammed into the falling pony. The impact hurled the Pegasus into a boulder where he landed with a crack, sliding down without another sound.

"That's it! Everypony rush him at once!"

Steve leapt into the air over two stun staffs, driving both of his boots into the face of one of the guards. When the guard spun away while clutching at his face, the Cap slammed the edge of his shield into the skull of another guard, slicing through the armor and caving in the pony's skull. As he fell to the ground, Captain America vaulted over his body while using his shield to knock away a stun staff, driving his knee into the helmet of the guard in repayment.

Steve then swung his leg out low and swept a guard off of his hooves, striking the pony in the throat with the edge of his shield the moment he hit the ground. A flash went off behind the Captain and instinctively he rolled to the side just in time to see a bolt of energy tear through the air where he had been standing. Cap slowly looked behind him to see another armored guard, but this one had a horn sticking out of his helmet.

"What's the matter freak, never seen magic before?" the guard laughed as his horn began to glow with a crimson light. "You might be able to beat up the help with no problem, but I'm a true blue follower of Sombra. Been in his army since day one. So don't think I'll go down as easy as the other guards, because I'm-"

Faster than the ponies watching could follow, the Cap twirled around before hurling his shield at the unicorn, who barely had time to widen his eyes before the shield caught him right on the horn and sliced it clean off. The pony howled with pain before the shield bounced off the wall behind him and came back for round two, slamming into the back of his skull and dropping him without another word.

The other guards watched underneath their eye protection with fear as the creature glared at them while holding out a hand, catching the shield without having to look. He slid the shield back over his left arm before the star-spangled soldier began to walk towards them, causing the ponies to shake with fear before one of them looked up.

"Well I hope you had your fun, because now you're a dead...whatever you are!"

Steve looked up just in time to see green blasts of fire raining down towards him. With no time to move the Captain ducked down and intercepted the blasts with his shield. Magical fire consumed the very air around the Captain, but the shield did its duty and prevented even a single flame from touching the first Avenger. Rogers then rolled to the side as two massive gargoyles slammed into the earth where he had stood a second ago, snarling with fire in their maws while they glared at their target.

"What kind of fool are you, daring to try and free these prisoners from the mighty Sombra?" one of the gargoyles snarled at the Captain as he rose back up to his feet.

"The kind of fool that believes in liberty, freedom and justice," Steve finally answered, yet to his surprise his words caused the stone behemoths to begin laughing. The guards followed suit and joined in the laughter, but Steve was well aware that their laughs were far more nervous.

"Liberty? Freedom? JUSTICE?! HAHAHAHAHA! I must thank you for the laugh, creature. It has been too long since I've had one of those," the larger of the two gargoyles said before wiping away a tear from his eye. "Those traits are long since dead. Now only the word of Sombra and the Four are what rule this land." But this time it was the gargoyles' turn to be surprised as the Captain began to laugh at their remarks. "What be so funny?"

"The fact that you said those qualities are dead. Sorry to disappoint you, but those traits live on in the hearts of everyone. And they sure as heck live on in me," the Captain said while he pressed a thumb to where his heart was, before taking up a stance with a determined look on his face. "So if you truly want to kill those beliefs, then you better do your damnedest to kill me."

"With pleasure!" one of the gargoyles roared as it lunged forward at the Cap, claws extended to their fullest as it brought its arm back and took aim at the human's throat. Captain America didn't waste a moment placing his shield between his attacker and him, bracing himself for the impact. All the ponies watched as the gargoyle's claw sliced down on the red and blue shield...before the stone fingers of the gargoyle shattered across the star in the shield's center.

The creature blinked twice before staring down at its missing fingers, shock slowly spreading across its face before it glanced up at the Captain...only to receive the edge of the shield straight to its maw. The force of the blow shattered the stone jaw of the gargoyle and snapped the lower part clean off, causing the stone beast to howl in pain as it staggered back

"Weakling. I shall handle this," the other gargoyle said as he wrapped a claw across the face of the other, before tearing its head clean from its shoulders. The ponies gasped while Steve simply narrowed his eyes, watching as the snickering gargoyle tossed the lifeless head of his ally to the side as its body turned to dust. With a bellow of fury the second gargoyle lunged at the Captain, slashing at him with reckless abandon.

Yet in spite of the ferocity of the attacks, not a single one of the swipes managed to break through the Cap's shield. But there was still damage done, because the gargoyle found that out when he ceased his attack and watched...as his stone claws crumbled away into dust. Yet, the dust had hardly faded away before the monster let out a bellowing torrent of fire that consumed the entire area around the Captain.

"See? He wasn't that hard to deal with," the gargoyle smirked back at the other guards...before the shield burst forth from the flames and sliced clean through the gargoyle. The creature blinked once before it disintegrated into a cloud of dust, while the shield fell to the ground next to the pile of dust. All eyes watched as the Captain walked out of the fire, picked up his shield and glared at the remaining guards.

"Retreat!" one of the guards screamed as he high tailed it back to the entrance, the other guards following suit and racing after him. Cap narrowed his eyes at them before he turned and walked over to the mare standing over her bleeding father, kneeling down next to her before reaching into his belt and pulling out a roll of bandages.

"Hold on, I'll help you," the man in the red, white and blue said while giving such a kind smile to the mare, that it was hard for her to believe that a moment ago he was breaking the guards that had been attacking her. He quickly wrapped the bandage around the stallion's head before the mare helped him to his hooves, looking up at the Captain with gratitude flashing in her eyes. "You can thank me later, but right now we need to get you out of here."

"That goes double for the rest of you," the Captain said as he turned to the rest of the ponies, most of whom looked at him with either interest or...pity. "I've driven them off for now, but it's clear that they'll be back with reinforcements soon. Come on, let's go!" Captain America then took a few steps towards the exit along with the mare and stallion, but when he didn't hear any other hoof steps he turned around to see all of the ponies staring at him with defeat in their eyes.

"What's the point?" one of the older ones asked him with a shake of his grizzly mane. "You can break us out of here, but Sombra and the other rulers of Equestria will find us and throw us back in here. Or worse, if they're in a bad mood."

"Not on my watch," the Captain said with confidence. "I promise that I'll get all of you out of here and make sure that you never end up in another prison again." Captain America had been hoping to inspire the ponies with his words, yet all they did was gain him a dry chuckle as the elder stallion shook his head.

"We used to have heroes like you who promised the same thing. They promised that they would use the power of Friendship and Harmony to keep us safe," the old stallion reminisced, almost smiling before he shook his head and glanced back at the Captain. "And then the villains teamed up against them and they were beaten. In a day those villains managed to tear down thousands of years of work."

"But those ponies weren't just any ponies, they were ponies with some of the strongest magic in the land," he continued on, Steve woefully aware that every pony seemed to be looking to their elder with hope fading in their eyes. "They had powers the likes of which we have never seen. And they still lost. How can you promise to protect us? You have not shown that you have a magic like theirs. All you are is some strange creature with a shield."

Captain America watched as the ponies began to whisper amongst themselves, some of them even picking up their pickaxes and going back to their tasks. He then looked down to the mare next to him, staring into eyes that were beginning to lose faith in him as well. He knew that he needed to say something to convince them to leave. Something big.

"You're right. I don't have magical powers equal to those who protected you before. In fact, I don't have magical powers at all," Captain America informed the ponies, who eyes seemed to sink even further at the news. "And I know it seems like there is no hope, that the evil that took away your protectors is too powerful to fight. I've seen situations like this many times before. I've thought like all of you a few times myself."

"But then I remember what a friend told me. That the only way evil truly wins is if good men do nothing. And that's what is happening here. Those evil beings that took over your world threw you in here because you are what they fear. They fear that you may rise up, that you will fight to oppose them. Because within each of you is the potential to overcome incredible odds, but only if you believe that you can do so!" Captain America said this with such power and conviction in his voice that the ponies couldn't help but gaze upon him with awe, almost believing in his words.

"I am not asking you to believe in me. I'm not asking you to see me as the replacement for the heroes you lost. What I'm asking is that you believe that as long as we all draw breath, evil hasn't won yet. If you truly believe that Sombra and his forces have won once and for all, then stay in here. But if you believe in freedom, if you believe in Friendship and Harmony like your heroes believed, then come with me. Break free of your shackles and show me that evil hasn't taken this world yet! Show me that you are all willing to believe in good one last time!"

Captain America then turned and raced towards the large doors to the quarry, which were blocked by a massive bar that kept them shut. He slashed down on the bar with his shield, slicing through the bar with ease. He then drove his fingers into the crack and began to pull, straining with all of his might against doors that had remained close for so long. Then, even though it was barely noticeable, the doors began to open.

But Captain America knew that he could not open the doors by himself, not alone. He was strong, but even he had limits in terms of physical strength. Yet, just when he started to think that he would have to open the doors by himself, the mare that he had saved began to pull on the doors with him. Her father also helped, pulling as hard as he could despite being injured.

And then, one after another, more and more of the ponies came along beside the Captain, wrapping ropes around the bar and pulling together as one. Unicorns began to pull with their magic, regular ponies yanked on the ropes with all of their might. And then the doors swung open completely, letting the ponies gaze upon the freedom that they had been denied, and had been denying themselves, for so long.

"Alright all you ponies, time to get out of here!" Captain America called out to the ponies, waving them in the direction of the exit. He ushered the hundreds of ponies out of the quarry, waiting until the crowd cleared before he glanced back into the prison to see that only one pony remained. The old stallion that had questioned him earlier.

"Come on old timer. Time to go home," Steve said to him with a smirk as the pony walked up to the Captain, looking at him with sad eyes before glancing back at the empty quarry.

"What's your name, hero?" the old stallion asked the Captain while continuing to stare back at the empty prison.

"On my world, they call me Captain America. Defender of truth and justice," Rogers replied.

"Captain America, huh? Well Captain, I will admit that it was nice to meet an actual hero before I died," the old stallion said with a shake of his head.

"What do you mean?"

"That's what I mean." The old pony pointed to the sky and when Steve looked to where he was pointing he saw dozens of gargoyles flying towards them, each of them letting loose green fire from their maws as they began to circle over the ponies. "You're not the first hero that thought they could fight against Sombra and his forces of evil. But you may very well be the last."

Rogers ran out to the front of the crowd, narrowing his eyes as he glared up at the stone sentinels that began to descend towards them. He then glanced back at the crowd of prisoners that stood behind him, every eye upon him as they waited to see what he would do next. The Captain's face hardened before he reached back and slipped his shield onto his left arm, standing between the swarm of stone beasts and the ponies.

"I want all of you to take off and find whatever shelter you can find," he instructed them before he began to walk forward, noticing that all of the gargoyles seemed to be more focused with him than they were the ponies.

"But...but what are you going to do?" the mare he rescued asked, posing the question all the ponies were thinking. The Captain's response was to smile back at her before lifting his shield over his head, standing tall so that they would all remember that moment.

"What I promised to do," he began as the gargoyles let out unholy roars before diving down towards the Captain. The ponies all began to run for their lives while the Captain planted his feet in the ash, bringing his shield up just in front of his face as he finished speaking.

"I will protect all of you."

Unlikely Help

Sparks erupted along the surface of the Captain's shield as talons raked across the metal, forcing Cap to strain against the gargoyle that had hurled itself into him. Steve roared while pushing with all of his might, using the momentum of the stone sentinel to hurl it over his head and drive it face first into the ground. With a massive punch, he drove the edge of the disc into the gargoyle's face and shattered it into pieces.

Yet, the moment the gargoyle fell two more tackled the Captain from behind, slamming him into the ash before one grabbed the back of his head and drove it into the ash again and again. Steve broke free of the stone being's grasp by hurling his shield to the side, ricocheting it off one gargoyle's face and bouncing it into the back of the one holding him. The moment it released its grasp on him, he rolled to his feet and leapt up to catch his shield, which he quickly tossed once more into the forehead of the gargoyle that had been holding him.

"Two down, two dozen more to go," he panted slightly while he deflected a tail swipe from a goyle. He was about to throw his shield in retaliation when he heard a scream erupt from behind him. A quick glance showed that one of the stone monsters decided to ignore the human in the star-spangled spandex and instead was going after one of the ponies that hadn't gotten away yet.

Without hesitating to think about his next decision, the Captain spun to the side and released the shield with pinpoint precision. The shield bounced off the chest of one of the stone monsters and quickly smacked another in the nose, before finally striking the one chasing the pony square in the forehead. Yet, as the shield was carving through the air on a course back to the Captain, one of the gargoyles had the bright idea to step in its path and get the vibranium disc stuck in the back of its neck.

Steve narrowed his eyes before racing towards the gargoyle that was trying to get the shield out of its neck, but like a blur another stone sentinel tackled the Cap from the side and brought him to the ground. Rogers pressed both boots into the gargoyle's gut and, with all of his strength, hurled the creature off his head. It slammed into one of its brethren and they both shattered to pebbles, but when the Cap kicked up he found that the gargoyles had completely surrounded him.

He made a motion to get by one of them, only to find the gargoyles moved to keep as many of them as they could between him and his shield. 'They're trying to keep me from the shield,' he realized as he leapt over a right hook before jumping off the gargoyle's arm and vaulting into the air.

"Yer not going anywhere!" one of the monsters called out while it grabbed a stone claw around his leg, stopping the Captain in mid air before swinging him into the ground. Cap grunted as he was driven back-first into the ash, shaking the stars from his head while he quickly rolled back to his feet.

"Heh, yer not so tough without that shield of yers, aintcha?" a gargoyle with an accent said with a smirk as it walked forward towards America, cracking his knuckles while moving his head from side to side. "I look forward to wiping that heroic look off of your face."

"Then, what are you waiting for? I'm right here," Captain America replied while he brought both fists up, hopping from foot to foot as he started to map out how he would fight. The gargoyle chuckled before throwing a stone-shattering left towards the Cap's head, yet in a flash the Cap ducked under the blow and threw three hammer-like blows to the underarm of the stone monster. When the Captain backed off with his fists blazing with pain, he found that his blows had done little more than annoy the stone creature.

"Hmm, I actually felt those punchers. Yer stronger than the average pony, ain't cha?" Steve's response was to leap into the air and spin himself around, building up force so when he drove his boot into the nose of the gargoyle it was sure to hurt. But the creature's head barely moved at all and the Cap found himself crashing to the ground with pain coursing up his leg. He quickly shot up once more, but it was clear from the smirks on the stone monsters' faces that he was in trouble.

'Need to get my shield back,' he decided as he slipped a hand into one of his pouches, drawing out a small, black cylinder with a pin in the side.

"Aw, what ya got there? Some kind of toy?" the gargoyle roared with laughter, all of the other gargoyles joining in. But Steve was aware that every eye in the area was upon his device with looks of uncertainty. And that was exactly what he wanted.

Rogers pulled the pin out of the cylinder before tossing it in the air, covering his ears before rushing straight towards where his shield was stuck. The gargoyles all looked to the cylinder instead of the Captain, meaning that they all got a face full of a blinding flash and a roaring blast that caused all of them to roar with pain as they were suddenly blinded.

With all of the gargoyles temporarily blinded, the Captain had no trouble jumping onto the back of the stone monster with the shield stuck in its neck and pulling his friend free. He then slammed the edge of the shield into the back of the gargoyle's head for good measure before flipping off of the crumbling statue, a smile on his face when he slid the shield onto his left arm once more.

Yet, even as the gargoyles began to snarl and advance towards him, another gargoyle came flying down and landed in the center of the stone beasts. "Crusher, the ponies! They're gone!" he informed the one with the accent, drawing the sentinel's attention away from the Captain and towards his subordinate.

"What the blooming hell do ya mean they're gone?!" he roared with fury that made the smaller gargoyle cower.

"They all just vanished! We were chasing them and suddenly they all began to vanish in flashes of white light! Before we knew it, all of them were gone!" Crusher let out a scoff before he shoved the smaller gargoyle back. He then placed a claw to his head while he began to think of what to do.

"Cripes, if word of this reaches the boss he won't be none too happy. Alright, here's what we'll do. We'll say that-" Whatever Crusher's plan was, it was interrupted when a red and blue shield slammed into the side of his head and knocked him to the ground, getting a gasp from all of the gargoyles as they turned their focus back to the Cap, who reached up and caught his shield.

"Don't take your eyes off the threat in front of you," the Captain informed the gargoyles while Crusher slowly pushed himself back up with a look of absolute loathing on his face. "You might end up getting hit in the head." Crusher let out a snarl while he began to advance on the Captain, before everyone in the area, including the Captain, felt a cold chill run down their spines.

"Well whaddya know, I guess this little show ya put on has drawn the attention of the boss pony himself," Crusher laughed as he and the other gargoyles began to move to the side to allow something through. The Captain narrowed his eyes while he braced himself for whatever was coming, but then, to the surprise of everyone, a flash of light went off right in front of the Captain and a white mare in a black cloak appeared before him.

"You! Come with me!" she called out before shooting Rogers in the chest with a burst of white magic. Captain America didn't even have time to ask what was going on before his body began to vanish to someplace else. But right before he vanished into the unknown, he looked up to see a pony walking towards them--a pony with a mane that flowed like sinister shadows and eyes that seemed to pierce into the soul of all those around him.

The pony came to a stop just in time to see Captain America, surprise on its face as each took in the other. For a brief moment, the two stared at each other, one with eyes filled with interest and the other's eyes filled with justice. Then, a flash of light went off and the Captain vanished, leaving the pony to stare at the spot where he had been standing.

"Who...was that?" the shadow pony asked Crusher, who practically threw himself onto his face to bow to the shadow king.

"He called himself Captain America! I overheard it while we was flying in overhead," Crusher explained quickly, knowing that any moment the king would blast him into dust. "He's the one who freed all of the ponies from that prison there. He...managed to destroy about four of us, your almightiness. Looks like he's...a hero."

"A hero?" the shadow king repeated with a look that made every gargoyle in the area cower with fear. Then a toothy smile began to spread across the dark king's face as his eyes glanced at the spot where the strange being had vanished...before he let out a sigh and shook his head. "Please. This is just another flash in the pan. We'll be rid of him soon enough."

/ \
//A\
/// \\

Consciousness returned to the Captain in a flash, and in a moment he kicked up to his feet, taking a second to calm his heartbeat while also looking around the strange room in which he found himself. The walls around him seemed to be made a of a greenish, vine-like material, including the door in front of him. As he rose to his feet, he glanced down at his side to see that his shield was still with him, meaning that whoever brought him here was either on his side...or didn't know anything about him.

'Let's see which of those was correct,' Steve mused as he walked up to the green door, placing a hand on the handle and pushing down...to find that the door did indeed open for him. 'Looks like they're on my side...or at least don't see me as a threat.' When he opened to the door, he found that it led to a large hallway that looked almost identical to the room, except that there were far more vines and roots that made up these walls.

"I see you're finally awake," a pony to the right of the door said, causing Captain America to glance down to see a stallion carrying a crossbow. The pony couldn't read the look in the Cap's eyes, but Steve could read uncertainty, fear and a hint of respect in the stallion's eyes just fine. "I was told that when you woke up, I was to bring you to those in charge here. So, um..."

"By all means, lead on." The pony physically sighed in relief before motioning for the Captain to follow him, which Steve did while glancing around. 'So, they want to speak with me about something. Probably where I'm from and the other questions I'm generally asked. But I've got a few questions of my own and hopefully those in charge can answer them.'

"So...was that your first time being teleported by pony magic?" the guard asked Steve, who nodded in response when he noticed that the other doors in the hallway seemed to be cell doors. "I could tell; most ponies pass out after being teleported for the first time. But after that you kinda get used to it."

"So those blasts the unicorn fired at me back there were magic and not another form of energy," Steve confirmed, getting a nod from the guard as they moved out of the prison area. Steve's eyes widened slightly beneath the mask when they entered a huge cavern that was covered in roots and branches, with what looked like the base of a massive tree resting overhead. There were also hundreds of ponies walking around while doing different tasks, but each one stopped to stare at the strange creature in their midst that some of them hadn't even heard of.

"Calm down everypony, he's with me. Taking him to see the three in charge," the guard explained to those that had drawn weapons at the sight of the Captain, but Steve observed that not one of them lowered their weapons at the explanation. Another fact the Captain noticed, was that the ponies in the root-infested cavern all had looks in their eyes that reminded him of the soldiers with whom he had served a lifetime ago, telling him far more than the guard had.

"So, how long have you been at war?" His words spooked the guard, who glanced back at the Captain with a look of uncertainty.

"Sorry, I'm not really supposed to say anything to you until you meet the big three. They'll answer your questions." Steve wanted to push further and have answers then, but he decided that it wouldn't help him any to make enemies here as well. So the two walked on in silence, leaving the Captain to observe the ponies in the rooms made of crystal as they walked. All of them had sad, weary looks in their eyes, even the few foals that he found. "Um, we're here."

Steve looked up to see a large door that had two heavily armored guards on either side of it. Both gave him unfriendly glares. His escort nodded to the guard as he opened the door for the Captain, who walked inside of the room to find two ponies studying a map and talking with one another. One of the ponies was orange and had a purple mane that slightly tumbled out from beneath her helmet, while the other was an yellowish color in overalls and had a braided red mane sticking out from beneath her cowboy hat. He also noticed that they both had marks on their flanks as well, one being an airplane while the other was a wrench.

"Excuse me, I believe you wanted to speak with me?" Cap said, making the two aware to his presence. They both turned to face him before both their eyes went wide with shock, immediately looking at his shield before looking up at the face of the Captain.

"Well, ah'll be damned. He really is as strange as they said he was," the yellow one muttered with awe while she began to walk up to him, eyes glued to the shield as she did so. "And ya really used this to slice the head off one of those gargoyle monsters?"

"He didn't leave me many other options. It was him or me," Steve informed her, but the second mare walked up with a smirk on her face that made the Captain uneasy.

"Are you kidding me? We've been trying to figure out how to kill one of those damned monsters forever," she exclaimed with a laugh while she too walked up to the shield, knocking her hoof against it before nodding. "Yep, that's made of a metal I've never heard before. Gotta be how he managed to take down so many of Sombra's damned goons."

"I hate to interrupt, but I'm at a bit of a loss here," Steve interrupted, drawing both mares' attention towards him. "It's clear that there's a war going on and it's clear that things here are bad, but other than that I don't know anything else. Who is this Sombra, who are the two of you, and can I please know where I am?"

"Easy questions. Ah got this," the mare with the accent said to her friend before pointing to a shredded poster on the wall, one that Cap discovered looked almost identical to the one he found in the prison. "That's Sombra, the one with the green eyes. He's one of the five villains that rule Equestria. That...was the name of where you are now."

"So, he took over your world and killed the heroes that at one time protected you," Steve pieced together, getting sad nods from the pair.

"Eeyup. And there wasn't anything we could do to stop him," the mare with the cowboy hat seethed before shaking her head and giving a small smile up at the Captain. "But enough about the past, ah think it's time we introduced ourselves. Mah friend here and ah are two of the three ponies that founded the Crusaders. We're the group that fights against the evil as best we can. Ah'm Applebloom."

"Scootaloo. Loving the outfit by the way," she said with a smirk at the red, white, and blue. "We were planning on busting out those ponies ourselves, but then we hear word of some freak in a costume beating up the guards and crushing the gargoyles. Sent in our best retrieval agent as fast as we could to get all of you out. She's the third member."

Before Steve could ask where the third member was, the door to the office got kicked open and the white mare with the cloak walked inside with an angry look on her face.

"I've got the ponies we freed from the prison down in the basement waiting to be interrogated," she informed the other two in a cold voice before glancing up at the Captain, seemingly noticing him for the first time. And as the Captain looked down at her, he found she had a purple and pink mane that was cut short...along with a bloody battle axe on her flank. "What are you looking at?"

"We were just introducing ourselves here to the...guy who helped free all of those ponies from the prison," Applebloom explained while she walked up beside the white pony. "Yer the only one left that has to be introduced."

"Fine," she said with a glare before turning her attention to the Captain. "Nice to met ya, freak. I'm the third of the Crusaders' leaders and you'll be sure to remember that before the day is out. Call me Belle."

The Crusade

The faint buzzing from a myriad of insects that infested the air and the woodwork kept drawing Captain Rogers out of the conversation he was having with the mares, occasionally having to brush some of those insects off of his uniform. As the three walked down a massive staircase that seemed to be carved out of the roots of the giant tree they were under, he couldn't help but notice that while Applebloom and Scootaloo talked with him, Belle continued to stare ahead.

"So where ya from?" Applebloom asked for the second time, drawing the Captain back out from his thoughts. "And how did ya get here? Ah mean, not to sound rude but it's pretty clear yer not from round here."

"A planet called Earth, where humans like me live in harmony together, for the most part," the Captain explained, making a mental note at how Belle smirked when he said harmony. "And I got here when one of my more magically-inclined allies sent me here. I've come to help with whatever is attacking your land, but things here seem worse than I originally thought."

"You can say that again," Scootaloo muttered with a shake of her head before confusion crossed her face, and she glanced back at the Captain. "What a moment. If you come from a different world, then how the heck did you know that we need help?" It was the Captain's turn to look confused.

"We received the message for help that you sent to us," he responded, noticing the confusion in her eyes almost immediately. "I was the only Avenger on hand at the moment and was the only one who could be sent in right away. You...didn't send a message calling for help?"

"Oh, we've sent plenty of distress messages for help. Some to the griffons, some to the dragons; but it's the same response everytime," Belle snickered with venom while she used her magic to open a door at the bottom of the stairs, holding it open for her friends but letting go when Steve tried to get through. He brushed off the act, though, as Belle continued. "Tirek, Sombra and Chrysalis worked fast. It was barely a week after Equestria fell before they attacked the other nations also."

"So, every nation on this planet has fallen to this group of villains?" Captain America asked, his job getting a lot harder if that were the case.

"Not exactly. The dragons still hold out for the most part, and other nations have done a decent job at stopping their forces," Scootaloo explained when Belle remained silent. "But their forces are too busy trying to keep them out of their land, so they can't spare the forces to help us."

"More like they don't care," Belle muttered under her breath.

"What happened?" Captain America finally asked, getting the three to share glances with each other before Applebloom sighed and stared far off into the distance.

"It was a day like any other. The three of us were out playing like we always did, while the rest of the town was enjoying the day," she began with a faint sigh. "But out of the blue Tirek, a monster that can steal magic and add it to his already incredible power, appeared out of nowhere and attacked. It happened so suddenly and with no warning, so it wasn't long before our peaceful town of Ponyville was set ablaze."

The Captain remembered the sign that he had seen when he first arrived in the land, figuring that's where he had ended up. "Twilight, one of the princesses of this land, and her friends tried to fight back against him, but this time he didn't come alone."

"Both Starlight, a unicorn that can steal a pony's talent, and Chrysalis, a shapeshifter with an army of changelings, battled alongside the monster," Scootaloo cut in when Applebloom hung her head in pain. "Despite Twilight having the power of the alicorns and her friends having Rainbow Power...they were outnumbered. And it didn't help that one of the six that was needed to access the full power of the Rainbow was in the Crystal Empire, a nation that fell to Sombra on the same day."

"So against that kind of force...they were beaten. And then captured," Applebloom picked up for her friend after shaking the sadness out of her eyes. "And as Chrysalis and Starlight burned Ponyville to the ground, ensnaring ponies with their magic, Celestia and Luna, the two most powerful ponies in the land, showed up to fight for our freedom. They battled with Tirek and were evenly matched, but then a villain showed up that we didn't expect to see."

"Ahuizolt, an old foe of Daring Do and the Mane Six, appeared with a magical artifact that would block out the sun and swallow the moon in darkness for a short time. With that artifact, he managed to weaken Celestia and Luna significantly. And then they..."

"Took them. Took them and probably killed them." All three sets of eyes looked towards Belle, who was glaring back at the three with only coldness in her eyes. "What? That's what happened. What also happened--that they failed to mention--is that their sisters were a part of Twilight's group that tried to battle against Tirek. They're dead now too."

"We don't know that!" Applebloom roared with wrath flashing in her eyes, but then she remembered something and recalled her rage with an apologetic glance at Belle.

"And that was the day Equestria fell," Scootaloo continued when her two friends remained silent. "Tirek then stormed Canterlot and without the princesses to stop him, he conquered it within an hour. It wasn't until a few days later we discovered that the Crystal Empire had fallen to Sombra and that Cadence, the last of the four alicorns, was dead by his hoof. So without any of Equestria's protectors left, it only took the five villains a few days more to enslave the rest of Equestria. And that's the brief tale of how our nation that was once ruled by friendship and harmony fell to five of the most evil beings in the land."

Rogers closed his eyes after hearing the tale and spent a moment remembering the lives that had been lost to the evil, despite not knowing who any of them were. But when he opened his eyes, he glanced around at the large room they had walked into to see ponies in armor with weapons and gear, almost looking like a military.

"Yet despite Equestria falling, the three of you managed to create the Crusaders to try and free your world," he reminded them, getting nods from Scootaloo and Applebloom.

"Yep. When Sombra's forces came for us, we managed to escape," Applebloom explained before her face fell slightly. "Of course, that was also the day we got our Marks here. Ah'm able to work pretty good with any technology, so that's how ah got mine. Scootaloo over there got hers fer when she flew us out of that mess. And Belle..."

"When I used my magic to snap a pony's neck," she replied in a cold tone before smirking back at her friends. "Turns out my special talent all along was making others go to sleep forever. If this war wouldn't have happened, I never would have discovered my Mark. Guess that's one good thing to come out of this, huh?"

"So yeah, we've added more and more ponies that escaped until we made this here resistance you see around you," Applebloom said as she motioned to everything around her. "And's that our tale." Steve took a moment to look around at the faces of all of the ponies, seeing from their ragged expressions and bitter eyes that none of them had any hope within them; that most of them were pretty much beaten already.

"So...can you tell us more about yourself?" Scootaloo asked, bringing the Captain back to the conversation.

"My name is Captain Steve Rogers, but most call me Captain America. And I'm an Avenger on planet Earth that came here when I received a message that asked desperately for help," he recapped for the three of them as they walked into a nearly empty hallway that was illuminated with glowing flower bulbs on the walls. "But when I arrived, I discovered the landscape devastated and that nearly everything was covered in ash. After spying some gargoyles that were flying overhead, I followed them to the prison where Belle found me. After freeing the prisoners, I held off the gargoyles until Belle teleported me here. The rest you know."

"Wow, you've had a pretty busy first day," Applebloom said with a dry chuckle before pushing her hat back and casting Steve a confused look. "Hey, what's an Avenger by the way? Is that the name of your army or something?"

"The Avengers are a group of heroes that came together to battle threats we could not handle alone," Captain America began to explain, noticing out of the corner of his eye that both Scootaloo and Applebloom seemed to perk up at the word "hero," while Belle scowled. "We fight to save our world from the forces of evil and to keep the people on it safe. And so far we haven't failed yet."

"And you're one of them right? One of these heroes?" Scootaloo asked, her smile growing wide when he nodded. "Crusaders, group huddle," Scootaloo said, the second Captain America finished, getting him to raise an eyebrow as the three pulled themselves together. "Did you hear what he said? He's a hero from another planet!"

"So?" Belle scowled.

"So? Belle, this could finally be the answer to our problems!" Applebloom half-shouted, the smile on her face wider than it had been in a long time. "This here Avenger says that he's saved his world on more than one occasion, so maybe he's what our world needs! Equestria doesn't have any more heroes, but maybe he can take their place! Maybe he can be the hero we need!" Belle glanced from friend to friend before she slowly began to shake her head in disgust, backing away from them before glaring at the Captain.

"No...no I'm not doing this," she smirked with a small laugh while she glared down the Captain. "No, I'm not fighting alongside him, even if he thinks he's a hero. I'm not risking my life with some freak of nature that wear's spandex, fights with a Frisbee, and plastered a freaking letter 'A' on his head! Another hero? Yeah right, he's just like all the other "heroes" we had that failed. Sunset, Daring Do, and the Wonderbolts just to name a few. Thanks for freeing those prisoners Cap, but you should probably head on back to your world cause we don't need somepony like you!"

Belle then turned and stalked away from the group, both Applebloom and Scootaloo calling her out on her words as they chased after her. "You lost somepony important to you that day to, didn't you?" Belle stopped dead in her tracks as she slowly turned to look back at the Captain, who stared at her not with anger or annoyance, but understanding in his eyes. "You lost those you cared about when Tirek destroyed your home. I'm sorry."

Belle scowled with fury before she tore open a door and stalked away, leaving Scootaloo and Applebloom to look back at the Captain with sorrowful expressions. But before they could apologize, the Captain shook his head before holding a hand to his ear. "There's no need to apologize. I've seen a lot like her. Fury come in, do you read? Still static. What do we pay Stark for?"

"She's...had a rougher time adapting to all of this than either of us," Scootaloo explained in defense of her friend. "You're right, she did lose more than either of us. I...never really had a family to begin with, so I'm used to the pain of being alone. I didn't lose anypony...that close to me when our home fell."

"And ah've lost family before in the past," Applebloom added with a small chuckle. "Not to this extent, but ah'm...able to deal with it. Also mah family is so large that some of my family survived. Heck, a few aunts and uncles are down here now."

"But Sw...Belle, she'd never lost anypony before. And on that day she lost everything. Her home. Her family...herself," Scootaloo whispered for her friend, both she and Applebloom hanging their heads for a brief moment before looking up at Rogers. "I know it's no excuse for how she's treating you but...we thought you should know."

The Captain's face softened for a moment, knowing how Belle felt more than the two mares next to him would ever know. For a moment, he considered going after her and talking to her, but to the surprise of all three the belle came racing back from the door she just entered with a look on her face that meant trouble.

"We've just gotten a call from one of our teams out in the field. They're in trouble!" she quickly explained to her friends, who both shared a terrified glance before racing after her. Steve followed after them, able to keep up with their stride as they rushed through the wooden halls, eventually coming to a stop in a large, circular room with a sizeable table in the center that was already seating five different ponies.

"What's going on? Why did somepony call on the red line?" Scootaloo asked one of the older, bearded ponies at the table with a phone on his flank, but his sad eyes answered before his words could.

"We just received an S.O.S. from one of our gatherers teams. It seems...that Ahuizolt's forces found them taking food from Stalliongrad and he's captured them," the elder pony explained with sad eyes.

"Then what are we waiting for? We can go in there and quickly free them before-"

"You don't understand, Applebloom. Ahuizolt is there with them." The room fell deadly silent at the stallion's words, giving Cap a moment to glance around and take in each pony's reaction. Applebloom was steaming with rage, the kind of rage that came with being helpless. Scootaloo had a hoof around her shoulder to comfort her friend while the ponies in the chairs each began to turn back to their task. And Belle just shook her head once before turning to leave.

"Why can't you mount a rescue operation?" Steve finally decided to ask, turning every head in the room towards him. "You know where they are, so why not go now and extract them the way you did me?"

"Cap...it's not that easy," Scootaloo explained when nopony else answered. "Ahuizolt has artifacts that play hell with a pony's magic. He can stop us from teleporting, magic blasts...hell, even some of his damned items can kill a unicorn just by being too close. And without a unicorn there to teleport us out, there's no chance of getting the captured ponies out before reinforcements arrive. We can't...do anything..."

All the ponies, except Belle, hung their heads for a moment, grieving the loss of the ponies out in the field. Rogers took that moment to glance into the ponies' eyes, seeing the same look in each set of eyes. Defeat. Defeat without even trying. Right then, Captain America knew that the Crusaders didn't stand a chance against these evil forces, not when they were beaten before they even began.

"Then let me go in." The words of the Captain snapped all sets of eyes towards him, where he stood tall with narrowed eyes and determination flashing on his face. "Send me in. I'm not fueled by magic so I can get close to him. And I can more than deal with a bunch of soldiers and a tyrant that thinks he's won. I've made a career of it."

"Steve...do you understand what you're asking to do?" Scootaloo asked him. "You're asking to go in alone against one of the five villains that helped to kill the strongest beings in our land and take over the world. And unless you take Ahuizolt and his soldiers down, we can't get you or the ponies he's captured out of there. You'd have to do all this...alone."

"I understand the risks. I also understand what I'm up against," he calmly nodded before casting his eyes over each of them. "But someone needs to rescue those in danger, and it seems like I'm the only one who can. And think of it this way. When I prevail, you'll get those ponies back. But if I fail, then you don't lose any of your group trying to rescue them. It's a win-win."

He then turned his face so he was looking directly at Belle, not with anger or with pride, but with a look that she had not seen in anypony's eyes in years. "I also know that some of you have doubts about my abilities; doubt that I cannot help you in this war that seems hopeless. Let me prove that I can help. Let me show you why I am called the First Avenger."

Scootaloo, Applebloom and Belle each shared a glance with each other before they huddled up, whispering to one another in hurried voices. After a few minutes the group split apart, with only Belle looking happy with their decision.

"Alright Steve, you're clear to help. Go show us why they call you a hero."

What They Needed

"Ah, good thing I remembered to bring my scaled-down model throne of the ancient temples I've looted, or else who knows what you ponies would have had to carry me on," Ahuizolt said with a small chuckle while twirling the liquid within his glass, casting a smile down at the dozen ponies who were dragging along his golden throne that was in the shape of a temple.

The mix and match of animals then stared up at the sky with a small sigh, drinking in the beauty of the thundering blackness that rumbled overhead. "I must admit that I wasn't a fan of Chrysalis's idea to block out the sun and moon at first, but I must say that it has proven to be a most interesting idea. I mean, no matter how long I'm outside I no longer sweat. It is magnificent, is it not?"

He then placed the glass into his tail hand before resting his arms behind his head, sitting back with a smile while he smirked at the captured ponies--twelve in all--with each of them chained by their neck and hooves so that they were forced to pull the massive, solid gold throne with all of their might. Groups of large cats flanked the throne, occasionally snarling at the ponies if they weren't pulling fast enough.

"So why, may I ask, did you bother trying to fight against us? "Ahuizolt asked the enslaved ponies while he stalked down from his throne next to where the ponies pulled, a toothy smile spreading on his face as some glared at him with fear and others with anger. "I mean, we've already won, so what's the point in trying to defeat us. Is it because of your loyalty to your now deceased princesses? Or is it another reason?"

He sighed when the ponies failed to answer before he climbed back onto his throne, the smile returning to his face when he saw spotlights shining in the black clouds in the far off distance. "Ah, we are almost to your new home: The Pit. Hurry along now, or you might be late for your dinner. And who knows at that place when you'll get another meal?"

Ahuizolt chuckled with delight as he rubbed his hands together, enjoying the fear that began to spread across the ponies' faces when their destination came into view, a massive, concrete camp that had hundreds of yards of fence wrapped around its edges. As the throne and the enslaved ponies got closer to the structure, Ahuizolt could practically hear the sounds of ponies suffering in the air. But then the throne skidded to a stop, snapping the tyrant out of his thoughts. His eyes snapped open and his fury directed itself down at the ponies.

"Why are we stopped? I do not remembering allowing you to..." But as his words went quiet in his throat, his eyes gazed upon the same figure that had caused both the ponies and the cats cease all movement. A figure wearing red, white and blue stood before the group, his eyes gleaming while his shield on his left arm shined with the light of the spotlights. "And just who might you be? And why are you in my way? Do you wish to die?"

"I'm called Captain America. And I'm in your way," he began as he slightly crouched down with a smile on his face. "Because I want to see those prisoners of yours freed." Ahuizolt threw his head back and laughed at the sky just as the jungle cats that had walked beside the throne slowly stalked the Captain, who paid them no mind while he continued to glare down at the creature sitting on the throne.

"You truly are a strange creature and one that must not be from around here," Ahuizolt sighed with a smile as he held out a hand, his cats immediately freezing in place. He then walked off of his throne and through the chained up ponies, smirking at the Captain while he stared right into the mans eyes before pulling out a black and red hammer. "Tell me, Captain, do you know what this is? Of course you don't, because you've made it obvious that you are intellectually inferior to me, and therefor must have everything explained to you."

"This, dear Captain, is the Black Hammer of Hades, a weapon that is so powerful that I used it to bring down some of the strongest beings in all of Equestria," Ahuizolt explained while he showed the Captain the hammer, yet Steve only looked at the weapon with moderate interest. "This weapon is capable of destroying any magic that it touches, no matter how powerful. Like the shield Trixie tried to use to save herself, like the hands of that fool Discord who thought he was so clever...like that shield...of YOURS!"

Ahuizolt let out a cry as he turned and lifted the hammer over his head, yet the second he turned to face the Captain all that happened was that a gloved fist cracked him right in the nose and sent the ruler staggering back as he held a hand to his face.

"So, what kind of hybrid are you anyway?" Captain America asked when the felines began to surround the star-spangled soldier, who kept an eye on each of them while continuing to speak to Ahuizolt. "Because you have the face of a dog, the hands of the monkey, the feet of a cat...and an extra hand on your tail. Not the strangest creature I've seen in my life, but strange none the less."

"I could ask you the same question, dear Captain," Ahuizolt replied as his tail coiled behind him and began to make different hand signs for the cats. "You are most clearly not of this world, but if that is the case, how did you get here? It must have surely been by magic, but that would make you magical. Yet my artifacts sense no magical energy emitting from you."

"You're right about me using magic to get here, but I can assure you that I'm not magical at all. I'm just a man. A man who's going to beat you." Ahuizolt smirked at the response before the tiger on Cap's left roared and hurled itself towards him with claws extended. Like a flash the Captain raised his shield and slammed it into the gut of the animal, using his legs to toss the kitty away from him. The puma attacked from the Cap's other side, going low as its fangs snapped at his heels.

A kick to the cat's jaw shattered the teeth and sent it hissing away in pain as it fled, yet Cap had just a second to gather himself before Ahuizolt swung the hammer at the Captain once more. Without waiting a moment, Steve swung his shield to intercept the hammer, clashing hammer against shield. A burst of black light erupted from the impact, hurling Ahuizolt backwards while the Captain remained rooted in place by sheer willpower. Ahuizolt groaned as he slowly pushed himself back to a sitting position, rubbing his head while he glanced down at his hammer...to find the weapon completely shattered.

"And that's another thing you got wrong about me," Captain America said with a smile while he tapped his knuckles against the star embedded on the shield. "The old gal right here isn't magical either. Just metal and paint. So now that I've busted that mighty, god slaying hammer of yours...what say you we actually get this fight started?"

With a scowl, Ahuizolt raised all three of his hands in the air to reveal that each of them was holding a different stone. With a maniacal laugh he called down a blast of lightning on top of the Captain while the earth erupted at his feet, spraying magma in every direction. Cap was used to lightning bolts, though, and was able to hurl himself away from the flash of destruction, using his shield as a platform to slide along the lava until he reached rock again.

"Not bad. But now try my magic act," Steve threatened before hurling his shield with a laser-like precision, catching one of the stone items with the shield and shattering it to pieces. The shield bounced at a perfect angle and slammed into the second artifact, cracking that one in two as the shield ricocheted once more and made dust of the last artifact. Ahuizolt looked down at the ruined stones in his hands with disbelief while the Captain caught his shield, slipping it over his arm with a smile.

"Ta-da."

Chilling the ponies with the look of fury that flashed in his eyes, Ahuizolt wrapped a green necklace around his neck and began to mutter words into it. Steve raised an eyebrow under his mask before Ahuizolt's muscles began to expand rapidly, quickly looking like a miniature version of the Hulk, if he was far uglier.

"Do you like it, Captain America? This is the Chain of Chokoko!" Ahuizolt roared with a far deeper voice than he had a moment ago, shaking the ground with each step as he advanced towards the Captain. "This increases my strength a hundred fold, essentially making me a god!"

"That's quite the magic. But are you sure its worth never being allowed to compete in sports again? It's clear you've been-" Cap never got to finish his attempt at humor as a massive fist swung itself at his head, making Captain America leap to the side while the air exploded behind him. Steve pushed himself off of one hand before tossing the shield while upside down in the air, striking Ahuizolt under the eye.

Steve jumped after his shield and slipped it back onto his left arm after gathering it, slamming himself shield first into Ahuizolt's face and creating a loud ringing in the beast's ears. As he landed on the ground, though, a hand wrapped itself around his ankle, getting the Captain to glance down to see that Ahuizolt's tail hand was 'roided out as well and now had a death grip on him.

"Tag, you're it!" the tyrant roared as he slammed the Captain onto his back, kicking the shield away before driving his fists down onto the Captain. Yet Steve's own hands shot out and grabbed the fists of the monster, his arms shaking under the pressure while he was slowly overpowered by Ahuizolt.

"You have given me quite the fight Captain, but this battle must end now," Ahuizolt snarled as he continued to push, his face mere inches away from the Captain's. "And may your death finally show these fools that any kind of resistance against us is completely-AAARRRGGHHH!" Ahuizolt howled with pain when the Captain slammed his forehead into Ahuizolt's eye, causing the beast to release him in pain as it clutched at his eye.

"Help me, my pets!" he roared while trying to clear the pain out of his eyes, the panther and lion roaring with fury as they sprung out from behind the back of the throne. Roger's head swiveled towards the pair of cats and he raised both of his hands while sliding a foot back. The panther kicked off with its powerful legs as it extended its claws on both the front legs and its back, planning to shred all of the Captain. Yet Steve took a step forward before kicking up, exploding with a dropkick that shattered the panther's ribs while his legs connected with the kitty's chest.

The panther collapsed with a weak moan while the Captain landed on his back, though he quickly kipped up and leapt to the side to retrieve his shield once more. And his timing couldn't have been better, for the second his fingers wrapped around the edge of the shield the lion let loose a bellow and slashed at him with the might of the king of the jungle.

But the poor creature's claws ran into the same problem nearly everything else had when they struck the shield, and that was they failed to even scratch it. Cap's counterattack however, did far more than scratch the lion when he slammed his shield right into the cat's face. The lion howled when it fell over, groaning weakly as it slowly staggered away while barely able to see straight. Steve slid the shield back onto his arm as he turned around to face Ahuizolt once more, but this time the creature held another stone in his hand, one that was an orange and red color that shone like the sun.

"This is over, Captain America," he promised while he took up the stone with all three hands. "This very stone holds within it the same kind of power that Celestia used to move the sun. You will not survive it, and I will be able to tell all how I felled the hero from another world. Now please do me a favor...and DIE!"

A blast of brilliant sunlight erupted from the stone as he roared, sending a beam of pure, white fire streaking towards Rogers. His Avengers training kicked in and Rogers sidestepped the attack, turning his head to watch as the beam incinerated the ground while it traveled by him. Ahuizolt screamed with fury when he fired another shot towards the Captain, but once again Steve moved out of the way as the tiny yet powerful beam destroyed the area around him.

"Hold still! Or are you afraid that your Frisbee will not be able to take the might of the sun?!" Ahuizolt roared when the Captain rolled, flipped and dodged to avoid the beam. Blast after blast just narrowly missed the human, but what Ahuizolt failed to notice was that with each shot, Captain America moved a little bit closer...and that the stone was losing its glow.

"You want me to stand still? Alright," Rogers acquiesced and landed right in front of the muscular monster, who seemed dumbfounded for a moment before with a snarl, he thrust the stone at Steve...to no effect. Ahuizolt let out a gasp of disbelief before looking up, only to be punched in the face once more. He staggered back with a bellow of fury and tried hurling a fist forward, his flesh connecting with the vibranium that had yet to be bested.

"Why?! Can't! I! Break! This! SHIELD?!" Ahuizolt bellowed as each air-shattering punch pummeled the front of the shield over and over, yet the metal refused to even bend at the full fury and might of Ahuizolt's magical enhancements. Ahuizolt screamed with rage as he began to wind up his biggest punch, giving Captain America his moment to act.

"Because just like me, it's made of stronger things than you are!" Rogers roared before ducking under the wind-up punch, leaving Ahuizolt completely open. "And because it's taken blows from things far stronger than you! So it's shown that it can take hits from you, but can you take a hit from it?!"

Rogers then threw a left punch with all of his might, driving the edge of shield directly into the face of Ahuizolt. And as the ponies and the felines watched, the impact of the shield shattered the bones in Ahuizolt's face and snapped his head back. Ahuizolt let out one last exhale before he collapsed onto his back, eyes rolling up in his head while blood poured from the gash on his skull, while the Captain stood tall and victorious.

Captain America let out a small sigh before he turned his attention to where the ponies were chained up. He walked over to them, glaring at the cats as he approached them. They bowed their heads in defeat and silently slunk off to the side, allowing the Captain unopposed access to the chained ponies. Their eyes were wide with both awe and gratitude when the Captain slammed his shield into the chains, shattering them with ease as he freed each and everypony.

"Don't worry everyone. You're going home," he informed them with a comforting smile before taking an orb out of his belt and tossing it into the air, his eyes filled with color when the orb exploded into a plethora of colors that illuminated the black sky. A few seconds after the orb exploded, Belle and two other unicorns teleported into the area, the two unicorns teleporting the freed ponies away while Belle glanced back at where Ahuizolt lay with disbelief.

"There's no way...you actually beat him," she whispered, her voice revealing that she had held no faith in the Captain. "One of the five most evil and powerful beings in the world...and a guy with a shield beats him by himself...how?"

"I figured that you guys needed a victory. This should do wonders for morale back at the base," Steve said with a smile that only made Belle scowl at him. "Now let's get back and help those ponies get adjusted to things." A white light began to envelope the both of them, but Roger's cast a glance to Ahuizolt who was slowly getting back up.

"You believe that you have won this day by besting me? No, all you have done is show that you are a threat, Captain America," Ahuizolt informed the Captain with a bloody grin that had a few teeth missing. "And that means that the other five will come for you, and they will not stop until you're dead."

"They're coming for me, huh? Good," Steve replied with a smile as confusion spread on Ahuizolt's face. "Saves me the trouble of going to find them." And with that last remark, the Captain and Belle vanished in a flash of light, leaving Ahuizolt alone to inform the others of the terrible news.

Repercussions

Steve Rogers wore his smile with pride when hundreds of ponies applauded like thunder, able to see the amazement--but more importantly the hope--in the eyes of all those who looked upon him. For once the underground base of the Crusaders seemed alive, and those that he had rescued were thanking him with huge smiles, even tears.

"Well ah'll be damned. Ya actually did it," Applebloom said with a small shake of her head as she walked up to Captain Rogers, sticking out a hoof to him with a huge smile. "Thank ya, Captain America. Ya actually managed to beat Ahuizolt. Ah don't think that any of us here believed in you one hundred percent."

"Well, at least I know for certain which one of you didn't believe in me at all," Rogers teased as he smirked over at Belle, who was too busy speaking with the ponies that had been captured to notice him. After that, it took nearly an hour for Captain America to wade through the ponies that all wanted to thank him. He shook hooves and talked with a few, but he drew the line at signing autographs. There was still too much to do before he would act like he'd won.

"Word sure spreads fast. How did so many hear about what happen in such a short period of time?" Rogers asked when a pair of ponies ran off with huge smiles on their faces, happy to meet the Captain. "But I am happy to help them smile, even if it is only for a day."

"Well, we've never had anything like you. Literally, your species is new to us. Speaking of..." Applebloom and Scootaloo then dragged the Captain away from the crowd of applauding ponies to a more quiet room, sitting him down while taking out notepads.

"Ah know that ya probably want to bask in the glory more, but we've got a few questions to ask you," Applebloom said with a serious expression that was mirrored by her friend. "Yer the first one of us that's encountered one of the Five Dark Gods and survived, so we need to know all that happened during that fight so that we can make preparations for if we fight him again."

"You're calling them the Five Dark Gods now?" Steve asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, we couldn't keep calling them 'those damned assholes', so we figured to give them another name," Scootaloo answered with a smirk, Roger's sighing with a small smile while Scootaloo looked down. "So first things first, what kind of weapons or artifacts did that freak of the week use against you in the fight...and how the hell are you alive?"

"I'll start with your first question. The main artifacts he used were ones that manipulated the elements, such as lightning and fire. He also used a magic-destroying hammer, but he failed to grasp the fact that I don't use magic," Rogers reminded the pair, the two nodding as they wrote down what he said. "But his "greatest" weapon was an amulet that made his muscles grow nearly ten times in strength, increasing his physical combat capabilities greatly."

"Wow, Ahuizolt got that strong and you didn't even leave with a scratch?" Scootaloo asked with a smile--a genuine one--if the Captain was reading her face correctly.

"After getting punched by the Hulk, everything below that is manageable," Captain America replied with a small shake of his head, knowing that the two mares were looking at him with confusion on their faces. "To answer the second question, I've fought hundreds of beings that have strength that far surpasses mine. Dealing with Ahuizolt was hardly a challenge."

The Cap then raised an eyebrow at the fact that his words made the faces of the two mares light up with excitement, concerning him for a moment as they moved their heads closer together and began to whisper to one another.

"Sorry, it's just...Ahuizolt is one of the five beings that took over the world, that helped to kill Celestia and Luna in battle...and yer saying that he was barely a problem," Applebloom smiled with a shake of her head, amazed by the nonchalant way that Rogers had dismissed Ahuizolt. "If ya dealt with Ahuizolt so easily, maybe we'll actually manage to-"

The three went silent as the door to the room swung open and Belle stalked inside, her eyes blazing like flames as she registered the Captain's existence before turning to her friends. "We've got an issue in the command center. The generals want the three of us there on the double."

"Got it," Scootaloo and Applebloom both nodded while they shot up, racing to the door before Scootaloo glanced back at the Captain. "Hey, while we're taking care of this problem, feel free to wander around and get your bearings. If you're going to be helping us, then you need to learn this place inside and out. See ya!"

Rogers stood up as the door slammed shut behind him, able to hear the running of hoofsteps for a few seconds before the room went silent. He then glanced around the room, taking in the fact that the place was mostly empty boxes and destroyed pieces of metal. He made a note of that as he opened the door and left the room, looking down both ends of the vine crafted hallway before choosing to go in the opposite direction from the way he entered.

'They want me to fight alongside them, yet from what I've seen they can barely stay together as an army, let alone fight against the kind of forces I've seen,' Rogers analyzed while he walked by a pair of ponies, nodding to them when they stared up at him in awe. 'I can train them to deal with the armored ponies, but those gargoyles are going to be a problem. What bothers me the most is that it seems each one of the five fools have their own personal army. Sombra, I believe, has the gargoyles, Ahuizolt had the cats...what are the other three?'

Captain America emerged from his thoughts when he realized he walked into a room with a massive trunk, one that seemed to go higher and higher into the dark ceiling until it vanished into the blackness. At the bottom of the trunk he noticed a pair of ponies in lab coats who were attending to the tree, and both gaped with awe as the Captain approached.

"So, is this the central support of the base?" the Captain asked, observing the way that sun lamps had been position around the base of the three, while a moat of greenish water wrapped around the trunk. "Or is this the trunk that created this whole thing? It's clear we're at least under a forest, but I'm just wondering if it's a single plant or a whole bunch of them."

"You're really tall."

Rogers couldn't help but smile widely at the remark, letting out a small sigh before he tilted his head down towards the two. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that one of the ponies was an adult, but the other one seemed to be a child, at least he assumed she was from her voice and a wide smile crossed her face.

"Wow, I've never seen anything like you! A creature that stands up on two legs yet manages to keep its balance! Doesn't look that strong, but there have been reports that you took down one of the five," the filly muttered to herself as she began to circle the Captain, who watched with curiosity as she began to write down notes on the Cap. "Strange attire, but perhaps it's battle garb in his culture..." The filly then began to poke the Captain with a pencil, finally getting the mare to step in.

"Please excuse her...Mr. America. She's never really seen any other creature aside from a pony," the mare apologized while she dragged the filly back as she waved her pencil at the Captain.

"It's alright. It can't be fun having to be cramped in a place like this for such a young kid," Cap said understandingly with a smile before he waved and walked towards a room on his left, his smile turning into a cold frown when he walked out of view. 'Even the children here are feeling the depression that comes with being in a hopeless situation. Before she looked at me, she had the deadest eyes that I have seen in a long time. The sooner I can end this war, the better.'

A blinding flash of light snapped the Captain out of his thoughts, causing the Cap to swivel his head towards the wooden door when another flash of light went off. He rapped his knuckles against the door twice before opening it, sticking his head in only to whip it back a moment later when a pot barely missed his head.

"Go away! You'll ruin the atmosphere for my plants!" a voice from within roared. Cap barely caught a glance of an orange mare with a carrot on her flank. He closed the door and glanced up at a sign next to him, smirking when he discovered that the room he had entered was where the food was grown.

'That answers another question. Now to answer the next one hundred that I want answered.' Steve continued his walk, taking in a number of places while he did so. A room where ponies were (poorly) trained to fight, another that spiraled down into a large room where dozens of foals played while the five caretakers who tried to reel them in were completely outmatched.

But the room that got the Captain to stop and stare for a moment was behind a wooden door at the end of a brightly lit hallway that had a red cross painted on the door. The Captain stole a glance into the room through one of the windows, his heart sinking when he saw just how many wounded and sick lay in the infirmary. He shook his head sadly as he turned to leave, but then something smacked into the window and drew Roger's attention back to it. One of the ponies that was missing two of his legs waved the Captain inside, gaining the attention of other ponies as he did so.

"Well look who it is! The hero of the Crusaders!" the pony cried out with a laugh before coughing heavily for a moment. "This guy's only been here two days and already he frees a prison camp filled with ponies before kicking Ahuizolt's teeth in the next day. If that's how fast you work, then we'll have won this war by the end of the week!"

"I take it a pony's already told you about me?" Roger's asked as crossed his arms, smiles spreading on the ponies' faces while nearly all of the wounded focused on the Captain.

"Told us about you? Hell, you're the Captain! The guy that's done more in two days then we've done in...whoo, she does not look happy." Rogers glanced over his shoulder to see Belle standing at the door, motioning for him to join her with a look that made the Captain's hair stand on end a bit. "Guess that's all the time ya got for now, but listen Captain. We're all behind you, each and every one of us," the wounded pony said as he motioned to the others, each of whom nodded with smiles. "A lot of us were starting to think that this war was pointless, that we were just prolonging the inevitable. Thanks for show us that there's hope, almighty hero."

"I'm just a man. If we're to win this war, then it will be an effort that requires all of us," Captain America said while his eyes glanced around the room, making sure to make eye contact with each of the wounded. "And it's clear I'm not the only one brave enough to fight. Rest up guys."

America heard the ponies laughing as he pushed the double doors open and smiled down at Belle, who made sure to keep her face blank before she turned away with a shake of her head. "I take it that you need something from me, or else you wouldn't have bothered to get me."

"Wow, you must be psychic or something," she replied with a cold tone while she motioned him to follow her. "After much debate with my friends and the other generals, we've decided that we should let you in on our plans, since you are the super awesome hero and all."

"I almost can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," Rogers joked, but the cold glance Belle gave him in reply silenced any other attempt at humor. "What's the mission that you need me for?"

"It's not a mission. It's a warning," Belle replied, the warning interesting the Captain more than possible mission. "You've made a mark on our world. Already your name is spreading across what remains of Equestria and many are starting to believe that you're the hero that will free us all. Idiots."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"It's bad because you've made the first move. And now it's the Five's turn to make theirs," Belle replied with hints of fear in her face as she glanced back at the Captain. "And you better believe that when they retaliate, there will be bodies."

/ \
//A\
/// \\

Ahuizolt gritted what remained of his teeth in pain while he placed a ball of blue light into the cradle of each of the four torch stands, trying to make himself as presentable as possible, The blue balls shone with an unholy power, each of them shining like stars except for the one that remained dull. Then shadowy images of three beings appeared before the tyrant, who was able to tell from their faces that none of them were amused.

"Ahuizolt. It has been a while since you have called with the orbs," an ancient and powerful voice boomed that made the other three shudder slightly. "It had better be important, for I have far more important things to do than tolerate your sniveling."

"I...I am sorry Tirek, but I have just had an incident that I needed to inform each of you of...where is Sombra?" Ahuizolt asked, getting another one of the shadows to roll their eyes.

"That lazy fool is probably fast asleep. I swear, ever since he took over the Crystal Empire he has gotten lazier and lazier," a female voice said before spitting off to the side. "But go ahead and tell us what's the matter, darling. I promise that I won't kill the messenger, at least."

"I...was beaten in battle. By a hero calling himself Captain America." For a long moment each of the shadows went silent, sharing glances with one another before the third shadow spoke.

"Well, this is not unusual, for you at least. Even after the fall of the Ambassadors and the princesses, you were bested by Daring Do before we dealt with her. If you wish, I will come to aid you and we will kill this-"

"You do not understand. This was no pony fool, that thought they could somehow stand against us. This creature...was human. And he carried a shield that would not shatter, even when I hit it with my strongest attacks. Every one of my strongest artifacts...useless against his defense," Ahuizolt admitted with shame, getting a snicker out of the shadow of Tirek.

"Your strongest attack amounts to a light breeze, Ahuizolt. I fail to see why this would be relevant to any of us," Tirek chuckled, but a flash of darkness went off and a fourth shadow joined in on the conversation. "Oh great, now you bother to finally show up. Did we interrupt your nap, your laziness?"

"In fact, you did. But do not worry, I have been listening in. And I say we would do well to heed Ahuizolt's warning. Even if this...person doesn't seem like much of a threat, it is best we exterminate problems like this before they become a real issue," the voice of the king of shadows offered, getting nods from the other four as they agreed. "But I have also heard of this "hero" and that his name is starting to spread amongst our subjects, giving them...hope."

"Then we shall exterminate that hope and remind them why we are the rulers of this land," Tirek promised before turning towards one of the shadows. "Starlight, take the Starfall and make an example out of one of their cities. Show them what happens if they even tease the idea of rebellion."

"I have not had the chance to drive the Starfall in a long time. I wonder if the power source is still alive?" Starlight chuckled before her shadow vanished and her orb went cold.

"Do not worry, Ahuizolt, we powerful beings will deal with this...Captain America for you. You just focus on ruling that swamp you call a kingdom." Tirek's shadow was the next to vanish, followed by Ahuizolt, who muttered a few obscenities beneath his breath. That left only Sombra and the other shadow, that gazed at Sombra with curiosity.

"What is the matter Sombra? For the first time in a while you actually look interested in something," she teased with a smile. Sombra chuckled as he shook his head, ignoring her words while he turned away.

"Please Chrysalis, I have seen Captain America in pony and he is nothing to worry about. No magic, no wings, and not even a magical artifact like the Elements. In a few days he'll be dead and everything will go back to how it was...and so I return to my nap."

Death From the Heavens

Massive banners with the five conquerors' faces still hung from nearly every building in the city, the fences and posts that had been built still littered the streets; but to the surprise of the ponies of the city of Mareiland, they woke up to a morning where none of the black armored guards patrolled the streets and none of Sombra's gargoyles darkened the sky.

At first, none of the ponies were sure what to do, so, in fear of retribution, they moved about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. They reported to their work stations and managed their shifts, but it wasn't long before all of them started to notice that no guards or even workers of the Five were within the buildings. The guard rooms were empty, the cameras that watched their every move were blank, and when one dared to leave, nothing happened. It was as if every one of the Five's forces had vanished.

The streets were in total chaos when the revelation was made by all. Ponies danced under busted fire hydrants, used magic freely as they tore down posters, and began to destroy all in their city that reminded them of the tyranny.

A young colt raced through the streets, singing with the other ponies with a smile on his face that had not been there in a long time. He bounded up the steps of an old house to find his grandpony sitting on the front porch, gazing out at the dancing and singing as if he couldn't believe what was going on.

"Grandpa!" the colt laughed as he leapt onto the stallion's lap, knocking the wind out of him while the colt bounced on his lap. "Have ya heard the news? Every guard and monster that used to be here is gone! It's like somepony chased them out!"

"Yeah...that's what it seems like," the elder said with concerned eyes before glancing down at his grandson. "But by somepony, surely you don't mean that human that showed up here a few days ago? What was his name again, Captain something?"

"Captain America! And of course it had to be him, who else could it be?" the colt asked with a loud laugh while he began to race around the elder. "He shows up out of nowhere, frees a camp filled with ponies, and goes on to beat one of the big Five! Who else would be able to drive out an army of evil in a single night?"

The foal then began to dance around once more, but the elder still wore a look of concern on his face that had only deepened. 'Even if this Captain was able to drive out the army, it would have been a commotion. There's no way that he could have done it so quietly, even if he could in a single night. But the guards are gone, so what does it mean?'

His thoughts were shattered when the singing ponies around him all fell deadly silent, all of the merriment and joy that had been in the city a moment ago turning into a cold chill. He glanced at the ponies who were standing still, before noticing a massive shadow that was blocking out the bright sun casting the entire city into shadows. Yet what he noticed was their gaze--each pony's gaze was up at the sky. He dared to lift his head, terrified of what he might see. And what he saw terrified him more than anything else in the world could.

A bloody red monstrosity of metal and magic, larger than the skyscrapers that reached towards the sky, was slowly making its way above the center of the city. Its triangular shape made it seem as if it was slicing through the air, while the tendrils of magic that streamed from behind it caused black clouds to follow behind the mechanical nightmare.

Then the screaming began--the screaming that came with realization of what was coming--for there wasn't a pony in those streets that didn't know what the machine was...and why they should be very afraid. Ponies screamed while they ran in circles, some trying to fly or teleport away. But red light began to emit from the ship, draining all of the ponies' magic in the city almost immediately.

The elder had to look away as pegasi began to fall from the skies, instead looking down at the foal who was gazing up at the metal destroyer. The foal then looked back to his grandfather, fear consuming the colt while tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Grandpa...what do we do?" he asked in a very scared whisper. The stallion glanced up at the massive monstrosity, knowing what was to come next. As if his thoughts activated the machine, a massive circle of energy began to form in the underbelly of the destroyer--energy that was of a black and malicious nature.

"Come here," was all the old stallion could say, taking the colt into his arms while the magic began to hum with an unholy power, drowning out the cries of all the other ponies around. The two ponies held each other tight as the ship erupted with magical power that hurtled itself straight into the center of the city, creating a vortex of magic that annihilated anything in its path.

Then, the magical vortex exploded into a force that consumed the whole city, drowning it in the magic of godly beings. The flash of light could be seen from all corners of Equestria, allowing everypony to see the power of the machine. And then, the flash of light ended. The magic was gone...and so to was the city.

And all that was left in its place was a ground stricken with black ash.

/ \
//A\
/// \\

'This can't be good,' was all the Captain could think to himself while he walked through the vine filled hallways of the Crusaders' base, barely meeting any ponies that had filled the halls the day before. But those he did meet had blank, emotionless eyes--eyes that looked almost identical to those he had seen in soldiers that were fighting a hopeless battle.

'But what could have caused this? The base was in near euphoria when I retired last night?' the Cap pondered as he headed for the command center, knowing that if there was a problem that the three leaders would inform him of what was going on. When the Captain approached the doors to the command center, he found two guards with crossbows standing outside with sickened expressions on their faces.

"What's the word guys, because something is clearly wrong?" Captain America asked the pair, but the two didn't register his words as they continued to stare off into the unknown with horrified expressions. Steve's face fell into a deep frown though he nodded to them before pushing open the door to the command center, immediately noticing that everypony inside wore the same expression as those outside.

Applebloom was sobbing softly into the shoulder of Scootaloo, who looked as if she was barely able to keep her own emotions in check. The other generals were either staring off into the unknown with disbelief or attended to their own tears, none of them daring to look at a floating sphere in the center of the room. And then there was Belle, who stared blankly down at the floor while her whole body shook with horror.

Only Scootaloo raised a head to acknowledge the fact that the Captain had walked into the room, where he stood silently while he waited for one of the ponies to inform him of what was going on. Not one of them did.

"What happened?" Cap's words seemed to snap most of the ponies out of their emotional states, yet the only glances he gained were those filled with hopelessness or despair. None said anything to him once more, leaving the Cap to glance into the sphere to see, to his surprise, an area covered in black ash that looked nearly identical to Ponyville.

"What. Happened?" Captain America repeated with a far stronger voice, turning all eyes in the room towards him. His own eyes blazed with the desire for the truth, so much so that nearly everypony he looked at turned their eyes away from him. Except for Scootaloo, who was the only one with enough of a grip to answer.

"This morning, there were over a million ponies that were all under the Five's hoof in Mareiland," Scootaloo began as she pressed a crystal near her hoof and changed the sphere to an image of a bustling city that was filled with ponies singing and dancing. "This is what is left of them a few hours later." She pressed the crystal again and the image changed back to the black ash. Rogers face fell before he closed his eyes and glanced to the side slightly, anguish filling up his heart for the loss of so many.

"Why?" he whispered after a moment of silence for the dead. "Why did this happen?"

"Because...of you." Steve's head snapped up with fury blazing in his eyes, fury that was not directed at Scootaloo for saying those words, but for another reason. "After you beat up Ahuizotl two days ago, ponies began to talk. Talk about the strange creature that was able to take down a member of the Five Dark Gods, that might be the hero that could finally free our land. And I bet the Five didn't like that kind of talk..."

"So all this destruction...all the innocent dead...just to make a statement?" Steve Rogers whispered with sheer horror and loathing as his body trembled with anger. Scootaloo nodded solemnly while she gently rested her head against Applebloom before pushing the crystal once more, causing a massive creature to appear on the sphere. Rogers had just a moment to take in the red faced, horned creature that stood before him before it spoke.

"Attention subjects of our new world, I have a message for all of you. It has come to our attention that some of you are starting to believe that this new "Captain America" may have what it takes to defeat us, something that none of the other heroes did," the horned beast began with a calm demeanor, before his eyes narrowed and a far more sinister look replaced his expression. "That is why we have chosen to remind you of why our power is absolute...and what happens if any dare the thought of rebellion."

As he said this, he stepped to the side to reveal the blackened area of ash that used to be a city filled with life. "I hope that all of you recognize this place, but for those who do not, allow me to introduce you to what is left of Mareiland," the creature said with a smirk. "Earlier today it was filled with buildings and ponies. Now it is ash. And we are the ones who destroyed it. Not because it held any rebels or tried to fight against us, but because we could. That's how powerful we are."

"So let me make this as clear as possible: Your lives mean little to us. Your cities, less so. The only reason you still draw breath is because we allow it. So remember that," the horned beast said with a calm look on his face. "Or else we may do to your city what we did to this one. So be good. And remember...we're always watching." The image began to fade as the creature said this, but not before Scootaloo noticed that the Cap very slowly pointed a finger at the beast with an expression on his face that she had never seen on the features of a being before. And then, without a word, Captain America turned and headed for the door.

"What do ya think ya can do?" The voice of Applebloom surprised the Captain enough to turn around and glance back at the yellow mare in the cowboy hat, who was gazing at the Captain with a defeated expression on her face. "Ya saw what they're capable of. What can ya hope to do?"

"What I do when I can't protect the innocent: I avenge them," Steve replied in a cold whisper that brimmed with fury. But before he could turn to leave, Scootaloo pressed the crystal before her once again, changing the image from the horned monster to a massive machine that was a crimson red and far larger than any skyscraper.

"That's what they used to destroy the city of Mareiland: The Starfall." Rogers could feel the air chill at the mention of the machine's name, with some of the ponies shivering while they rubbed their hooves against their arms. "Constructed with the strongest metal in Equestria. Filled to the brim with hundreds of guards. Equipped with anti-magic barriers to stop any magic wielder, and enough anti-air cannons to blow the moon out of the sky. It is their ultimate weapon of destruction."

"This...is what they used to wipe out Ponyville and the forest next to it, wasn't it?" Captain America asked when he put the pieces together.

"They did it to get back at us, for starting to Crusaders," Applebloom revealed with tear-stained eyes as she forced herself to stand up and gaze at the ultimate weapon of destruction. "They don't bring it out often, preferring to use it more as a threat. But when they do, they make sure that nopony forgets that they do."

"So, this is their symbol of fear...of their power," Captain America stated with narrowed eyes as he felt his fist tighten. Applebloom and the other ponies nodded sadly before changing the image to that of the city before it had been turned to ash. "So, what are we going to do about it?" Cap asked them, but all he got was a dry laugh from one of the generals.

"There is nothing we can do against something like that. None of our weapons hold even a remote chance of denting that armor and none of our forces can get close enough to sabotage it from within," the general bitterly admitted. "The only reason they haven't turned it on us is because they do not know where we are. Fighting it with our forces is a hopeless battle."

Steve's eyes narrowed when he saw the other ponies in the room, including the three founders, nod in agreement with the pony's statement, all of them having given up on the battle already. Without a word, the Cap then turned around with determination blazing in his eyes, heading for the door with numerous plans beginning to form in his head.

"And where do you think you're going?" The sheer disdain in the speaker's voice told him who was speaking, but the Captain still turned his attention to Belle who was shaking her head at him. "You've seen what this thing can do. You've been told what this thing can do. And yet you're still going to go and sink an unsinkable ship. All by yourself. Why?"

"Because someone has to. And I'm the only one who seems to be willing to try," Steve replied with pure honesty in his voice, something that made Belle's eyes narrow.

"Don't you get it? That thing has enough firepower to decimate entire cities with a single blast! It can suck the magic from any pony that's anywhere near the thing! And yet you're going to go fight it, with your shield and spandex?! That's not fighting the impossible, it's sheer suicide! What are you going to do, smack your shield on it?"

"No. I'll throw my shield at it," Steve replied with a thin smile that made Belle's blood boil. "And the only time something is impossible is if you're to afraid to try. So, yes this ship might have untold amounts of power and enough firepower to bring down a moon. But that's what I see when I look at it." Rogers then deliberately looked into everypony's eyes before he spoke, making sure they all knew the resolve behind his words.

"I see a symbol of fear. I see a machine that has claimed the lives of so many and made the lives of many others a living hell. I see something that has brought so much suffering to those who just want to live. It has taken so much from this world," Steve said before he seemed to grow even larger as his eyes narrowed. "But I'll make damn sure it never takes another life again, even if I have to kill myself to do it."

Rogers then turned and headed back for the exit, yet he stopped when he heard the sound of a chair being pushed back. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Scootaloo had risen to her hooves, a look on her face that the Cap had worn on his only moments ago. Applebloom looked up at Scootaloo with horror in her eyes and shook her head, but Scootaloo steeled her resolve before walking over to the Captain.

"I'll fly you there," she said with a fire that made a smile break out on the Captain's face. "We know where it's docked, so I can get you there. Hell, I'll help you bring it down if I'm able to."

"Scootaloo...you can't," Applebloom whispered with fear, but Scootaloo glanced at her friend with resolve in her eyes.

"Cap's right. That damned machine has killed so many ponies, taken the lives of so many that others love. Think of what it did to our home," Scootaloo reminded her with gritted teeth. "But if I can help to bring it down once and for all, even if it means just flying Cap there, then I'll do it...I couldn't save Rainbow Dash, I couldn't save my home...but this time I will protect those I love."

"But what about your wings?" one of the generals asked. "The Starfall steals the magic of anypony that is not protected from it's wrath. Would it not take your pegasi magic and prevent you from flying?"

"Heh, maybe. But that would be if I used pegasi magic to fly," Scootaloo replied before reaching back and ripping the skin and feathers off of her wings, revealing two metal wings filled with wires and other assortment of parts. "But as you can see, I get a little help when I fly. So whaddya think, Cap? Do I suit the bill?"

"I think you'll work just fine, Soldier," Steve replied with a proud nod at the mare. Scootaloo then glanced back at her friends, finding that Belle was simply shaking her head while Applebloom looked on in horror.

"Don't worry, you two, we'll bring that sucker down and be back before dinner," Scootaloo comforted with a wink. "So make sure that dinner's actually worth coming back to tonight." Her face then steeled while she looked up at the Captain with a smirk on her face. "Come on Steve, let's go. Today's as good a day as any for a suicide mission."

Vengeance From Below

Black clouds rumbled with the power of Thor while Scootaloo flew as stealthily as she could, straining her metal wings while she was forced to support the added weight of the Captain. Rogers had an iron grip on both of Scootaloo's forehooves, leaving one of his arms free to hold onto his shield. Scootaloo occasionally glanced up at the thunder while they flew, but Cap felt right at home in the middle of a thunderstorm.

"So, metal wings, huh?" Captain America asked Scootaloo after a particularly bad lightning bolt streaked by barely missing the pair, glancing up at the mare with curiosity. Scootaloo now wore a vest with a crossbow attached to it, goggles that were a bluish tint, and something around her hooves that Cap didn't recognize.

"Yeah...I've always had trouble with flying, ever since I was little," she admitted while still glancing around, her metal wings flapping as bursts of flame erupted from the tips with every flap." My wings were really small and couldn't get me much liftoff...and then the whole takeover of the five happened, so I really didn't have time to work on building mine up. Must be weird for you, huh?"

"Actually makes me feel closer to home than you'd think," Steve smiled as her wings reminded him of his partner before another question crossed his mind. "So, how did you get them anyway? With all of Equestria under the iron fist...hoof...of the Five, there must have been a drought in metal smiths."

"Applebloom made them for me, with just pieces of scrap and other items. I swear that mare is incredible," Scootaloo admitted with a shake of her head and a smile. "She's a wizard with technology. She built these wings for me, helped to create the command center and makes most of our gear and tech. I swear, without her I don't know what I..."

Scootaloo's eyes widened slightly when she realized what she was saying, before she glanced down at Steve, who had a smile on his face as his eyes told her to continue. "What we'd do without her. Yeah, that's what I meant," she reiterated, causing the Cap's smile to widen slightly as he turned his gaze ahead...and narrowed his eyes at what he saw.

"That's enough chatter. We're getting close." Just as the Cap said, a black cloud rolled by them to reveal the abomination that was the Starfall, which was resting next to a city that had been built entirely of clouds. Scootaloo narrowed her eyes as Rogers reached back and freed his shield, slipping it onto his left arm while preparing for battle. "So, how close can we get before they begin to shoot at us?"

"Right about...now," Scootaloo replied when lights began to flash on the ship, and the pair could hear the faint sound of alarm bells ringing. Captain America spied a loading door that was open on the side of the ship, already planning a path to it as gargoyles began to swarm out of the hangars.

"See that loading dock? That's our entrance!" Cap called up to her before blasts of magic began to hail down around them. With a grunt of effort, the Captain pulled himself up to Scootaloo and protected her with his shield, hearing the spells and other objects bombard it as they flew closer.

"Are you kidding me?! There's no way that will stay open long enough for us to get inside!" Scootaloo yelled while she weaved to the side, avoiding a horde of goyles that nearly knocked them both out of the sky. Cap began to notice where each of the gargoyles was positioned and where they'd be flying to, before looking at the entrance that was beginning to slide shut its metal doors.

"You just leave that to me," Captain America said with a smile while he slid his shield off of his arm and caught it in his hand, stretching his arm back as he took precise aim. "You just get ready to move...NOW!" Cap hurled his shield forward when he said this, causing Scootaloo to rocket forward in a burst of speed as fire shot from her wings. The shield bounced off of one gargoyle's skull before sailing into another one, bouncing straight up and catching one below the belt.

"What in the...?" Scootaloo whispered while she watched the shield crack another gargoyle in the face, before it sailed right in between the closing doors and wedged itself right between the two, preventing them from fully closing and leaving open a gap for them to enter. She narrowed her eyes before pushing herself as hard as she could go, barely avoiding all of the magic blasts and stone monsters as she did so.

With one last push, she burst through the defenses and reached the doors, Cap releasing his grip on her as she slid through the crack and snatched his shield out of the gap before he flew inside as well. He hit the ground rolling and quickly sprung back to his feet, arming himself once more while he took in a quick look at where the both of them had landed.

Cap and Scootaloo had landed on a large sheet of metal that was connected to numerous catwalks, each of which held dozens of armed guards that were all staring at the pair of intruders. Cap only had a moment to take all of that in before he dove to the side and tackled Scootaloo behind a large crate, ducking behind it as well, while spells and arrows ripped past their heads.

"See? Told you to leave the door to me," Captain America told Scootaloo when the doors finally shut behind the pair, sealing the gargoyles out.

"How in the hell did you do that?!" Scootaloo roared over the sounds of arrows and spells, drawing her crossbow and firing from the side of the crate. She caught one armored horse in the shoulder and sent him staggering back, before she had to take cover from the retaliation shots. "That shield of yours bounced like ten times and went right where it need to! How?!"

"Depends on if the old gal likes you or not. But it also takes precision," Captain America began before he spun out from behind cover, using his momentum to hurl his shield into the wall next to them. "Practice," he continued while he flipped into the air over the arrows and magic as the shield bounced from the wall, hurtling into the side of a minion's head. The underling had just begun to fall as the shield returned to the Captain, who snatched it out of the air before driving both feet into another minion's armored face.

He then rolled under a barrage of fire and hopped back to his feet while deflecting the rest of the attacks, managing to deflect one pony's spell back at him. When that pony dropped to the ground, the Captain slid under another barrage as he tossed the shield once more, catching an underling in the chin. Steve kicked off a guard rail to vault over a pair of minions, driving boots into the backs of their heads before hitting the deck in a roll. A guard took perfect aim at him, yet was denied the shot as the shield snapped his head to the side while the Frisbee slammed into his skull.

Cap rose to his feet before glancing over his shoulder to a see a guard taking aim right at the Captain's back...before a bolt that was shot by Scootaloo hit the underling in the back and dropped him without a sound. "And a little sprinkle of luck," Cap finished with a smile before holding out his hand to catch the Frisbee. Scootaloo raced up beside him with crossbow in hoof as more guards began to storm the catwalks, leaving the pair little choice but to run in the opposite direction. Cap deflected the spells and arrows, while Scootaloo fired back with, as Cap noticed, fairly inaccurate shots.

"Damn it, this door is locked!" Scootaloo yelled in frustration when the pair reached the end of the catwalk, finding a large door that, as Scootaloo had said, was shut with a large lock on the front. "Dang it, now I regret not bringing Bloom with me. She's really good at-" The edge of the vibranium shield slammed into the lock and shattered it with ease, allowing the Captain to pry open the doors with his strength.

"No time to complain! Keep moving, Soldier!" he ordered, Scootaloo not hesitating to dive in through the opening he had made. Rogers followed her a moment later and slammed the doors shut behind him, wrapping a chain he found off to the side around the handles. "Alright, that bought us a little time. We need to keep moving before they cut through that."

"What's the plan Cap?" Scootaloo asked while the pair started to run through the hallways that awaited them. Rogers took a moment to study a layout of the ship that had been placed up on the wall.

"We'll be heading to the central chamber. According to this, that's where the ponies on here keep the power source of the Starfall," Captain America ordered before his head snapped to the side, lifting his shield just in time to deflect multiple magic bolts. "Move! We need to get going!"

Scootaloo returned fire while the Captain provided defense, not risking throwing his shield in fear of leaving Scootaloo unprotected. That left the pair with no option but to keep moving through the hallways as fast as they could, with the Captain ducking slightly through hallways that were not designed for beings of his height. A pair of armored minions leapt out from around the next corner and took aim at the two, but Cap reacted faster--he kicked one of them in the head before driving his shield into the other's throat. The pony dropped with a gurgle while the Captain grabbed the other pony's armored head and drove it into the wall with a loud clang.

"Why don't you do that to all of them?!" Scootaloo asked after Captain America slammed a door shut behind them, ramming a metal rod into the control wheel to prevent the ponies from entering.

"Too many of them. Also, because they're not our primary objective," Steve replied as he rounded a corner and found another one of the maps on the wall. "We're heading in the right direction, but we've got a bit more of a trek. Come on Soldier, keep up."

"Wow, this place is really...scary," Scootaloo admitted when she and the Captain ran past a room that was filled to the brim with weapons and armor, shaking the mare slightly as Steve ran past it without a second glance. What did garner a second glance from him was a massive, open chamber that was filled with dozens of turrets that all were connected to a set of pipes. His eyes narrowed when he spied the pipes all heading in the same direction, towards the very room that they were heading to.

'Of course, we need to get past these guys first,' Cap planned as he ducked behind his shield, deflecting magic once more as the gunners in the cannon room began to fire at the pair. Scootaloo ducked behind a pair of barrels, freeing up the Captain to start tossing the Frisbee once again. He hurled the shield off in one direction before charging a pair of gunners, reading their next shots and ducking under their shots before getting in close.

He slammed the palm of one of his hands into the pony's nose, snapping its head back before he turned his focus to the other one. That minion drew a long knife that he slashed at the Captain, who caught the pony's arm to stop the attack before driving his other hand into the joint of the gunner. A loud crack was followed by screaming while the pony dropped the knife, but with a knee to the gut the Captain dropped the pony without another sound.

Cap then held out his hand for his shield, but instead of his friend, his arm caught an arrow that tore through his suit and sliced his flesh. Roger's gritted his teeth in pain as he rolled to the side to avoid the next couple of shots, throwing himself behind a crate of arrows to regroup. He checked on his injury to find that the wound could wait, allowing him to change focus onto where his shield had gone. He opened one of his pouches and pulled out a small mirror, which he gently slid out to the side of the crate to glance around.

'There it is,' he mused with annoyance when he spied his shield, caught in what seemed to be the magic of one of the unicorns atop a gunner's seat. Numerous archers surrounded the pony, but the Captain also noticed that the pony with his shield seemed to be waiting for the Captain, almost as if...

Without another thought, the Captain holstered the mirror and rolled out from behind the crate, raising his head and smirking directly at the pony with his shield. The minion seemed to scowl under his helmet before he hurled the shield with his magic, aiming right for the A on the Captain's head. But Steve had spent years learning how his shield worked, allowing him to leap up and catch the disc out of the air with one fell swoop. Cap spun in the air and once more hurled the shield back towards the stunned ponies, with the pony that had caught his shield now catching it once more in the face.

"Had trouble that time, didn't you?" Steve asked with a smile when the shield bounced off of that pony before ricocheting into two of the archers that had been closest to the other. He ducked under another volley of arrows before grabbing the shield out of the air, deflecting the rest of the attacks as he backed up to his crate once more. He slammed his back into it as five ponies armed with spell cannons and crossbows began to advance on his position from both sides. Cap was beginning to plan how to deal with them before a bolt with a green orb attached to it embedded itself at their hooves.

"What the hell?" one of them had enough time to ask before the bolt exploded in a fury of magic, hurling the bodies of the ponies across the room. Rogers glanced out from behind his shield to see that the bolt had cleared the room, allowing both him and the smirking Scootaloo to emerge from cover unhindered.

"That was a good shot. Didn't know you had explosive bolts," Captain America observed as he glanced at her crossbow, which had all sorts of bolts on it.

"Like I said. Bloom's the best," Scootaloo pridefully replied before turning her focus to the massive door on the other end of the room. "Now then, how in Faust's name are we going to manage to get through that?" Rogers took one glance at the reinforced doors before turning his focus to the giant swivel cannons that resided in the room.

"I think I have an idea," he said before handing his shield to Scootaloo. "But you might want to take cover behind this." Scootaloo took one look at where the Captain was looking and grabbed the shield without a second thought, racing to the other end of the room while the Captain leapt up into one of the seats. It was a little small for him, but he was able to work the controls well enough to turn one of the cannons into the room and aim it straight for the door.

"Knock, knock." The roar from the firing cannon nearly deafened the Captain, but if the sound of the cannon didn't do it, then the massive explosion of the door being blow apart in a flash of blackish light definitely did. Rogers ducked down behind the artillery as shrapnel flew across the room, hearing shards of metal strike the cannon, while he was able to pick up on pieces bouncing off of his shield. After a moment the sound of raining metal stopped, giving him the chance to peak out from behind his cover.

"We're good to go, Scootaloo," he called out to the mare as he emerged, smiling when he saw her huddled behind his shield still, as she crawled out from behind cover.

"I don't know what's scarier. That you fired that thing at near point blank range or just how well this shield of yours works," Scootaloo said with awe as she handed the disc back to the Captain, who slid it onto his left arm once more with a smile.

"Come on Soldier, time to bring this death machine down." Cap prepared himself for anything that could be on the other side as he and Scootaloo hurled themselves through the smokey remains of the door, emerging on the other side...to have their breath stolen away.

A massive room with two flights greeted them, with a giant, dome-like window--that allowed ponies on that deck to glance out at the world around them--taking up the front of the room. But it wasn't the view nor the strange machinery that was attached to the ceiling that drew their eyes. Instead, it was the giant sphere in the center of the room, that was hooked up to a strange machine that drew the pair over, a machine that had hundreds of cables and tubes attached to it. Yet despite the oddity of the machine, the Captain found himself more interested in the creature that resided inside the sphere at the center.

The creature looked shriveled up and frail, almost like the life force had been sucked out of it. Its arms and legs were in chains and a strange device was wrapped around its head. But what interested Steve the most was the features of the serpent-like creature, looking like it had been created with multiple animal parts.

"That's...a strange beast," the Captain admitted as he glanced upon it, but a glance at the horrified face of Scootaloo showed him that there was more going on than he knew. "What's the matter? Do you know who this guy is?"

"That's impossible. He went missing so long ago," Scootaloo whispered when she glanced up at the Captain with horrified eyes. "This is Discord, the being of Chaos."

"Indeed he is...or rather, he was!"

Cap grabbed Scootaloo and rolled to the side, just in time to avoid a massive, metal claw that crushed the very spot where they had been standing a moment before. Steve rolled to his feet with Scootaloo in his arms, swiveling his head to spy a monstrous, crab like machine that was towering over the both of them. Its black eyes burned with a chaotic power as its pincers clamped together menacingly, stepping from side-to-side as it took up a good chunk of the room.

"What is that thing?" Scootaloo asked Captain America, who lowered her to the ground before narrowing his eyes.

"If I had to take a guess...trouble."

Starfall

Both Cap and Scootaloo hurled themselves out of the way of the steel claw that punched past them and into the deck, shaking the ship with the force of its impact. Scootaloo shot to her hooves and fired a few bolts at the machine, yet with a maniacal laugh the crab bot swatted her bolts away.

"Damn, my bolts aren't working! Cap, throw your shield!" Scootaloo yelled over to Steve while she fired up her wings and shot into the sky, avoiding the pincers as they clamped down right behind her tail.

"Wouldn't do any good. The armor's too thick and I don't see a weak point," Captain America informed her while he leapt over one of the crab's legs, tucking in and rolling while another pierced through the wall behind him. He raised his shield over his head and braced himself as the claw slammed into his shield, making Rogers grit his teeth while he strained against the weight of the machine. With a roar, he pushed the claw off long enough to leap to the side, where the claw slammed into the bulkhead.

"I must admit, it is so nice to have company after such a long time," a voice filled with delight echoed throughout the room, but Steve was quick to pick up that the voice was coming from within the machine. The moment he glanced at it, the eyes sticking out of the top of the crab slid to the side and a pony slowly rose from within, an evil smile on her face and a large jar of something behind her.

"Ah, you must be the one they call Captain America," the pink pony with the purplish mane laughed while she glared down at the Captain with a devilish look in her eyes. "I have been told about you."

Yet, Rogers did not return the glare, because he was far too focused with the massive jar that had emerged from within the crab along with the pony. It was filled with hundreds of symbols that each glowed with power, while looking similar to the ones that the ponies at the base wore. But while the symbols didn't mean much to the Captain, Scootaloo's eyes widened in horror as she glanced upon them.

"Those are all...cutie marks," she whispered with dread while the pony controlling the machine began to laugh, making Scootaloo's horror turn to rage in a blink. "So you're the one called Starlight Glimmer! The pony with the power to steal any cutie mark that she sees!"

"Indeed I am, mare! But more than that, I am one of the Five Gods of Equestria!" she whinnied with delight as she threw her head back, laughing with sheer mirth before slowly moving her head forward with a devious look in her eyes. "And I see that you have a cutie mark that I have never seen before. I am to make it mine!"

The moment the words left her mouth the clawed arm of the crab lunged forward and clamped down around Scootaloo's waist, gaining a cry of pain from her as she was slowly lifted towards Starlight. The mare's eyes glared with hunger while her horn began to glow, staring right at the mark of the struggling mare as she licked her lips.

CLANG!

Starlight howled with pain when a disc made of vibranium caught her in the side of her head, snapping her skull to the side while also breaking her magic spell. Seeing his chance, the Captain leapt up onto the crab's arm and pulled against the pincers holding Scootaloo with all of his might, pulling them apart just enough so that she could squeeze out of its grasp.

"You will pay for that, hero," the mare growled with rage as Cap leapt off the arm and picked his shield off the deck. She then glanced back at the jar with a curious expression before spying a mark that made her smile. "But seeing as you're the first hero that I've fought in so many years, I'll give you a little treat. Because I've been saving this cutie mark for quite the occasion."

She let out a cackle while she said this, opening the jar and using her magic to draw forth a cutie mark deep from within. Steve narrowed his eyes at the violet, six starred symbol that she drew out, but the gasp from Scootaloo was enough to tell him that something was seriously wrong.

"It...it can't be..." she whispered with absolute terror as Starlight took the cutie mark in hoof and turned back towards the pair with a crazed expression on her face. "That mark...that mark belongs to..."

"Correction, my dear mare. It BELONGED to Twilight, before I took it from her! Just like how I took the marks of all of her friends!" Starlight cackled maniacally before her horn glowed with a chaotic power, infusing the mark onto her flank and causing a burst of power to erupt from her. She then swung her head towards the Captain and fired a massive beam of violet energy that tore apart the air around her. Steve barely reacted in time to lift his shield, but the force of the magic slamming into his shield was still strong enough to hurl him across the room and into one of the walls. He collapsed to the floor with a groan, his shield slipping off of his arm and rolling forward on its side before falling over on the deck.

"HAHAHA! This is the power that I now possess! The power of an Alicorn, mixed with the magic of a god!" she cackled as she stuck a pipe into her neck, causing the magic of Discord to seep into her. Discord howled from within his prison while his power was sucked from him, fueling the power of Starlight Glimmer even further. Starlight then turned her multicolored eyes upon Scootaloo, who took a few steps back with hope slowly fading in her eyes.

"Now do you see, pony? You cannot hope to oppose us? All you can hope for is that we don't crush you when we feel like it! Now DIE!" Starlight bellowed with glee as she swung one of the crab's claws right at Scootaloo, who closed her eyes and braced herself...for the blow that never came. She cracked her eyes open to see the star spangled soldier pushing against the arm with all of his might, each arm holding one of the pincers as he prevented it from moving any further.

"This is no time to be afraid, Scootaloo...we have to focus on how to beat her," Captain America spat out as he was slowly pushed back by the mechanical arm. He then cast a glance at Discord, making Scootaloo turn to face the draconis. "He's...what's powering the ship and Starlight. Get him free...and we weaken both her and the Starfall...and if he's up for it, maybe he can help bring...her...DOWN!"

With one, mighty push the Captain forced the pincers back for just a moment, giving him time to kick Scootaloo back before leaping up onto the crab's arm. He raced up the metal limb and threw a kick aimed right at Starlight's head. Yet with a snicker the mare constructed a barrier of violet, chaotic magic that deflected the Captain's kick with ease. Rogers then turned and hurled himself off of the side of the crab, just as Starlight hurled blasts of magic at him that narrowly missed the Avenger.

Rogers collected his shield before rolling to his knees, leaning into his shield as blast after blast of magic bombarded the vibranium. Starlight stopped laughing when she saw the none of her spells had managed to destroy the shield, making her narrow her eyes while she glared at the man behind it.

"Quite the defense you have there. Now, let us see just how much that shield can take!" As she screamed this, she concentrated all of her magic into a single beam of light that exploded from the end of her horn, slamming into the vibranium star and sliding the Captain back. Yet with a will that could not be matched, Rogers slammed his feet into the floor and held his ground, pushing back against the magic until both he and Starlight were in a stalemate.

Cap then angled his shield slightly and caused the magic beam to bounce off his disc, sending the reflected beam into the ceiling and carving a large hole in the ceiling of the Starfall. Starlight let out a howl of frustration before she glared at the Captain and stopped her spell, giving Steve a moment to catch his breath.

"I want one of those," Scootaloo muttered after seeing what Cap's shield was capable of, before shaking her head and turning her attention back to the container that kept Discord trapped within. She examined the tubing and the machinery for a few moments, before growling and slamming the butt of her crossbow into the glass that refused to break. "What the hell is this made of?"

"Please mare, that glass was made to contain the magic of a god of chaos! Do you really think you're paltry attempts to break through it will crack that glass?!" Starlight howled with fury and delight while she sent the crab's claws slamming into the Captain's shield, forcing the Captain back as he struggled just to avoid being crushed by one of the claw strikes. Then Starlight's eyes narrowed when she remembered something that Ahuizotl had said, something that made her smile while her horn began to glow.

Rogers just managed to push one of the claws back before he felt something wrap around his throat, choking the life out of him as he was yanked off the ground and dangled in the air by his neck. "That's right, Ahuizotl said that you possessed no magic within you," Starlight smirked while the Captain held both of his hands to his neck, where her magic was strangling him. "So, while that may have given you the upper hoof against him, it means that you have no means to counter me!"

In one last, desperate, attempt to fight back, Rogers hurled his shield towards Starlight with one arm. But the mare had been expecting the move and shot the shield out of the air with a blast of magic from her eyes, causing the shield to fly into the glass that held Discord. Scootaloo yelped when the shield nearly took her head off as it bounced off the glass. Her eyes then snapped to the Captain, whose face was turning as blue as his suit while Starlight choked him to death.

'Do something, damn it! Don't just stand by while they kill another one of your friends! Do something to...' Scootaloo's eyes widened when she glanced down at the Captain's shield, which reflected the image of the mare off of its surface as she picked it up. She then glanced from it up to Starlight, remembering how it managed to deflect a beam of magic that was both Twilight's and Discord's power combined. She then glanced back at the glass holding Discord, an idea coming to her before she loaded an explosive bolt into her crossbow.

"HAHAHAHA! This is too easy! Ahuizotl will never live it down when he finds out that I was the one to kill the hero that bested him!" Starlight cackled with delight while Rogers struggles began to fade and the human's eyes started to roll back in his head. "So dies another hero, one that failed just like all the-"

"Hey Jackass!" Starlight turned around to see a crossbow bolt whip by her head, slamming into the glass that held the cutie marks behind her. Starlight glanced at the bolt for a moment before glancing down at Scootaloo with a smirk.

"Fool. You missed."

"Did I?"

Starlight howled with both surprise and anger when the bolt exploded behind her, breaking both her magical hold on the Captain and the jar that held all of the cutie marks within. Starlight shook her head with a groan before her eyes went wide at the sight of all of the cutie marks circling in the air above her, before they began to scatter out of the room and across all of the land.

"NO! My cutie marks!" she screeched with sorrow before eyes filled with vengeance glared down at the smirking pegasi with unbridled fury. "You...damned...infernal...BITCH!" Starlight screamed with wrath while she unleashed a beam of unholy magic right towards Scootaloo.

Yet all Scootaloo did was smile in reply before pulling up the Captain's shield and bracing herself, nearly being knocked over as the wrath-infused magic pounded against the shield. Yet to the surprise of the pegasi and the utter bafflement of the unicorn, the shield did not yield and instead reflected the beam of energy into the ceiling once more. Scootaloo let out a cry as she turned the shield, angling the beam of magic so that its full fury was unloaded upon the glass that held Discord.

Starlight caught onto the plan too late, so with a massive explosion the combined power of Twilight and Discord was enough to blast the glass apart that was holding him prisoner. Both Scootaloo and Starlight shielded themselves while glass flew everywhere, followed by an explosion of chaotic energy that erupted as Discord began to fly into the sky...before letting out a weak cough as he crashed to the floor.

"Discord!" Scootaloo cried out as she raced to the draconis, never seeing Starlight take aim at the pony with her horn and prepare to finish her off. A boot to the head convinced her otherwise, so with a cry her skull was kicked to the side and bounced off the metal of the cockpit around her. Rogers landed on the deck while rubbing his throat with his hand, taking in a few deep breaths before picking up his shield that Scootaloo had left on the floor, and he raced to the mare.

"That won't stun her for long. How is he?" Rogers asked Scootaloo, who was shaking the mostly gray draconis, who was barely breathing.

"I don't know. I've never seen him like this," she whispered with a shake of her head. Rogers' brow furrowed before he glanced back to see Starlight regaining her senses, bellowing at the Captain as the crab bot roared back to life.

"See if you can get him to his feet and then get him out of here," Captain America ordered before he rose to his full height to face Starlight. "I'll buy you as much time as you need." The Captain raced off and reengaged his fight with the unicorn, leaving Scootaloo alone with Discord, whose eyes were slowly beginning to open.

"Scootaloo?" he whispered in a voice that was at death's door. "What are you doing here? Where is here...anyway?"

"You're on a ship, Discord. You've been held prisoner and they've been using your magic to fuel their weapon of mass destruction," Scootaloo quickly explained before she heard a cry and glanced back in time to see Captain America be hurled across the room and driven into a wall by the crab's arm. She glanced from the Captain to Discord, making her decision as she stood up. "If you can move at all, get out of here as soon as you can. If not, then recharge your magic and teleport out. We'll buy you time."

With bleary eyes, Discord had to watch while Scootaloo took to the sky and began to fire more crossbow bolts at the mare that was piloting the giant crab, who roared at Scootaloo before one of the crab's claws shot up and snatched her out of the air. Starlight growled with fury as she used a blast of magic to knock the crossbow out of Scootaloo's grasp, moving the mare just in front of her face so that she could glare into her eyes.

"I'm going to kill you slowly. And I think I'll start by ripping those wings of yours off of your back," Starlight seethed as her horn glowed once more. But to her shock, her magic shattered against the wings, getting a smirk out of Scootaloo in the process.

"You want an up close look at my wings?" she asked before the wings pointed towards Starlight. "Here. Have a look." Starlight howled with agony as fire erupted from the tips of Scootaloo's metal wings, burning half of the mare's face. Starlight screeched in pain, yet her fury quickly overrode her pain and with agony blazing in her eyes, she started to slam Scootaloo into the metal floor repeatedly.

'She's...going to die...' Discord faintly realized as he barely managed to push himself up slightly, watching with pained eyes while Scootaloo was driven into the metal floor with such force that blood began to pour from her mouth and nose. 'But I'm...to weak...' Discord realized when he snapped his fingers and nothing happened.

He then turned his gaze towards the pipes and wires that had been attached to him, that had been sucking the very magic out of his body. A faint idea came to him as he glanced back to the battle, where a creature in a red, white and blue outfit leapt up onto the crab and kicked Starlight in the back of her head. She screamed while she grabbed the creature with her magic and tossed him into the ceiling, before punching him across the room with the other claw, where he fell down.

And then a memory flashed through his mind, a memory of the day he was captured; of the day the Ambassadors of Harmony fell. Of the day he had to watch Fluttershy, his greatest friend, be defeated before his powerless eyes. Discord gritted his teeth and forced as much life into his arms as he could, grabbing hold of the wires and tubes and dragging them all to him. And then he made his choice.

"Are you ready to die?!" Starlight roared in pain at the barely conscious form of Scootaloo, who spat out a bit of blood towards the unicorn with one last act of defiance. Starlight laughed with a smile as she pushed the control to crush the pegasi...only for nothing to happen. She blinked once before pressing the switch twice more, fury flashing in her eyes when nothing happened. "What is going on? Why does it say that the battery for this thing is...?"

The word died in her mouth as Starlight glanced over at Discord, who was standing tall, with a smirk upon his face, while he sucked the magic out of the area around him...before returning the magic at twice the speed. "W-what are you doing? If you fluctuate the absorption and the retrieval of the magic that quickly, it'll turn you into-"

"Into what? A bomb?" Discord smiled with a crazed expression as cracks began to form in his body, which pulsated with power. "Yes, I think I'd like to go out like that. With a bang. A bang the likes of which the world will never see again." Discord's eyes then looked at the Captain, who had fought back to his feet and raced over to Scootaloo. "Whoever you are human, you seem to fight with them. So I'll leave them and all this world in your care. Run!"

"NO! None of you leave here alive!" Starlight roared as she aimed her horn at Discord, but then the shield smacked her upside the head and caused her to slump over as pain filled her body. Steve caught his shield before tucking Scootaloo in tight, leaping through one of the tears in the walls that had been caused by Starlight's reflected magic. With every ounce of strength he had left, Discord poured the last of his magic into Captain Rogers, creating massive wings for him that allowed him to quickly soar away from the Starfall.

"Argh...damned...shield," Starlight muttered before she lifted her eyes in horror, horror at the glowing draconis that was pulsating with an unbelievable amount of magic. "Discord...wait...we can talk..."

"Talk? Oh I love talking. Especially to my friends. Like the ones that you killed," Discord whispered with cold eyes before a toothy smile spread across his face. "You want to talk? We'll talk in hell."

Rogers had just managed to get a good distance away from the Starfall before an explosion of cataclysmic proportions devastated the sky behind him. He glanced back to see a pillar of black, chaotic magic tear the Starfall in two, before the rest of it was ripped to shreds by the shockwave the followed. Rogers tucked himself and the unconscious Scootaloo behind his shield as best he could before the shock wave hit the both of them, hurtling them both down towards the sandy ground below. Right before impact he spread his black wings and slowed the descent as best he could, before tucking in once more and slamming into the ground shield first.

He sprawled out onto the ground and dropped Scootaloo to the side, gritting his teeth as pain flooded through his left shoulder. He forced himself back up just in time to see the Starfall plummet from the heavens, looking like a massive pile of burning metal. His wings then faded away into stardust as he heard the sound of a laugh echo across the land, the laugh of a draconis who was finally free.

"Rest in peace, Discord. And thank you," Steve said as he stood up at attention and saluted the draconis, staying like that until all that remained of the Starfall crashed into the ground in one giant ball of fire. He then closed his eyes with a sigh before opening them once more as he knelt down, picking up Scootaloo and resting her on his right shoulder. He then began to hike it to the extraction point, knowing that he had a story for the ponies back at the base.

Acknowledged

"I still don't understand," Captain Rogers repeated with a small shake of his head, before raising an eyebrow at the death glare that the bedridden Scootaloo gave him. Yet her anger gave way to exhaustion and she collapsed back into the infirmary's soft pillows, glancing around at the white walls with a thin smile. "You battled magic casting unicorns, armored ponies with crossbows and a maniac in a giant, robotic crab and didn't even bat an eye. And then a nurse comes up with a needle and you freak out."

"Needles are scary, Captain. Far scarier than any of those guys you just mentioned," Scootaloo replied as she shifted her weight, before pain flashed through her body and she gritted her teeth while holding her non-broken arm to the one covered in a cast. "But enough about that. How about you? I've never seen someone duck out from being adored by so many before. Is the great Captain America afraid of ponies saying how awesome he is?"

"I'm grateful for the praise and happy to have lifted their hopes, but my biggest concern when I dragged you in here was making sure that you made it," the Captain fired back with a smile of his own, before glancing over at Belle, who leaned against the wall closest to the infirmary door with hooves crossed and head bowed low. "You were losing quite a lot of blood after all. And your wings were pretty badly banged up."

"Ugh, don't talk to me about my wings," Scootaloo sighed as she fell back into her pillows, groaning out the pain that followed. "Bloom is going to kill me for ruining them again. Getting ahold of the material needed to keep them working is really hard, so every time I scrap them she chews me out good for doing so. I'm already dreading the scolding she's going to give me."

"That's funny, because when I saw her face when I brought you back here, it was as far from rage as I could imagine," the Captain replied with a smile while he leaned forward in his chair, noticing one of Scootaloo's eyes crack open with interest. "In fact, the doctors had to shove her out of the operating room since she wouldn't leave any other way. She tried so many times to get back in after that the doctors asked me to stand guard. Which I've been doing."

"Oh, is that your excuse from hiding in here and not being showered with praise?" Scootaloo teased, getting the Captain to lean back in his chair with a smirk.

"If I recall correctly, I wasn't the only one who brought down the Starfall. I clearly remember an orange mare that nearly got herself killed deflecting Starlight's blast of magic into Discord's cells. That was pretty quick thinking." Scootaloo's face fell slightly when she opened both eyes and stared up at the blank, vine covered ceiling.

"I can't believe that he's gone," she whispered, the loss finally hitting her in full force. "I can't say that we were best friends or anything, but back before the Five took over, he was always around Fluttershy or causing mischief in the village, much to Twilight's frustration. We talked to him every once in awhile though, and he was always fun to be around...but now he's just another to be avenged."

Captain America's head bowed slightly when he remembered the being's sacrifice, a sacrifice that had brought down the Five's greatest weapon of fear. Wanting to change the subject, the Captain flashed a glance over at Belle, who had yet to speak since she had entered the room.

"So, what brings you here Belle? If it was to comfort your friend, you're doing a pretty poor job of it." Rogers' words were spoken in jest, but with the look the mare gave him, Steve decided that any attempt to be lighthearted would be lost on her. "Clearly something's bothering you. I've seen that look on the people I work with many times," the Captain observed in a far more serious tone, snapping Belle out of her thoughts while she turned her full attention to the Captain.

"How?" was all she could ask, getting a look of confusion from the Captain before Scootaloo sat up in her bed. "How did you manage to do by yourself what was impossible for a full resistance to do? How did you single-hoofedly bring down a monstrosity like the Starfall?"

"Well, first off I didn't do it alone. If it wasn't for Scootaloo, the mission would have most likely failed."

"Ha, tell that to the ponies out there. Here the Captain admits that I was crucial to the mission, yet you don't hear any of the ponies out there singing my name," she smirked with a roll of her eyes before leaning back against the pillows.

"Second was, that I have experience with bringing down craft like those before. That's not the first weapon of doom I've destroyed and I doubt it will be the last. That, along with some good fortune, was enough to ensure that we won," Rogers explained clearly, but from the look on Belle's face it was clear she was far from satisfied with the answer.

"But you brought down Starlight--one of the Five. And this isn't like Ahuizotl, our scouts confirmed that she's dead. She's deader than dead. She's a whole new level of dead," Belle argued as she glanced down at the floor while trying to make sense of it. "She had the power of all the cutie marks she's captured, including Twilight's. How in the unholy Tartarus did you manage to overcome that, in a giant robot crab none the less?"

"Please, nothing she threw at us was remotely as powerful as the Captain's shield," Scootaloo began with a laugh before casting her gaze over at the disc the Captain had attached to his back. "That thing stopped crab claws, magical arrows and even blasts from the combined might of alicorn and Discord magic. I want one...seriously Cap, give me your shield."

"Also, Starlight--much like nearly every supercriminal I come across--was arrogant in her powers to the point of absurdity. With those odds in our favor we managed to overcome," Rogers stated clearly once more, but once more Belle's response was to give him a look that he couldn't place and shake her head.

"But you don't have any magic. No super strength, no special talent designed to take beings like this down. According to our best unicorns, you're just a human with a fancy shield," she finally stated with what sounded like disdain in her voice. "There's nothing special about you. So why can you do what the greatest couldn't?"

The Captain's response was to simply smile and lean back in his seat, slightly angering Belle. But moments before she could voice her complaints, the door to Scootaloo's room was kicked open with such force that it swung with tremendous speed and slammed into the wall on the other side, where a certain white mare happened to be standing. While the Captain watched, the smashed Belle collapse to the floor with a groan, Scootaloo's slightly afraid eyes were locked on the yellow mare with the red mane that had entered.

"Three times. That's as much leeway as ah could give ya," the steaming voice of Applebloom growled as she entered into the room, not noticing that she had crushed one of her closest friends with a wooden door. "And yet, despite mah warnings...ya go off and do something like this!"

"Hey Bloom-"

"Don't "Hey Bloom" me! Ah warned ya that if ya got yer wings into a situation like this again that ah might not be able to repair them!" Applebloom chastised with fury in nearly every word, but while Scootaloo slightly shrank under the enraged cowpony's fury, Rogers kept his focus on Belle and moved beside her so he could get her vertical again. "And after looking over yer wings and the damage that ya did to them, this might finally be the one time that there's something that ah can't fix! Are ya happy?!"

"Of course you can fix them, Bloom. It's you," Scootaloo said with a smile after finding her voice, her eyes beaming with confidence as she gazed upon her friend. "There's nothing that you can't fix or build. That's why you're the best. And that's why I know you can fix them." For a long, awkward moment Applebloom just continued to glare at Scootaloo, who was starting to sweat slightly as her nerves got the better of her. But then the orange mare sighed inwardly with relief when she saw her friend shake her head.

"Yer so lucky that yer you. Because if ya were anypony else, ah would have throttled ya long ago and been done with the matter," Applebloom admitted before sighing as a smile crossed her face. "Don't ya worry, ah'll get yer wings back up and running like new again. Heck, maybe with some of the material we salvaged from the Starfall, ah might be able to make them even better. Speaking of, ah need to get back to work."

Applebloom then turned to leave the room, but when she placed a hoof on the door she glanced back with such a horrifying glare that Scootaloo retreated under her sheets slightly. "But be warned Scootaloo. If ya ruin them again, then only Faust herself will be able to save you from the wrath I shall unleash upon ya. Be warned." The pony then slammed the door shut behind her as she left, leaving the room in complete silence for a moment.

"Isn't she the best?" Scootaloo finally asked before leaning back in her bed, humming to herself slightly as she gazed at the ceiling. Rogers elected to keep his mouth shut while helping Belle over to his chair, placing her in the seat while her eyes started to focus once more.

"I didn't need your help," Belle spat slightly when she glanced up at the Captain with blurry eyes, scowling when she saw a smile cross his face.

"Well, at least now I know that you're fine," he smiled at her before standing up and heading for the door. "I'm going to get some food. I've been surviving off of my own rations for these past couple of days, but I could do with a meal and a shower. Don't worry, I can find my way just fine," he added before either could offer to take him around.

'Not to mention I'd like to get to know a few more of these ponies,' Rogers silently thought to himself once he was alone in the halls, adding a few more notes to his personal journal. 'I also need to find out more about the powers and attributes of these ponies. That telekinesis that Starlight did to me...are all of them capable of that? And if they are, I'm going to need to upgrade my arsenal to fight that kind of power...maybe I should pay Applebloom a visit and see if she can help me.'

With a plan in place, the Captain followed his nose through the viny hallways to what he hoped was the mess hall. Afterwards, he planned to locate the nearest showers and then repair his suit. Yet in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder what the now Four would do in response to the destruction of their great weapon and the loss of one of their own.

/ \
//A\
/// \\

The dark eyes of the Shadowy King cracked open slightly to glance across the black, marble table that rested before him, taking in the massive centaur that was walking through the doors that had just been opened to join him. Lightning flashed outside of the stain glass windows as the titan walked through the massive throne room, pulling out a chair designed for his considerable size and sitting down.

"Finally, you bother to show up," Sombra immediately snarked, getting a deep growl from the centaur as Tirek glared daggers at the king. Chrysalis, who sat to the side of Sombra, sighed with knowledge of what was to come while Ahuizolt simply stared at the ceiling. "I mean, you live here and still you were the last one to drag your butt into this room. Ahuizotl got here before you and he had his face broken."

"I had matters to attend to, Sombra. I was very much surprised when I found that Chrysalis had called a meeting of the five of us. But for your sake, I had better have not been pulled away from my kingdom just to hear you snark," Tirek growled in reply while he and Sombra started to glare at each other, but their rage was put aside for a moment when Chrysalis cleared her throat.

"If you two would stop butting heads for two seconds, you would notice that our Five is now down to Four," she pointed out, getting the other three to glance around the room with shocked eyes as they all spied the empty chair. "Yes, Starlight is not here."

"So the fool got lost. It's not the first meeting she's missed," Sombra pointed out, but the look Chrysalis gave him made the king cock an eyebrow.

"No, but it was her last. Starlight is dead." The room became as silent as a grave while the other three turned their full attention to Chrysalis, who now had complete control of the room. "My changelings have returned from where she was struck down with her body, and I have confirmed it with my own eyes. She is gone."

"But...but how can that be?!" Tirek roared with a confused fury while Ahuizotl just looked on with a terrified expression. "She was to be aboard the Starfall, with some of the greatest soldiers that we have! Are you telling me that she was intercepted or that somepony managed to kill her while aboard the Starfall? And what became of this...assassin?!"

"It was neither of those, Tirek. Starlight was killed...when the Starfall was destroyed." Lightning tore apart the sky outside of the castle throne room as a ghastly expression covered the faces of Tirek and Ahuizotl, while Sombra stared at the table before him in disbelief. "The weapon that took all of our powers to make has been reduced to a pile of scrap...with nearly no survivors of what was once our best soldiers."

"This...this cannot be possible," Tirek managed to stammer out as he raised a hand to his head, trying to take in what he was hearing. "What kind of magic did they use to bring it down? How many of their warriors were claimed in the process? For the sake of heaven Chrysalis, tell me that they took nearly all the resistance with them when they fell!"

"From the reports of a lone survivor, it wasn't a magic spell or an attack by an army the felled the Starfall...it was the work of two." Chrysalis' words once again struck the other three dumb, and she waited a moment for that knowledge to sink in before she dropped the other bomb on them. "And according to the survivor's report, we know who they are. One was the Pegasus with the mechanical wings that has pestered us for so long. And the other...was Captain America."

At the mere mention of the Captain, Chrysalis immediately felt anger begin to boil in each of her cohorts. Tirek slammed his fists into the table and nearly cracked it in half, steam billowing from his nose as anger consumed him. Ahuizotl rubbed his cracked jaw while thoughts of vengeance raced through his mind. And Sombra simply stared ahead, with eyes like slits.

"It seems that we have greatly underestimated this Captain. He may not posses magic like the princesses nor have the power of the rainbows like the Ambassadors...but he is dangerous. Far more dangerous than anything we have faced before," Chrysalis warned the others as she slowly shook her head. "My advice to all of you would be to team up, have another member with you. That way, if the Captain attacks-"

"What's the matter, Chrysalis? Afraid that you'll be bested by a single person?" Sombra said with a slight cackle, turning the changeling's eyes towards him with a sinister look. "Then again, you would need protection from someopony like him. While Tirek and myself were bested years ago by the princesses and the Elements of Harmony, how did you lose again? Oh right, to love, the very thing you eat. I understand if you need somepony to watch over you."

"You wish for me to deal with him by myself?" Chrysalis seethed at Sombra, who smirked at her in reply. "Very well, Sombra, I shall kill the Captain. And when I do so, I might have the pleasure of smacking that smug look off of your face. But still, we should all be careful," Chrysalis reminded the others as she rose to leave, giving Sombra one last look of contempt. "Because whether or not we like to admit it, Equestria has a hero again."

With that warning she began to flap her wings, shooting into the sky and exiting through an open window. Tirek rose with such force that he shattered his chair with his strength, teeth clamped with rage as he turned to leave. He practically tore the doors off of their hinges when he left the room, bellowing at his guards to double security and to bring out the most dangerous of monsters. Ahuizotl vanished with the aid of a green rod, leaving Sombra alone in the room to stare out the open window.

"So...I was wrong. This Captain America is very much a force to be reckoned with, very much the threat that we have all worried about resurfacing for years. Equestria has a hero once more," he muttered to himself as he saw clouds part far off in the distance, causing beams of light to shine through the black cloud cover. He stared at this omen for a full minute, before the largest, toothiest grin that he could make spread across his face.

"Finally."

Builder

Rogers smirked slightly when all of the conversation died in the room when he entered. He had just pushed open a pair of large, wooden doors into the cafeteria, where most of the Crusaders had gathered for the evening. As the doors swung shut behind him, Steve took that chance to turn his gaze upon each and every one of the awed ponies that stared back at him.

With a friendly smile and a nod to the massive group of pastel ponies, he took a tray and stood in line with the rest of the hungry horses. The second he entered the line every pony in front of him moved out of his way and motioned for him to go before them. He shook his head with a smile, but when they persisted he gave them a strong stare that made them all fall back in line.

'So, it seems that army training might work on them after all,' Rogers noticed as the line slowly moved up, giving him a chance to glance around the room. Unlike the other rooms, the walls and floor were mostly made of mismatched metal and the tables were instead made of wood. A pony behind him cleared her throat and broke apart his thoughts, allowing him to see that the line had moved up.

"So, what kind of grub do you dish out to the ponies here?" Steve asked the cook behind the counter before he had the chance to lay eyes on them. But when the cooks turned to look back at him, both his and the cooks' eyes went wide when they spied the other. "Children?" he muttered when he saw a pair of young foals, a unicorn and a Pegasus, staring back at him.

"No way! It's the Captain!" one of them exclaimed with a huge smile while they rushed forward, knocking over the Pegasus as they did so. The Pegasus landed face first into a pile of stew, while the unicorn beamed up at the Captain with huge eyes. "It's so nice to finally meet you!" she sang with delight in her voice. "I'm Pumpkin!"

"Hello Pumpkin, it's nice to meet you as well," Steve replied while glancing at the Pegasus who was pulling his head out of the dish. He wiped his face on a rag that hung from the wall, before stalking over to the unicorn and glaring at her with burning eyes. "Oh, this is my brother, Pound," Pumpkin introduced with barely a glance at her sibling before turning her eyes back to the Captain. "What brings a hero such as yourself down here?"

"Hunger, actually," Rogers replied with a thin smile. The hint was lost on Pumpkin, but her brother caught on and scooped some of the stew onto Rogers' tray. He also added some broccoli and a chunk of chocolate for Steve, who couldn't help but notice that his rations were far larger than the others around him.

"Oh, well...it's just our way of saying thanks for all you've done for us," Pound bashfully admitted after the Captain pointed that out. "I mean, you're a hero! You've shown us that the Five...no, FOUR can be beaten! That this crusade of ours isn't in vain!" A smile spread across Rogers' face at the kindness, but with another glance at the other ponies with their smaller portions, he returned to the tray and his discussion with the young colt.

"I appreciate the gesture, I truly do, but I'm a soldier like the rest of the ponies here, and I'd prefer to be treated as such," Rogers remarked before taking another tray with less food on it. "I'm not any more important than any of you. So if you want to break out the good stuff, then wait until we've won this war. Until then, I'm just like the rest of you."

Steve walked to an open table after saying his piece, able to see the foals' and ponies' eyes shining in the reflection of his glass. After seating himself he reached up and slid his mask back, finally allowing his blonde hair to breathe once more. To his surprise though, the first few bites revealed the rations in this army were far better than in both his old unit and the modern day one in which he served.

His solitude was short lived, because pony after pony came up to talk with him, asking for an autograph or simply to admire the shield on his back, which had become nearly as legendary as he had become after rumors spread of its durability. The last of the ponies to come up to him were the two foals that had served his food, food that he had just finished when they sat down on either side of him.

"So, rumor has it that you're a hero from another reality, one that has saved his world on like, a dozen different times," Pumpkin began as her brother took his tray and walked off with it. "Is that true?"

"A dozen? I'm fairly certain that we've saved the world far more times than that," Roger's replied, a smile spreading when the filly's eyes lit up with amazement. "That was quite the meal that you served. Far better than what I ate in my unit. Did your parents teach you how to cook or did it come with practice?" Rogers' question was answered in a different way than he anticipated, when Pumpkin's face fell.

"Actually, both of us were orphaned," Pound spoke up for his sister when he sat down next to the Captain once more. "When Ponyville was initially attacked, our parents were two of the many that didn't make it out. The only reason we survived was thanks to Belle and her friends."

"Our parents were good chefs though, at least that what the ponies that used to live there said," Pumpkin managed to mutter. "So I guess the reason we can cook so well is, because of our genes."

"I'm sorry for your loss. If I had been here sooner..." Rogers lamented, but with shining eyes the two foals looked up at him with nothing but admiration.

"Well, you're here now. And now we can finally beat down those Four and take back our home!" Pumpkin said with a fiery determination as she and her brother both high-hoofed. Rogers couldn't help but smile when the pair started to do a war chant, being joined by nearly every other pony in the hall.

'And you will all get your home back. I promise."

/ \
//A\
/// \\

"Come in," Applebloom grunted after hearing somepony knocking on her door twice, growling becaue the distraction made her cut the wrong wire. She sighed while she tossed the wire to the side and grabbed another from beside her. "So what can ah do fer ya, Cap? Ah know it's ya, yer the only creature here that doesn't make hoofsteps."

"Very observant of you," Rogers stated when he walked into the mare's room, glancing around with interest with what she had used to decorate her room. Half of the room looked like a workshop, while the other half seemed to be the part of the room in which she slept. Numerous items with apples on them took up most of the space, but his eyes were also drawn to the cowboy hat that was resting on her bed. Upon closer inspection, Rogers found that the hat seemed far more beat up than it had seemed.

"So, did ya actually need me fer something or are ya just here to go through my stuff?" Applebloom teased before letting out a curse as sparks flew. "Oh come on, ya shouldn't be doing that anymore!"

"Wings being difficult?" Steve asked as he peered over her shoulder to find a pile of scrap and parts that had once been a pair of wings.

"The wings are just as difficult as their owner! Ah swear that Scootaloo, ever time she goes out into the field she brings these things back in worse and worse condition. It's a miracle she's survived without ruining herself!" Applebloom vented to Rogers, who stood off to her side with hands behind his back. "Sorry, ya probably didn't come here to hear me rant about Scootaloo, did ya?"

"We all need to get it off of our chest sometimes. Besides, I like to learn about those who I fight alongside," Rogers replied with understanding, before a question sprung to the front of his mind. "Speaking of your friends, you and Scootaloo talk about each other a lot, but I've rarely heard the pair of you speak about Belle. Why is that?" Steve knew he touched on a delicate topic from the way Applebloom leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh while staring at the ceiling.

"The destruction of Equestria changed all of us, made the three of us grow up far faster than we were supposed to. But even though we were forced to become leaders in a matter of days, Scootaloo and I managed to hold onto some of our younger selves. But Belle? The old 'her' died the day our homes did," Bloom explained sadly. "She told ya that she got her mark fer killing one of Tirek's forces, right? Well, that pony wasn't the only one who died then. Ever since that day she's been super-serious, always putting the resistance first and never thinking about anything else...and never daring to put her faith in heroes again."

"Did her hero fail her the day your world fell?" Rogers asked. In reply Applebloom walked over to her bed and picked up her hat, brushing the dust off with soft affection before gently offering it to the Captain.

"All of our heroes failed us, in a way. Mah sister was one of the six we told ya about, the six that had always protected us from evil. That hat's all ah have left of her," Bloom revealed before fire lit in her eyes once more. "But ah refuse to believe that they're dead like Belle does. Ah believe that they're out there somewhere, just waiting fer us to rescue them! And we will!"

"What of the other heroes that she mentioned?" the Captain brought up, remembering Belle mentioning other names when he had first arrived. "Sunset, Daring Do and the Wonderbolts?"

"All of them failed as well. As good as they were, they weren't on the same level as mah sister or the princesses. The magic of the Five...now Four, was too strong for them to face alone and they were quickly overpowered," Bloom solemnly answered, hanging her head for her fallen friends. Rogers was starting to piece together more and more of what made Belle and her friends act the way they did.

"So, was one of the six Belle's family?" Rogers asked.

"That's...not something ah should tell ya," Bloom hesitantly answered after a moment's wait. "She'll tell ya if she wants to. And to answer yer next question, Scootaloo didn't have a family, so she didn't lose any family that day...at least blood related family."

"Can you tell me more about the princesses and the heroes that used to protect you?" Rogers asked, and he got a quizzical look from Applebloom in reply. "When Scootaloo and I battled with Starlight, she was able to tap into the power of Twilight. If the other Four have access to your protectors' powers, then I need to know what I'm up against."

"Well...Celestia and Luna could move the sun and moon respectively, and since the days are still turning ah guess now the Four can as well," Applebloom said with a shiver of fear at that kind of power. "If ya have already fought Twi's power, then ya know what she could do. As fer the others...Rainbow was incredibly fast and mah sister was one of the strongest ponies around. Pinkie could do whatever she wanted and Fluttershy was good with animals. As fer the sixth...talk to Belle about her."

"So...those were the ones you looked up to? The ones that you believed in?" Roger's recapped with a furrowed brow.

"Yep. But most ponies here have given up on the idea of being saved by the six or the princesses once more. In fact, for the longest time nopony here actually believed that we even had a chance of winning this war." Then Bloom turned to look at Rogers with a look of both admiration and gratitude in her eyes. "And then the star-spangled human showed up out of the blue and reminded us what a true hero was. Thank ya, Steve. Thanks fer helping us to believe once more."

"Don't thank me yet. First we need to win this, then you can thank me," Steve replied with a small smile.

It was then Applebloom's turn to cast Rogers a glance, a glance that caught the nervousness and uncertainty in the Captain's eyes. "Why are ya asking me all this stuff? Ya probably have dealt with far greater things when defending yer world from evil as often as ya said ya did."

"Yes and while I will admit that your villains are far weaker than the ones I fought, I still knew what I was getting into. What I was fighting most of the time. But your villains all have strange abilities that I'm not familiar against. And I don't like uncertainties. Plus," Cap began as he removed his shield from its magnet and held it with both hands, gazing into his reflection. "Back home my shield could protect me from nearly anything. But here, the magic of the unicorns can get around it, can get past my impervious defense. If I'm to help you win this war, I'm going to need a way to combat magic."

Bloom spun around in her chair while looking Rogers up and down, muttering to herself before she reached into a cabinet at her side and began to shuffle through numerous papers that were practically overflowing. She tossed a few out of the way before finally finding the one she wanted, which she then smoothed out on the desk before waving Rogers over.

"Ah can make ya some armor and weapons that will help ya to fight against magic users, but before ah can ah'm gonna need the right materials to do so," she began, with Captain America looking at the map to figure out the rest. "This here is the city of Trottingham, where the biggest supply of anti-source metal is mined. That's the metal that's used to suppress the power of magic wielders such as unicorns."

"So you want me to go here, find some of this metal for you and bring it back? Sounds simple enough," Rogers believed with a nod, but a wicked smile spread across Bloom's face while she shook her head.

"It's nowhere near as simple as you believe it to be. See, with all the anti-source, Trottingham is the only city that runs completely free of magic...and that also means that ever magic user is powerless there. So that means, no teleporting in and no magic to save yer hide. If ya want to do this, ya got to do it the old fashioned way. Ya walk."

"That's perfectly fine with me. A jog would be good for these old bones," Steve joked before remembering something else. He reached up and plucked his communicator out of his ear before placing it on the table before an intrigued Applebloom. "This is what was supposed to allow me to communicate with my world, but it's not working. If you can get it to work again, I should be able to call in the rest of the Avengers to help us battle this threat."

"Ah'll...ah'll see what ah can do," Applebloom muttered to herself as Rogers began to head for the door. "Go find Belle and see if she'll assign some ponies to go with ya to Trottingham. Ah have a feeling this is a mission ya don't want to go in solo."

"If you think it's best for me to take some soldiers with me, I will. However, I want to make sure that I only bring the best with me. I can't risk the lives of rookies in an environment like this. So before I go, I'm going to see how much training your troops are going to need before we deploy." When Steve left the room, Applebloom grabbed one of her screwdrivers from the drawer beside her, fiddling with the earpiece for nearly five minutes while she tried to get the thing open. Only after changing her approach and some very inappropriate language did the mare finally crack open the device...only to have her jaw drop at what was on the inside.

"Cap wants me to fix this?" she asked herself as she stared at an invention that was centuries beyond her understanding. "This looks like it was built by a super genius! Or a psychopath."

Follow the Leader

Sweat dripped from the blonde hair of the Captain and drizzled into his eyes, making it seem like his eyes were narrowed as he raced through the forest path. He breathed in short bursts while keeping a pace that a normal man would not be able to keep up with. The cool air clung to his bare chest, with the upper half of his suit resting on a rock next to his shield. His thoughts drifted to the suit for a moment and how the star was now made of a stronger, more magic resistant material. But he placed that story in the back of his mind and instead focused on his training.

Rogers eyes truly did narrow when he spotted the first obstacle in his path, a massive log that was resting between two trees that he had set up at sunrise. Picking up speed Rogers then hurled himself into the air, vaulting over the log in a single leap while flipping forward. He landed perfectly on his feet and continued on with barely a loss of speed.

'Now for the hard part.' Steve barely had the time to make the remark before the jaws of a massive plant snapped at his side, barely missing the Captain who had anticipated the attack and moved accordingly. Three more plant jaws erupted from the foliage around the Captain and tore at him with razor sharp teeth. Steve dove under the first bite and rolled to his feet in time to leap over the second one. The third plant had waited until Captain America was in the air before it snapped its jaws at the Captain, yet the jaws never shut because the Captain performed the splits mid-air to keep the teeth at bay.

"Not bad. But not good enough to make a meal of me," Rogers taunted slightly before kicking off of the plant's jaws and diving through the air, hitting the ground in a roll before saluting the plants while racing ahead. After outracing a hive of red bees and swimming through a stream filled with carnivorous fish, Rogers reached the final obstacle in his run--a dive straight off a cliff into the forest below. While the thought of leaping down so far would have scared a normal man, all Rogers did was smile before hurling himself off of the cliff side and towards the forest below.

Even before he fell into the branches and leaves of the trees beneath him, his eyes were already scanning through the foliage, allowing his gloved hands to grab hold of the strongest vine the moment he spotted it. He gritted his teeth as the force of the sudden stop caught up with him, but his muscles held while the Captain began to swing through the trees. He let go of the vine to kick off of a branch and flipped once in the air before landing squarely on both feet.

"Well, that was a nice run. Now to meet the soldiers that Applebloom got for me," Rogers reminded himself before wiping a bit of sweat from his eyes. He returned through another dangerous path to reclaim his suit and shield (and having to punch out a mantis-bear in the process) before looping back to one of the few clearings that the forest had.

'It's no surprise that the Four haven't found this place yet. This forest is crawling with danger,' Rogers observed while bees the size of small birds flew past his head, before being devoured by a plant the size of a car. 'But none of the ponies within the base want to come out here either, relying on magic to teleport in and out. That could mean that they can't handle the dangers in this forest. And if this is too much for them...then I have issues with bringing them with me into battle. Well, time to see for myself.'

Rogers slid the mask back over his face when he spied Applebloom standing next to three different ponies, immediately figuring that they were the "best" that she had to offer. What he wasn't expecting was to see Belle standing beside her friend. "Greetings, Applebloom; Belle," Steve greeted with a nod to both of them, gaining a smile and a snarl in reply. "These the soldiers that you were telling me about?"

"Yep. They're the pride and joy of our Crusade!" Applebloom introduced as she swelled with pride, but both Belle and the Captain gave the four unconvinced looks. One of the soldiers was built like a tank, but his wings were small and he seemed worried by the insects that were buzzing around. "That there is Bulk Biceps. He's one of the strongest ponies we've got."

"Well, he certainly looks like he lives up to that title," Rogers admitted as he saluted the pony, smiling when Bulk immediately saluted him back. Rogers then turned his gaze to a cerulean pony with a yellow and orange mane the smirked up at the Captain with a judging gaze.

"So this is the great hero that's been taking down the Four and their forces?" she asked with a laugh, not reading the expression in the Captain's eyes. "Please. I could take this guy in nine seconds flat. Ten if I feel like being nice."

"Name, soldier," Rogers asked in a brisk tone, getting a merry eyebrow raise from the mare.

"Lightning Dust "sir"," she responded back with a mock salute. Rogers kept his gaze emotionless as he turned towards Bloom for an explanation.

"Lightning Dust might have a bit of an attitude problem, but she's one of the fastest fliers we have. She was almost as fast as Rainbow Dash at one point," Applebloom pointed out, getting the cerulean mare to narrow her eyes.

"Almost? I WAS as fast as her! Faster even! She was just jealous of my speed and got me kicked from the Wonderbolts," Dust grumbled as she crossed her hooves.

"And unintentionally saved your worthless life in the process," Belle remarked with a smirk. Dust turned towards Belle with menace in her eyes, but all Belle had to do was make her horn glow and the mare sat back down. "Trust me Cap, I didn't pick any of these losers. This is on those two." Rogers took note of what Belle had said before moving onto the final pony, a gray mare with a purple mane who wore a dark blue outfit.

"That's Maud. She's the sister to Pinkie, one of the six former defenders of the land," Belle introduced before Applebloom could speak up. Rogers raised an eyebrow at her bored expression that barely changed when he walked before her. "We only recently found where she had been hiding with her family, but she was all too happy...if she can be that...to help us out. She's dying to get her hooves on the Four for killing her sister. Get in line."

The last bit of Belle's statement was a mutter, but Steve still picked up on it clearly while he held out a hand to Maud. "I'm sorry for what happened to your sister. I hope that we can make sure that the Four will never be able to harm another again." Maud nodded slowly before reaching out to shake the Captain's hand, nearly bringing him to his knees as her hoof clamped his hand in a vice.

"Oh yeah, forgot to mention. Remember how we said Bulk was one of the strongest? Well she's the strongest," Belle chuckled as Rogers shook out his hand, whistling at the grip she had. "Careful Cap or she'll break you the same way she breaks rocks."

"I'm honored to meet a noble hero such as yourself," Maud greeted in a tone that was so dry Rogers had to wet his own lips. Steve nodded to the mare in reply before walking back over to Belle and Bloom, who was far more excited than her friend.

"So what do ya think?" she asked with a smile.

"I don't see it," Rogers curtly replied with a shake of his head. "None of them look like soldiers. Bulk looks to be scared of bugs, Dust is too far arrogant for her own good and Maud...well, I can't really get a read on her. I don't think they have what it takes to be soldiers fighting the kind of battles I'll be facing."

"Hey, we can still hear you!" Lightning Dust yelled over from the line, getting a sigh from Rogers as he turned to face her. "And I think you're full of crap. Any of us three could take you by ourselves and yet you expect us to follow you into battle?! Don't make me laugh!"

"Lightning..." Applebloom began to reprimand, but Rogers held out a hand to silence her before he stepped forward.

"You want to prove you're a soldier? Fine. You beat me, you can lead the Crusaders." Dust's eyes lit up at the Captain's words and before Applebloom had a chance to object, Lightning Dust hurled herself at the Captain with a hoof aimed at his face. Rogers moved in a flash and ducked the hoof in a heartbeat, giving Dust just a moment to realize what had happened before he slammed his knee into her gut. She let out a wheeze while she collapsed to the ground, holding her hooves to her stomach before Rogers chopped her on the back of her neck. Dust fell over without another sound as Rogers looked over at the other two, who both gazed at him with wide eyes.

"As I said, none of you strike me as soldiers. But just as I did Lightning, I'm willing to give you the chance to prove me wrong," Steve began as he walked over to Maud and Bulk. "And there are two ways you can prove this. You can fight me or you can go through the obstacle course that I spent making this morning," Captain Rogers finished as he pointed to a part of the jungle that had been cleared away. "The choice is yours."

As Captain America expected, the pair of them raced towards the entrance to the obstacle course without another word. "Belle, can I ask you to go with them?" Rogers asked the mare once the two trainees were out of earshot. "I want you to keep an eye on them and teleport them out the moment they get into any real danger."

"Don't believe that they can beat your course?" she asked with a smirk as her horn began to glow.

"Honestly? No, I don't." Belle smirked once more before she vanished in a flash of light, leaving Rogers alone with Applebloom and the unconscious Lightning Dust. "So these were the three you chose? Does that mean the rest of the ponies you have within the base don't strike you as fighters?"

"Well...the ponies were pretty much a peaceful race until the Five destroyed our home," Applebloom admitted with a sigh as she stared at her hooves. "We all pretty much relied on the princesses and the Ambassadors of Harmony to protect us when things went bad. So after they fell, the rest of us went down fairly easily. Most of the Crusaders, including mahself and Scootaloo, still don't like fighting. We only do it to save our home."

"And Belle?" Rogers asked as he gazed into the forest before him, hearing shrieks of horror while blasts of magic illuminated the trees. Applebloom sat down while she followed the Captain's gaze, lost in memories of a time she didn't wish to remember.

"As she said, she got her cutie mark when she killed a pony. And ponies only get their cutie marks when they discover what makes them special," Bloom explained further for Rogers. "At first, the idea that she was a killer terrified Belle and she tried every trick and spell in he book to change her destiny. But as the war continued, she found that, not only was she good at war...but she also became numb to the fact of what she was doing. No matter how bad the situation we were in, she was always there to get us out of it...and leave a few bodies in the process."

"That's...terrible," Rogers admitted. He had been forged on the battlefield himself, always having to decide whether or not to take a kill shot to save someone who was in danger. Explosions rocked Rogers' mind when he remembered the battles, the bodies that decorated the ground around him as his brothers died at his side...how he had the enemy's head square in his crosshairs. 'But while I've managed to hold onto my conscious, I know better than any how easy it would be to become a cold blooded killer. War changes people and not always for the better.'

"Honestly Captain...I'm still afraid," Applebloom admitted in a near whisper. Rogers snapped out of his own flashbacks and turned his gaze to the mare. "You've been...the best thing that happened to the Crusaders in forever, but even with you ah'm still not sure we can win. Starlight and Ahuizolt were strong...but compared to the other three..."

Rogers knelt down next to Applebloom and placed a hand on her shoulder, getting her to look from the ground into the Captain's eyes. "Applebloom, I know these foes seems strong--nearly unbeatable--for you, but trust me when I say I've fought worse. I've fought gods, creatures of science that can sink a nation, and even a being that can devour worlds. Trust me when I say that, nothing that these evils you face can throw at us can be any worse than what I've already faced. You're fighting with an Avenger now."

Applebloom's eyes widened with awe before realization shone in them and she held out the small earpiece that the Captain had given her the other day. "Ah looked over this like ya asked me to, but to the best of mah knowledge there's nothing wrong with it. It's just...not transmitting your message fer some reason."

Cap picked up the earpiece and frowned at it before placing it within a pouch on his belt. He nodded his thanks to her before the pair glanced towards the obstacle entrance where Bulk and Maud both came running out covered in mud, cuts and leaves. Belle followed them a moment later with magic blasting off of the edge of her horn as she fought back whatever creatures were chasing them.

"What the hell was that?!" she screamed at him the moment the forces in the forest began to retreat. "That place was filled with some of the worse dangers in this forsaken forest! You call that an obstacle course?! It's a death trap!"

"Really?" Steve asked with a thin smile. "I call it my morning run." Belle flashed daggers at the Captain before Bloom stepped between the two with a serious gaze on her face.

"Break it up, the both of ya. Belle, take these three back inside and get them to the infirmary," Applebloom ordered. Belle gave the mare a look that Rogers had seen in insubordinate soldiers before, yet AB's eyes flashed and gave Belle a look so powerful that even her stubborn side succumbed to it. Belle snarled to herself as she lifted Dust with her magic before "helping" Maud and Bulk back inside of the base.

"So...ah take it ya weren't impressed?" Bloom asked in a joking tone before shaking her head and following her friend inside of the base. "Sorry to disappoint ya Captain, but most ponies just weren't cut out to be soldiers. We were a more peaceful race, one that valued love and harmony above all else. Ah guess we can't be the warriors ya want us to be."

'And I wouldn't want to make any of you follow down a path like mine,' Rogers silently mused to himself as he watched Bloom enter into the base through the hidden entrance. He then took up his shield and walked back into the forest, eyes on alert for any danger that he hoped would attack him. His wish was granted in the form of a two headed serpent that burst through the trees and lunged at the Captain, who spun to face his attacker.

'I remember when the people of Earth used to place those values above all else,' Rogers reminisced while rolling out of the way of the attack. He slammed his shield into one of the serpent's head and made it go cross-eyed, while he caught the second one by the throat with his free hand. 'Before they became consumed with the desire for greed and self-satisfaction. So believe me when I promise that I'll help make your land the home it once was, even if I have to defeat the remaining Four by myself.'

Cap slammed his boots into the point on the serpent where the two necks connected, the impact whipping both heads into one another and knocking them together. Rogers then grabbed hold of the tail and hurled the creature back into the forest from where it had come. A sigh escaped his lips as he then gazed up at the sky, where the sun was pushing through the black clouds to let light shine down upon the land.

'And if Starlight and Ahuizolt were any indication of what was to come, then the evil that has crushed this land will be far easier than the foes I face on Earth. So I want the ponies to keep that mentality, to believe in love and harmony above all else. Let them focus on making the world one of peace. Leave the fighting to the soldier.'

A Bad Idea

Bolts made of pure iron narrowly whizzed past Captain Rogers' head, yet the Cap couldn't help but smile as he rolled under another pair of shots before catching two out of the air. The ponies gawked with awe under the armor at the reflexes of the Captain, before a returning shield caught two of them in the back of the head. Rogers grabbed his shield out of the air as the two collapsed, immediately forced to deflect a barrage of spell fire that had been directed at him.

"Keep moving! I'll cover you!" Captain America called out to a couple behind him as he bounced spells off of his shield. The pair raced past the Captain and into an alleyway behind him, while the Captain kicked off a brick wall and tossed his shield once more.

"Damn it! Somebody put this guy in a grave already!" one of the armored horses yelled as he began unleashing bolt after bolt of magic towards Captain Rogers. Three well-angled movements allowed the Captain to deflect the spell shots and redirect them back into some of the few guards that were left, dropping them and leaving the commander alone.

"You might as well surrender. I highly doubt you can beat me by yourself," Rogers advised him as he advanced towards the commander, who looked as if he was trying not to turn tail and run. Instead, he chose to draw a crossbow with a strange tip attached to the bolt and fired it square at the Captain's head. Rogers dodged the shot with ease before lunging forward and slamming the rim of his shield right between the pony's eyes.

"And that's the lot," Steve said with a smirk when he caught his shield, placing it onto his back before he walked forward and began to examine the unconscious guards. "Now, to figure out what a bunch of higher-ups like yourselves would be doing in such a small town." Examination of the first pony's armor revealed nothing, while all the second pony revealed was that he was skipping armor maintenance.

"Have fun cracking some grunt's skulls?" a snarky voice asked him from behind, informing Rogers that his ride out had arrived. "Or are you happy that you freed a town of six ponies from the cruel tyranny of the Four?" Belle's voice stabbed at him from behind.

"Well, you seem to be in top form today," Rogers shot back as he rolled the commander over, his eyes being immediately drawn to a strange item that was hanging from his belt. After unhooking it, Rogers held it up before him, discovering that the item was a very flat crystal. "How about instead of making snide remarks at me, you can instead tell me what this is supposed to be."

"A data crystal?" Steve heard Belle mutter to herself as she took the crystal, glancing it over with a sinister smile. "Oh, and you're a red class too, aren't ya? Come on Cap, we need to get back to base," she decided as she turned away from the Captain.

"An explanation would be nice."

"These are data crystals, or crystals used to record data, information or messages," Belle explained flippantly to the Captain as her horn began to glow with light. "The Four use them to relay orders, information and the like, and you can tell which messages are the most important by the color of the crystal. And red is the most valuable of them all."

"So there's enemy intel on that shard?" Rogers words gained him an eye roll from Belle before she finished her teleportation spell, returning the two back to the tree base in a blinding light. Upon being able to see again, Belle led the Captain towards the command center, while also sending off balls of light that flew in different directions.

"Yes Rogers, there's enemy intel on here. And quite possibly so much more," Belle stated as she threw open the doors to the command room, startling the three commanders that were within. "Rogers managed to recover a data crystal, red class. And you all know what that means."

Captain America saw the commanders' eyes light up at the mention of the crystal being a red class, and they all gathered around the central crystal as Belle slid the crystal into a slot. While the Captain waited in anticipation for something to happen, Belle turned her gaze towards the doors while counting softly to herself. A smirk crossed her face when the doors were hurled open and Applebloom ran inside, just as Belle had gotten to zero.

"Took the two of you long enough," Belle remarked as both Applebloom and Scootaloo entered the room, the Pegasus still bandaged up and clearly showing that she was not at one hundred percent.

"Ya sent us a message that ya had recovered a red crystal? "Applebloom asked, Belle nodding to Rogers before she pushed a button on the console and stood back while red lights began to flash. After a moment, an image erupted in the center of the console, one that made the ponies gasp while the Captain looked up with narrowed eyes.

"Careful you fools! If you break that field you may spell the end for all of us!" a black, insect looking creature roared at some of her underlings, who looked like miniature versions of the creature he was looking at.

"That's Queen Chrysalis. She's one of the Four. And those creatures you see around her are her changelings," Applebloom whispered to the Captain, who nodded to show he had heard. The smaller changelings were pushing along something that was covered by a large cloth, drawing every eye in the room towards the item. Except for Rogers, who was also looking around at the room the changelings were in. He spied multiple conveyer belts as well as giants vats filled with lava and massive cauldrons, that swung from the ceiling and made the Captain's eyes narrow.

'Seems like a factory,' he realized before the sounds of shouting came from the image, which turned towards the changelings that had been carrying the covered item. The item had fallen over and the cover had fallen off, allowing everypony in the room to see what had been underneath.

"It...can't be," Applebloom whispered in a voice so quiet that the Captain had barely picked up on what she had been saying. She, along with every other pony in the room, was staring at the massive crystal that had fallen out from under the cover, a crystal with a pony trapped inside of it. The pony was an orange color and had three apples on her flank. Rogers didn't recognize the mare, but all it took was a glance at Applebloom to figure out that she did.

"Idiots! If she got out, then I guarentee that not one of you would get out of here alive! And someone turn off that forsaken-!" The image cut off a few seconds after the pony was revealed, leaving everypony in the room stunned while Steve waited for one of them to explain.

"Mah sister..." Applebloom whispered a few moments later, confirming what the Cap had thought while also turning every eye in the room towards her. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she glanced around at everypony, a small smile spreading on her face. "They have mah sister. And from what Chrysalis was saying, she's-"

"She's dead Bloom. Don't kid yourself," Belle butted in before Applebloom could finish her statement.

"But...but Chrysalis said if she got out, then she'd kick they're flanks! Mah sister is in there Belle!" Bloom argued, but all Belle did was roll her eyes before reversing the image back a bit.

"Do you see what that is? That is a changeling. And that's a changeling. The whole, damn place is filled with changelings," Belle began as she glared daggers at everypony in the room. "What we're looking at right here is a trap, a trap for the Captain. Think about it. We've only gotten one red crystal before and it cost Sunset her life to get it. But suddenly, in a middle of nowhere town with only six guards to guard it, we get another one that has exactly what we've been waiting for all these years? It's obviously a trap. My advice is we break the crystal and never think about it again."

The other commanders nodded in agreement as Belle drew out the crystal, yet before she could break it with her magic Applebloom swiped the crystal from her and held it close. "But...but what if it is mah sister? What if she really is alive?! We have to at least try!"

"Bloom," Belle said in a voice that sounded on the edge of losing its patience. "We've been over this. We all agreed that if any of our family were to be held hostage, we wouldn't risk our lives and the lives of everypony in the Crusade trying to free them. It's just too dangerous."

"But...it's mah sister," Applebloom muttered with hopeful eyes as she gazed up at the image of her sister. "Ah have to know...even if ah have to go there mahself."

"Don't be an idiot! She's dead!" Belle roared at Applebloom with a snarl, shoving her face right into her friends. "She is gone! She died failing to protect our world! And the sooner you accept that like the rest of us the sooner you can-!"

CRACK!

Belle let out a swear as a hoof strike sent her sprawling onto the floor. She groaned once as she rubbed her jaw, lifting her head slightly to see an orange mare standing in front of Applebloom with rage seething in her eyes. "Get off your damn high horse," Scootaloo snarled with fury as she shook out her hoof. "And don't you dare try to change Applebloom into the hopeless jackass that you've become. I get it. Our sisters failed. It hurt. But that doesn't give you the right to-"

"To what? Tell your marefriend the truth?" Belle shot back with a cold glare that made Scootaloo's fury burn even brighter. "Besides, even if she is alive they're ready for us. It's a clear trap. All we would be doing by trying to free this "Applejack" is lose even more lives. Is that something you want to risk? All on the off chance that Applejack is alive?"

Scootaloo's fury faded a bit as reason crept back into her mind, her hoof shaking slightly as she glanced at the other commanders. The three shared the same looks before shaking their heads bitterly. Applebloom's face fell as Scootaloo wrapped a hoof around her shoulder, biting her lip as she stared at the ground hopelessly.

"Ah'm sorry Applejack. Ah'm so sorry."

"Applebloom." The clear and strong voice of the Captain sliced through the darkness of pain and loss, getting Applebloom to raise her head towards the Captain. He stared at her with a stern gaze before a smile crossed his face. "Suit up."

/ \
//A\
/// \\

"Thanks fer agreeing to go with me, but that doesn't make what Belle said any less true," Applebloom admitted bitterly as she and the Captain walked back to her room. "And Belle isn't going to be happy that you're doing another suicide mission with one of her friends again."

"Strange, because the three of you sure didn't act like friends back there," Rogers pointed out. "Anyways, I can deal with Belle later. Right now our biggest focus should be on the mission at hand and how we're going to get your sister out of an enemy base."

"Well, it can't be as hard as bringing down the Starfall, right?" Applebloom asked with a slight chuckle, but the expression on the Captain's face silenced any more jokes.

"The Starfall for the most part was easy. All we had to do was cause a weapon of destruction to explode on the inside with enough force to bring it down. This is a hostage situation," Rogers clarified for Applebloom before opening the room to her door for her. "And they are always infinitely harder than just destroying something. I'm going to need to know a lot more about the enemy before we go in."

"Alright, that ah can do. Changelings, Chrysalis' forces, are shape shifters that can take on any form as long as its around their size," Applebloom explained before pressing a button on the wall near her desk. Rogers raised an eyebrow beneath his mask as the wall slid up to reveal an exoskeleton that was being suspended with magic. "They're all mostly skilled with magic and follow their queen without question."

"Understood. How about the location? Were you able to recognize it from the background?"

"Yeah, ah believe that it's their main facility for forging armor and weapons," Bloom deduced as she began to slip the exoskeleton over her body. "It's also a place where they take ponies to be interrogated, or so ah've heard. Apparently, Chrysalis is good at making ponies spill their guts...in both senses."

"So, she's got an army, is skilled with torture and is one of the Four, meaning that she'll be tough to fight," Rogers summed up as he grabbed his shield and wiped the surface of it with his glove. "But she's no Red Skull and she's definitely no Doctor Doom. This will be easy."

"Are ya sure? Yer suit's not resistant to magic like we planned, and it's only the two of us," Applebloom reminded him as she walked forward completely armored up in her exosuit. Rogers lifted both eyebrows this time as he glanced over her suit, which seemed to be reinforced with armor while still allowing mobility for the wearer.

"And you say that as you walk out in a weapon like that," Rogers teased, getting Applebloom to glance down at herself with a bashful smile. "That's quite the piece of work you got there. Might even grab Stark's attention if he was here to see it."

"Thanks. Ah built this suit to enhance mah strength and allow me to move far faster than any other earth pony," Applebloom explained as she started moving around in her exoskeleton, slamming her hooves together with enough force to generate a small gust of wind. "It moves fast and hits hard. Ah call it the Motherbucker."

"An appropriate name. Now let's hope it lives up to your words," Rogers smiled as he holstered his shield and walked towards the door, but a glance back at Applebloom saw that there was more she wanted to say.

"Cap...do you believe that this is a trap?" Applebloom asked, her face sinking slightly when Roger's nodded without any doubt in his eyes. "Then...do ya also believe what Belle said? That mah sister...really is dead?" Rogers frowned slightly before he walked over to the mare and knelt down, pulling back his mask as he did so.

"There's a high chance that she is. In fact, it's the most likely outcome of what happened to your land," Rogers shot straight, making Applebloom's face fall slightly. He then placed both hands on her shoulders and made her look up at him once more. "But just because it's the most likely outcome doesn't mean that you should give up hope. My grandfather told me once that a man that loses hope, loses everything...as you've seen with your friend Belle. So keep that hope that your sister is still alive. And if you can't do that, then have hope that you'll bring down the evil that killed her and save your land. But don't give up hope."

Rogers smiled at her smile before standing up and turning towards the door once more. "Cap...Steve, thank ya." Rogers didn't turn around this time, but instead waited for Applebloom to finish. "Ah know ya might be a hero and all, but ya didn't have to do any of this. This isn't yer fight, yet ya risk yer life more often than any of us. Ah'm grateful, but...aren't ya worried there are folks that might miss ya if ya die?"

"Don't worry. All my family and loved ones...they all passed on a long time ago." Applebloom wore a look of concern as Rogers stared ahead for a moment before smiling back at her. Rogers then opened the door to find a panting Scootaloo standing outside with a hoof half raised. She immediately lowered her hoof as Steve glanced down at her, taking in a few deep breaths when Applebloom approached.

"I want to come with you," she blurted out quickly, getting an eye raise from both human and pony. "I have...a really bad feeling about this fight. So I want to come with the two of you, wings or no wings!"

"Scootaloo...ah appreciate the concern, but yer hurt," AB reminded Scootaloo, who moved to conceal her bandages slightly. "And if ya go with us, there's a better chance of ya dying than there is ya being of any help. Ah know ya want to be there fer us...or just me...but stay here and stay safe. Fer me?" Scootaloo let out a growl as she crossed her hooves, but a look at Applebloom's pleading eyes was enough to break her.

"Fine. Go have fun getting yourselves killed," she muttered. Bloom smiled at her before she turned to leave, but when Rogers tried to follow after her, he felt an iron grip wrap around his arm. "Listen to me well, Captain. I respect you, but if anything happens to Bloom I will hold you accountable. So either come back with her alive or don't come back at all. Cause if you come back without her...I'll end you."

"And if I do run back here and leave her alone to die, then you have my permission to end me," Rogers nodded with a serious glare before following after Bloom, not planning to let anyone die on the mission. 'It'll be tough, but I've dealt with worse. We'll have Applejack rescued in no time.'

Folly of Man

"At times like this, ah pity somepony like ya in a hot uniform like that," Applebloom panted slightly as the heat bombarded both her and the Captain while they raced across the lava caked area. Rogers sweat heavily as he ran, but intense heat was nothing new to him and he pushed himself just enough to keep up with Applebloom's enhanced strength, while saving all of his real power for when the battle began.

"Same goes for you. I bet that metal's getting really hot right about now," Rogers teased back as he flipped over a bubbling pool of magma. The pair spent a moment under cover behind a pair of boulders while three changelings flew overhead, telling the pair that they were heading in the right direction.

"Are ya sure that yer prepared fer this?" Applebloom asked with some concern in her voice. "Ah mean, ya might be resistant to lesser magic now, but the changelings are all able to perform advanced magic. Yer pretty badly outmatched in a fight like this, so if ya want-"

"Bloom, I fought Thor in a bareknuckle boxing match and held off the Hulk without my shield. Some people call it brave and others suicidal. But both times the job needed to be done, even if I was horribly outmatched. This is nothing new to me," Rogers stated with a nod forward, getting Applebloom to glance ahead at the large structure that resided on the top of a hillside at the base of the volcano. The factory had multiple smoke stacks, was far taller than even the prison in which Rogers had found himself when he first arrived in Equestria, and was surrounded by a moat of magma that gave them only one entrance. "Besides, you've greatly underestimated me if you believe that I wouldn't come up with some countermeasures for magic wielders. Don't worry about me, focus on finding your sister."

"Speaking of the Avengers...are ya sure ya want to do this without waiting for them?" Applebloom asked, getting Rogers to glance at her. "Ah mean, maybe we could wait fer them. Ya have already been here a long time and they're sure to notice yer gone, so maybe they'll come looking fer. If we wait a little longer..."

"Believe me Bloom, I would prefer to have my team here. But they're not and wishing for them to show up won't do any good," Cap said before his legs tensed. "And every minute we wait is a minute lost to the four. So yes, I would like the Avengers. But sometimes you need to make do with what your given and I was given the Crusade. Sometimes you need to count your blessings."

After the last bit of advice, Rogers then sprinted forward at full speed, Applebloom keeping with his stride thanks to her exosuit. Spying two guards standing near the front doors, Rogers cocked the shield back while taking precise aim. He then let his shield fly the moment the two spotted the pair, the first guard getting knocked out as the vibranium diet took its toll. The shield showed no mercy to the second guard either, lunging straight for him after it was finished with his friend.

"Scootaloo was right, that is impressive," Applebloom awed as Rogers caught his shield on its return bounce, the pair running straight past the unconscious duo as they reached the front doors. Rogers knelt down and began to examine the lock, striking it once with his shield before shaking his head at Applebloom.

"Looks like that lock's a bit too tough for the old gal. Think that fancy suit of yours can do better?" Applebloom cocked an eyebrow at the challenge before she walked forward and drove one of her armored hooves into the gate, smashing through the lock in one blow.

"What kind of man are ya, making a dainty lady such as mahself open this door?" Applebloom teased back as the doors swung open, revealing the inner workings of the factory...as well as every guard that had been standing near the front doors.

"If you're dainty, then I'd hate to run into one of the meaner mares in a dark alley," Rogers shot back before the guards started shooting at them, forcing Steve behind his shield while Applebloom pulled one of the doors in front of her for a shield. With his shield being more mobile than AB's, Rogers pushed forward as spells and bolts bounced off his vibranium friend.

He introduced his shield to the face of one of the guards before picking up the pony with his free hand and hurling him into his friends. With the momentary lack of death raining down, Captain America took the chance to hurl his shield down the corridor. It bounced off multiple guards before getting caught in a door that had just opened, leaving the Captain without his defense as more soldiers poured into the room and fired.

"Bloom! Could be using some help from you and that incredible suit of yours!" Rogers called out as he dove down to the floor, rolling as shots just barely missed where he had been moments before. He felt both the eyes and weapons lock onto him before a massive, metal door hurtled down the hallway and crushed every guard that had the misfortune of standing in its path.

"Go ahead, tell me its incredible," Bloom asked as she flexed once, but all Rogers did was reclaim his shield before checking on the guards under the door. Some of them were lucky to be alive, while others weren't so fortunate. "So, do ya have any idea where yer going or are we just running in circles?"

"We're heading towards the center," Rogers replied as he kicked open the doors out of the hallway. Another set of guards awaited them on the other side, but with the shield and the suit they went down within moments. "From what little I know about this land, nearly every building keeps its most important room in the center. So if my hunch is correct..."

"How many missions do you base solely on a hunch?" Applebloom asked as the two ran deeper into the factory.

"Far more than I'd care to admit." The next door led to a catwalk that overlooked a massive chamber filled with hundreds of conveyer belts, pools of magma and the cauldrons that moved across the ceiling on chains with burning liquid within. "Well, it seems we finally made it to where the crystal showed. So if I was going to spring a trap, it would be-"

The catwalk fell out from under the pair the moment Rogers thoughts were spoken aloud, sending the pair tumbling down onto one of the conveyer belts. Rogers was the first to recover and he shot up just in time to see dozens of black, insect-like creatures wearing armor diving down from above towards the pair.

"Nap time's over Bloom, time to get to work!" Captain America called over to Bloom before rewarding the most eager of the changelings to reach him with a shield to the face. Applebloom rose to her hooves and slammed one of her hooves into one of the changelings, hurling them into the side of a cauldron before they fell into the magma below.

Captain America kicked one in the teeth before one wrapped its hooves around his shoulders. Its death lock was remedied by the Captain diving onto his back and crushing the insect with his weight. He kicked up in time to see a massive piston slam down on the conveyer belt before him, telling him it was time to bail.

"Applebloom! I spy an island in the center of the room! I have a feeling that's where we'll find your sister!" America called over to Bloom before he leapt to the next conveyer belt, landing shield first on the changeling that had been waiting for him. Applebloom leapt after him with super-powered jumps, while the Captain cleared the way by beating down most of the changelings that stepped up to challenge him.

With one last leap, the Captain made it to the large island in the center of the factory, which turned out to be a large square piece of metal that led into a room far off in the back. Yet the moment he glanced around at the new area, he was met by the wide stares of dozens of ponies that were all huddled together with fear. Applebloom landed beside the Captain as he realized the mission had just gotten a lot harder, not helped by the fact that more changelings were descending upon them.

"Mah sister!" Applebloom cried with such delight that Captain America's attention was drawn away from the changelings for a moment to glance at where she was pointing. As the mare had said, sitting in the middle of all of the ponies was an orange mare trapped within a bluish crystal that levitated off of the ground, stuck above some sort of strange machine that generated electricity. Applebloom rushed over to her sister's side while the Captain fought off as many of the changelings as he could.

"Alright, no need to rush," Captain America said to the changelings as they swarmed him, punching one in the jaw before driving his knee into another's gut. "It's not first come first serve. Each of you will get a chance to taste vibranium by the time I'm done!" To cement his words he slammed his shield into the face of a changeling, but with his defense momentarily being used as offense he wasn't able to deflect a spell that caught him in the leg.

Captain America snarled before swinging his fist around to punch the changeling in the face, but his extended arm was bitten by another changeling. America shook him off before two more tackled him from behind. Captain America had just begun to shake them off before Applebloom grabbed hold of them and hurled them into their comrades.

"Wow Cap, what kind of hero can't handle an entire army?" Applebloom asked as she and Rogers stood back to back, eyes glancing around at the numerous changelings that still surrounded them. "So, got any plans to get us out of this one or are we going off another hunch?"

"Cut the jokes for now, this hostage situation just got a lot worse. Right now we need to-" When the Captain stopped talking Applebloom glanced behind him to see him staring up at something. She followed the Captain's gaze to one of the catwalks, where her jaw dropped by what she saw.

"So, you are the one they call Captain America. It is so interesting to finally meet you," Queen Chrysalis said with a sinister smile on her face, one that was countered with a glare of fury that spread across Applebloom's. "Yes, I have heard of you and your magic shield, but I must say that you look far more ridiculous than I ever believed possible. What are you even wearing?"

"Stripes. And stars. Which is what you'll be seeing by the time I'm done with you!" Captain America shot back as he brought back the shield to hurl at the queen...before something leapt onto his arm and prevented him from throwing. He brought a fist back as he prepared to punch off whatever was on his arm...only to be struck dumb when he discovered that it was one of the ponies that had grabbed hold of him. The Captain was just about to ask the pony what they were doing before a circle of green fire erupted from the pony, who revealed to be a pony no longer.

"Surprise, Captain," the armored changeling snickered. Cap was stunned for just a second before he threw his punch, but in that second three more changelings had tackled him to the ground. He tried to shake them off as more and more swarmed him, but even with the serum coursing through his veins there were too many. The situation turned worse when one of the changelings wrestled his shield away from him and flew to Chrysalis with it, who took hold of the disc with a smile.

"Truly a remarkable weapon. Do not worry Captain, it shall be in good hooves after you die," Chrysalis promised before making a disgusted face at the colors. "After I have painted over it, of course."

Captain America didn't have time to respond as he struggled against the changelings, freeing himself from one of them with a well placed kick to the face. He then slammed the back of his skull into the nose of another one before grabbing that same changeling and hurling it into the others. He then spun around to punch the armored changeling in the nose...before his fist came to a stop in front of a pony.

For a brief moment the Captain wasn't sure what to think and that moment cost him. Rogers had just decided to turn his attention back to the battle when another changeling drove its horn right through his side. Rogers cried in pain as he fell to one knee, holding his bleeding side with gritted teeth.

"Aw, what's the matter Captain America? Don't know what to do? Let me make it a little easier for you!" Chrysalis then laughed like a mad pony as she began to fire bolts of magic into the ponies, getting screams out of them as they began to run around the battlefield. The few that were smart enough to run towards the exit were blasted by Chrysalis' magic, telling the others with their deaths that escape was not an option.

"STEVE!" Applebloom cried out as she tore the changelings off of the Captain, practically punching one's head off when it refused to let go. She then slammed both of her hooves into the ground to create a shock wave of such power that all changelings were blasted back. "Steve, are ya alright? Yer bleeding pretty bad."

"Forget about me. Focus instead on the mission," Rogers panted out as he forced himself back to his feet. Both he and Applebloom glanced around at the panicking ponies and the smiling changelings, each trying to figure out what to do.

"You heroes are so easy to beat Captain, did you know that?" Chrysalis asked as Rogers caught a surprise attack and hurled the changeling over the side. "See, I knew that you would come here to rescue Applejack. So I took the liberty of gathering some more ponies that could be used as shields or distractions should the situation arise. Because you heroes wouldn't dare endanger the lives of the innocent, even if it meant saving your own."

Steve once again found himself unable to respond, having to focus all of his attention on the battle at hand. 'I'm losing a lot of blood. That changeling got me good,' Rogers admitted before driving his knee into a changeling's face. 'And there's so many of these things. But I can handle this. I've got to handle this. More than my life is on the line.'

"Ah, there it is. The spark of hope that I see in your eyes," Chrysalis smiled with victory. "That thought that you'll win, that you'll save the day and everypony here will make it out alive. That's when you heroes are at your best...and also at your most vulnerable. Oh boys."

The moment the order left Chrysalis' lips, the changelings all erupted into green fire. To the Captain's horror, he found that every single changeling had turned into a pony with a wicked smile upon their face. Then those smiles turned to looks of horror and they began to race around with the other running ponies, causing Captain America to quickly lose track of them.

"What now, hero? You can't tell friend apart from foe?" Chrysalis snickered with laughter as Cap's head swiveled around while he tried to discern where the changelings had gone. A pony sucker punched him in the side of the head when it was turned, but when he lifted a fist to retaliate he found that the pony had already blended back in with the crowd again.

Another pony bucked him in the back of his knees, making him drop to all fours. He lifted his arms just in time to catch another strike by a different changeling. Rogers responded with a punch of his own that sent the changeling spinning back into the ponies. But to the Captain's shock, the changeling shape-shifted into a different pony and then raced along with the others. Cap noticed it changed two more times before he lost track of it.

"Steve...what do we do?!" Applebloom cried out before a blast of magic caught her in the back, making her scream in pain as sparks flew from her exoskeleton. Sensing the desperation of the situation, Rogers threw a blind punch at one of the ponies, cracking his jaw and knocking him flat. But as the pony held a hoof to his jaw with tears streaming down his face, Rogers realized his mistake right before a blast of magic sent him reeling.

'Can't...keep this up...' Rogers thought as he pushed himself back up to take a pair of hooves to the jaw, sending him crashing down once more. 'I can't...figure out who is innocent and who's one of the changelings.' Rogers pushed himself to the vertical with one burst of strength and raced over to Bloom, only to be blasted in the knee by a burst of magic. He fell over once more, coughing up blood as he struggled to look around.

Bloom was barely able to stand, her exoskeleton smoking violently as blood poured from her mouth. Rogers then glanced up at Chrysalis, who wore a smile of victory as she stare down at the wounded hero. But worst of all, the changelings were still shooting at the ponies, forcing them to continue to run around and act as cover for the real changelings.

"So tell me, hero, what will you do now?" Chrysalis taunted, shield on her hoof. "You're wounded, your friend can barely stand, you can't tell changeling from pony and I've got your shield. What can you possibly do now?"

'I...don't know,' Rogers silently admitted as he forced himself back up, gazing around before ducking under a burst of magic. 'I didn't believe the shapeshifters could be so hard to tell apart or that Chrysalis would know how to tie my hands. All because I didn't believe her to be as big a threat as my villains. And now we may die, all because I underestimated her. And now...everypony here is going to pay for my pride. I don't know how to get us out of this one.' But one last spark ignited within Rogers, and he forced himself to bring up his hands, eyes on the alert for any sign of attack despite the blood loss.

'But at the very least, I'll go down fighting. I'll give Applebloom and the ponies a chance to escape, no matter how small it is,' he roared within his mind. 'For freedom doesn't fall that easily...and neither do I!'

Commanding Officer

"I hope this isn't going to become a thing," Rogers said with a small smile when he pushed open the doors to Applebloom's infirmary room, ducking to the side as a pillow sailed past his head. "First Scootaloo ends up in here and now you do. I suddenly fear for Belle's safety."

"Ugh, don't talk so loud. Yer voice is making mah wounds hurt worse," Applebloom muttered in reply while resting her head on the sheets, regretting her decision to hurl her source of comfort at the Captain. Rogers was kind enough to return the pillow to her before sitting down beside her bed.

"I'm glad to see that you're doing alright," Rogers sighed in relief. "You were pretty beat up when I brought you in here. The doctors weren't sure if you would make it."

"Brought me in? Ah remember dragging yer star spangled butt in here," Applebloom shot back with a small chuckle that quickly turned into a coughing fit. "Not that anypony could tell now. Seriously, it's only been a few hours and already yer outfit's been fixed and ya look brand new."

"Trust me, the pain is still there. I just have a lot more experience dealing with it than you." Rogers was about to say something else, but the sound of the door being practically ripped off its hinges brought the two away from their conversation. In a blur of orange, Scootaloo appeared at Applebloom's side while pushing the Captain out of the way in the process.

"Thank Faust you're okay!" Scootaloo sobbed with tears staining her face, wrapping her hooves around Applebloom's while Rogers tried to process how he ended up on the floor. "When I heard what had happened to you, I came running as fast as I could. But those stupid doctors wouldn't let me in until you were stable and...I'm glad that you're safe."

"Ah told ya ah wasn't gonna die. Came damn close though," Applebloom snickered with a small smile that made Scootaloo sigh in relief. "Can't say the same fer Chrysalis. They'll be scraping bits of her off the ceiling fer weeks." Rogers rose back up before heading towards the door, figuring that the two would want to be alone.

"Captain America?" Rogers came to a stop with his hand on the handle of the door, slightly tilting his head back so that Scootaloo knew he was listening. "Thank you for bringing Bloom back alive. I know that the mission was important and all, but...I didn't want her going out there. The entire time the two of you were gone, I was constantly terrified that I would never see her again," Scootaloo whispered in a voice that held terror in every word. "You kept your word."

"Yes...and no." Rogers turned back towards the pair to find them both staring at him with equally confused expressions. "Applebloom is alive, yes, but it's not because of me. In fact...I'm the one responsible for the condition she's in." Once again his words were met with looks of confusion, getting a sigh from the Captain as he reached up and lowered his mask.

"I underestimated Chrysalis. I underestimated all of the villains in this world. I believed since I had survived far worse battles against far stronger villains, that your foes would be a walk in the park. The battle with Chrysalis showed me just how wrong I was," the Captain admitted with his head hung low.

"But...you're a hero. As you said, you've fought worse foes. How could you almost lose?" Scootaloo asked.

"Because she outplayed me completely. With her changelings shifting into innocent ponies, and me with no idea how to tell them apart, it wouldn't be incorrect to think that I would have died in that battle," Rogers clarified before shaking his head. "And honestly, I thought I was going to...die knowing that not only had I failed to save this land, but I had fallen because I underestimated Chrysalis."

"Then...how did you get out of there?" Scootaloo asked. Before speaking, Rogers nodded to Applebloom. Scootaloo turned her head towards the yellow filly, who had become suddenly very interested with the ceiling.

"Applebloom figured out that the changelings' armor, despite being shape-shifted, was still conducting electricity. She used the electricity within a machine to fry all the bugs before they could finish us off. If she hadn't done that...then neither of us would have made it back." Rogers then walked up to Scootaloo, bracing himself before speaking again. "So if it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have been able to save her. So if you want to hit me, go right ahead. I deserve it."

Scootaloo considered clocking the Captain for a moment, but then she shook her head and patted him on the arm. "The deal was if you abandoned her, I'd kick your spangled ass. But you didn't. Instead, you were willing to fight to the death to protect her. I know that much." Rogers smiled at her response before Scootaloo's eyes widened as she remembered something. "That reminds me, what happened to Applejack?"

Rogers saw the pain creep back into Applebloom's eyes, telling him it was time to leave. He nodded to the both of them before exiting the room. As he walked away from the infirmary, he took up his shield and stared into his reflection, allowing him to gaze at his face that was contorted with rage.

'You got careless, Rogers. It doesn't matter what kind of foes you go up against, you have to bring your A game. You didn't and it almost cost you dearly,' he berated himself before glancing up to see a white mare with a now shortened purple and pink mane glaring at him. "If you've come to scold me for my arrogance, go right ahead. I won't say anything."

"Oh trust me, while I would love nothing more than to point out the infallible hero's failings, we have more important things to discuss," Belle clarified, though the look on her face showed that they were not done with the Captain's failings. "See, for Faust knows what reason, multiple ponies have joined the three stooges we showed you the other day and want to be trained by you."

"They want me to train them? Why?" Rogers asked in reply, getting an eyeroll so great that Belle's pupils vanished for a moment.

"Because, Captain, word has already spread throughout the base that you managed to kill Chrysalis. Yeah-yeah, I know Bloom helped as well, but nopony seems to care that she was the one who actually dropped the cauldron on her. All the ponies care about is that the great Captain America reduced the Four's headcount. So now, they want you to teach them how to fight like you."

"And what do you think about this?" Rogers asked. For a brief moment Belle was stunned, amazed the Captain would even bother asking for her opinion.

"Honestly...I say go for it." Now it was Rogers' turn to be surprised, since he never believed Belle would let him anywhere near her troops. "I'll be honest, our forces are a joke. AB and Scoot's are up with me in terms of combat ability, but the rest of the ponies can barely shoot a crossbow, let alone fight." Rogers frowned at her words, remembering how Scootaloo had trouble shooting a crossbow back on the Starfall.

"So you're fine with me training those ponies?" Rogers asked.

"Not like we have anypony else who's qualified. And as much as I loathe everypony here calling you the savior of our land, you know how to fight, I know that much," Belle admitted before giving Rogers a cold stare. "But just because you're training these ponies doesn't mean that you're anything special."

"You're right. I'm not anything special. I'm a soldier." Belle narrowed her eyes at the response, but with a shake of her head and some words that were muttered under her breath she left the Captain alone.

'Training huh? How long has it been since I trained actual soldiers?' Rogers pondered as he started to walk towards his quarters, knowing that he'd have to ask Applebloom or Scootaloo for the time and meeting place of the soldiers. 'I trained Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but these are ponies--beings that once believed in friendship and harmony. I don't like having to turn them into...soldiers...but I guess I like the idea of them being defenseless even less. Alright ponies, I hope you're ready for training. Because I don't go easy.'

/ \
//A\
/// \\

At least two dozen ponies wandered out of the base at too early o'clock the following morning, eyes squinting as the bright rays of the rising sun poured down onto them. They had all been dragged out of bed by Belle and Scootaloo, who had also instructed them where to go. So as the group stumbled over each other in the bright light, those who were able to see spotted the human in the red, white and blue doing handstand pushups.

"You're all late. Drop and give me twenty." A small chuckle spread across the group, but a cold stare from the Captain silenced any humor. One by one the ponies slowly got down and started to do pushups. Rogers watched with observant eyes as they did so, keeping a close eye on each of them. Some, like Bulk and Lightning, were able to do the exercise with no effort. Others he noticed, could barely make it to twenty.

"That's enough. Fall in," he ordered. Most of the ponies groaned in relief as they pushed themselves back to a standing position, but none dared to speak when they felt the eyes of the Captain wash over them. "Now then, most of you have come here because you want me to teach you how to fight like me. So you can learn how to flip and punch and throw a shield."

Rogers eyes narrowed when he spied most of the ponies nodding vigorously. "If that's the reason you're here, then leave now," he finished, his words smacking the looks off of the ponies. "Because I'm not here to teach you how to be an Avenger. I'm here to teach you how to be soldiers. You will learn how to fight, how to shoot and how to push through pain. Because starting now, I'm no longer Captain America. I'm your commanding officer. Any questions?"

"Um, I have one sir," a pony spoke up from the back, getting the Captain to turn his gaze towards him. "Why can't you train us to be Avengers? I think most of us would like to be heroes instead of soldiers."

"You want to be an Avenger? Then we start with the first lesson," Rogers began as he slid the shield onto his arm and narrowed his eyes. "Fight me." He saw the desire to be an Avenger die in most of the ponies' eyes, but he smirked when he saw Lightning Dust taking a few steps forward. "Back in line, Dust. You had your chance. Wait until you've been trained before you consider fighting me."

"And I'll say this now. The training to be an Avenger is ten times harder than the training I have in store for you. And honestly, none of you have shown me any proof that you can handle it," Rogers explained, getting some of the ponies to share concerned looks. "If any of you want to get out, now's the time. Because once we start, you're all committed."

Rogers had expected over half the ponies to leave, but to his complete surprise not one of the ponies turned their back. "We trust you Captain, even if we don't quite get what you're going to do," one of the ponies said with eyes filled with respect. "You're our hero. We'll follow you into Tartarus, if we must." Rogers watched as every eye was filled with that same respect and resolve, except for Dust of course. Rogers couldn't help but smile at their loyalty before his eyes set like flint again.

"Alright, since all of you decided to stay we will get started! We're going on a jog. Let's go!" Rogers turned and took off running, his speed surprising most of the ponies who had to sprint to catch up to him. The group ran as the sun continued its arc across the sky, turning the deep amber of the morning to a beautiful blue before a pony dared to ask a question.

"Cap...how much longer...do we have to run?" one of them managed to wheeze out, the others nodding in agreement as they lay sprawled out on the ground. "We've been...going for nearly an hour now...with barely any breaks...how much...longer?"

"Until I get tired, soldier," Rogers responded, getting groans of pain from nearly every pony except Dust, who smiled at the challenge. "Five more minutes and then we're back to running." Another loud groan came from the group. The Captain shook his head before he started to do pushups.

"So, what's with the sudden change of attitude?" Rogers looked up to see Belle staring down at him, the mare wearing an expression of interest on her face. "You seemed like such a nice guy before this started. Didn't know you had what it took to be tough."

"Our foes have multiple armies that are all far better trained and equipped than us. If we want to have any chance of winning, I need to get these ponies into fighting shape as fast as I can." Rogers could see the confusion on Belle's face, the same confusion that Bloom and Scootaloo had worn earlier.

"But you're the hero. Aren't you going to beat the remaining members of the Three and save us all with one hand while curing all illnesses with the other?" Belle asked sarcastically. Rogers slowly got up at her words and looked deep into the mare's eyes, which began to shrink under the intense glare of the Captain.

"If yesterday taught me anything, it's that trying to face this threat alone would be suicide," the Captain made perfectly clear for the mare. "I might be an Avenger, I might have to face far greater foes than the ones you face, but I also had a team backing me. I didn't do it alone. So if we're going to win this war, we're going to need a team. Because I can't do it alone."

"And don't think that just because I'm a hero means that I'm better or worth more than any of you. Because I'm a soldier, same as any of you. Only difference is I have far more experience in situations like these," Rogers clarified before holding up a hand and signaling that the break was over. "So if the time comes that I have to lay down my life to protect you, I want to make sure that you can all protect yourselves without me. Back to running!"

Belle's face remained confused as the Captain took off running once more, the ponies following after him with some complaints and groans. She lowered her head while she tried to process what he had said. She then shook her head and spat to the side, deciding to not let a guy in a stupid outfit confuse her.

||3||

"This...cannot be," Tirek whispered with absolute disbelief in his tone, staring at the empty seat where only a few days ago one of their strongest members had been sitting. "Ahuizotl I could understand. Starlight might have been a fluke. But for the Crusaders and Captain America to actually...kill Chrysalis..."

"That's what the fool gets," Sombra spat back, getting a snarl from Tirek while Ahuizotl stared down at the table, unable to wrap his mind around the news. "She told us to be careful and then she goes and gets herself killed. If you ask me, we're better off without her."

"Well, nopony did ask you, you fool! Can't you see?! We've lost nearly half our numbers!" Tirek roared with a fury that shook the dark castle to its core. "And the ponies are becoming more rebellious than ever! Word of Captain America's victory has spread across the nation in a little under a day, and ponies are no longer afraid of us! They all believe that this Captain will save them from us!"

"Which he wont'," Sombra replied, but Tirek wasn't listening to him at this point. Sombra let out a groan before he glanced over at Ahuizotl, amazed to see that he seemed to be thinking for once. "I think we should hear every opinion at this table. Do you have an idea on how to stop this Captain America, Ahuizotl?" Ahuizotl lifted his head with surprise, before slightly lowering it with embarrassment.

"W-well...if we could find the base of the Crusaders, we could crush their forces with our army and kill the Captain in one fell swoop. That would put an end to the rebellion and any hope the ponies of the nation had in Captain America."

"Of course, your idea would be useless. We have searched across the land for the Crusaders' base and have found nothing!" Tirek bellowed with fury, but the sound of chuckling made the two turn their attention to Sombra. "What do you find so funny, oh lazy king?"

"Tirek, finding the base is impossible. We know that. So instead of us finding it ourselves, we will simply have a crusader lead us there," Sombra reasoned, getting him two insane looks from the other two villains. "Don't worry your heads about it none. You just leave finding those nasty rebels to King Sombra. All we need is the right...trail to follow."

Making the Grade

Quick glances through the trees. Footsteps kept light so as not to make any sound. And darting from shadow to shadow so as to avoid being in the sun as much as possible. These were the tools Captain America used as he slowly made his way through the forest. His shield gripped in his left arm firmly, and the Cap was fully prepared to use it at the first sign of trouble.

'Lucky that it still seems to be summer,' the Captain spared a moment to think, glancing up at the green leaves while slipping into another shadow. 'Autumn leaves would reveal my location with each step. But this way I can stay silent while-' In a heartbeat Captain America hurled himself to the side just as three crossbow bolts embedded themselves into the forest floor where he had been standing. He rolled to cover behind a tree and pressed his back to it.

'Found me already? Impressive. But just finding me won't be enough to win you this battle.' The Captain then reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a small mirror, which he moved towards the edge of the tree. With the reflection he was able to see where the attack had come from, as well as somewhat spot a pair of ponies hiding in the underbrush. 'Two up there, with a third that believes he's hidden. Fatal mistake, thinking that you're-'

Once again the Captain's thoughts were interrupted as a bolt dug into the tree where he had been sitting, yet the Captain had been one step ahead and once again rolled out of the way. He rolled to his feet and hurled his shield into one of the trees, hearing a yelp as the vibranium cracked a branch while missing its target.

'His partner managed to pull him back before I could get the hit. Bonus points for you.' Captain America snatched his shield out of the air before bolting down the forest path, hearing crossbow bolts whistle past his head while he knocked others out of the air with his shield. A steep descent crossed the Captain's path, but without waiting a moment he dove onto his shield stomach first, using the shield as a sled as he skidded down the hill. Twigs, roots and rocks hurled by his head, but the Captain was more concerned with the bolts that whizzed by him.

A cry of amazement reached his ears when he landed at the bottom and without missing a beat the Captain hurled his shield to where the gasp came from. A drumming sound informed the Captain that his shield had hit a magic barrier, telling him where the unicorn in the group had been placed. After catching his shield once again he dove down beside a log, using it as cover while planning out his next move.

'At least two hidden behind that boulder, maybe more. The other six will be circling around on me in a few moments,' Rogers predicted as he slid down the log, making sure to keep every part of him beneath the wood. 'But they don't know that I know that. So I can use that knowledge against them.' Rogers rolled out from the log and to the trees next to it, waiting a heartbeat to see if the ponies had noticed. When they gave no response, he slipped around under the cover of the bushes to a small ditch where he crouched down.

'And there they are.' As the Captain had predicted, three ponies armed with crossbows slinked down from a small path and slowly advanced forward. Their eyes showed they were on alert, but as they slipped by the Captain, he knew that they weren't alert enough. 'And all three of you lose points. You have to check your surroundings far more carefully.'

Rogers then shot up from his hiding place and tossed his shield, bouncing it off the leg of one of the ponies before it bounced to strike the other two. "Molehill. Featherheart. Whisper. All of you are dead. Return to the base," Rogers instructed the shocked ponies as he grabbed his shield on the rebound. The three whispered amongst themselves in confusion as they rubbed their sore limbs, leaving the Captain to focus on the battle once more.

'At least seven left. I know where three of them are, so that leaves four unaccounted for,' Captain America reviewed as he slipped back into the cover of the trees once more, senses on alert for whatever ponies may have been close enough to hear the other three get eliminated. 'Not to mention I haven't seen Maud or Lightning yet. That worries me.'

Steve quickly glanced at the sky, remembering the Pegasus that the opposing team had set up as an aerial recon, of sorts. Yet with no Pegasus in the sky, Rogers' eyes narrowed slightly. 'They're communicating with each other in some fashion, but so far I don't know how.'

The sound of a twig snapping brought the Captain back to the battle, where he pressed himself against the back of a tree. A glance around the trunk revealed a pony that was by herself, turning around every few seconds while taking aim at any noise with her crossbow. At first Rogers thought that she had been separated from the rest of her squad, but then his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

'No...they've been trained far too well for that kind of thing to happen. Either she wants to take me on alone--doubtful, given the way she's acting--or this is a trap.' Rogers then began to slink around the outskirts of the area, keeping low so the mare in the clearing wouldn't see him. 'And if it is, that means that the other members of her group would be...there we go.'

Spying two more ponies, one of whom was Maud, Rogers slowly began to slip around behind them. Upon getting closer, he picked up on a bit of the conversation that the two were having despite the both being in the middle of a battle.

"So, do you really think the Captain will fall for this?" he heard the stallion whisper to Maud.

"No. He won't," Maud replied in a bored tone, but the Captain had known her long enough to hear the faint traces of anticipation in her voice.

"Then...he could be sneaking up on us as we-"

Faster than the Captain believed she could move, Maud turned around and fired a blast of her magic crossbow at him. His reflexes saved him a nasty wound as he rolled out of the way, grunting as he crashed into some bushes before springing to his feet in time to deflect two more shots.

"An interesting fact about the metal that makes up your shield," Maud began as she fired bolt after bolt at Rogers, who began to retreat under the fire. The mare that they had been using as bait joined in on the assault. "Other rocks seem to be drawn to it when it approaches. I think they see your shield as a god or something."

"That...is an interesting theory," Rogers shot back, a smiling creasing his face when the three ponies lined up in a way that made them easy targets. He grabbed hold of his shield with his right hand, taking a step back as he prepared to hurl it. Yet the second he took a step a snare wrapped around his leg and the next thing Rogers knew he was being hoisted into the air by his ankle. The shield almost slipped from his grasp, but his reflexes were fast enough to catch it.

'Dammit, that talk about rocks managed to distract me,' Captain America snarled as he bounced crossbow and magic bolts off of his shield. 'Stupid on my part. Forgot to scan the area for any traps. Ten points for all three and extra credit to Maud for the distraction. Now lets see if they can get the A grade!'

In one swift motion, Rogers sliced the vine dangling him in the air with his shield before landing on one hand. He then vaulted himself forward, tossing the shield at the three while still upside down in the air. Maud was the only one who saw the attack coming and as she dove to the side her two partners each took a vibranium disk to the chest.

"Morning Glory! Dewdrop! Dead!" Rogers called to both of them as he hurled himself out of the way of the magical blasts, reaching up to pluck his shield out of the air. He just slipped it onto his arm just in time to watch as Maud picked up a massive boulder and hurled it at the Captain. Rogers' shock at her strength was suppressed by his experience, which told him to slide and throw. He did exactly that, sliding under the rock while letting his shield fly once more. The boulder crushed the trees behind him as the shield bounced off of Maud's face, the mare barely flinching at the strike.

"Maud. Dead," Rogers said with a slight sigh of relief. Maud blinked slowly once before shrugging and walking back with the rest of her team towards the base. 'Alright, with Maud down that means the only real threat left is Lightning Dust,' the Captain processed as he sprinted back into the forest. 'But normally by now she would have dive-bombed me and tried to take me on alone. So why is she holding back now?'

Rogers never got the chance to figure it out as an explosion erupted next to him, hurling the star spangled soldier through the air. Rogers snarled as he hit the ground hard, rolling back up to his feet in time to duck under two crossbow shots. He bounced a few more shots off of his shield before he decided to advance, kicking off of trees and rocks to keep himself mobile as he moved forward.

'Only two of them?' Rogers realized as he leapt into the air over the two ponies that had been firing at him, deflecting their shots before landing on one of them shield first. "Moonbeam! Dead!" Steve then swung his shield into the second pony's crossbow, knocking it out of the unicorn's grasp. She snarled before firing blasts of magic at the Captain, who deflected the first volley while weaving out of the way of the second.

Captain America then hurled his shield at the unicorn, who narrowed her eyes before her horn flashed and the shield came to a dead stop in front of her face. A smile of victory crossed her face when she turned to look at the Captain...only to receive a boot to her head that knocked her flat. Her dazed eyes stared up at the Captain as he grabbed his shield and slammed the edge of it into the dirt next to her head.

"Wind Dancer. Dead. And minus fifty points for thinking you had won just because you got my shield," Rogers said to her. The unicorn let out a groan as she lay spread eagle, but Rogers completely ignored her as he narrowed his eyes and glanced around at the surrounding area. 'All that leaves is Lightning Dust. Who hasn't bothered to show herself. What is she waiting for?'

Wind Dancer and Moonbeam left the battlefield, allowing the Captain to slowly walk back into the forest with every sense on high alert. He was aware of each rustle of leaves, each snap of twigs and he made double sure to listen hard for the sounds of wing beats. Yet aside from the rumbling of gray clouds overhead, nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the forest.

'This isn't right,' Rogers figured as he moved out from behind the cover of trees, walking across a small grove while glancing around. 'She's got to be planning something. But what? She knows that she has to beat me soon in order to win the battle. Argh, but these clouds are making it so damned hard to...'

Realization dawned on the Captain a second too late, and as his head snapped around towards the clouds a massive bolt of lightning came crashing down into the earth next to him. Rogers was hurled across the dirt, ears ringing with the sound of thunder and eyes filled with black spots. He staggered back up to his feet, trying to clear his senses before he felt a high speed hoof smack him in the face.

The blow spun Rogers around, but he managed to remain vertical as he placed most of his body behind his shield. He angled the shield at the direction he assumed the next attack would be coming from, his guess being confirmed when he felt something bounce off his shield. Yet the attacker grabbed hold of his shield and managed to yank it free from his grasp, leaving the Captain without his defense as his vision finally returned to him.

"You really want to do this again?" Rogers asked the cerulean mare as she hopped back and forth on her hind legs, her forehooves throwing rapid jabs in the air as a smirk crossed her face. "Because if I recall correctly, every time you've fought me one on one you've lost."

"Yeah? Well this time your shield's out of the way," Lightning Dust spat back as she kicked the shield off to the side. "That makes this a fair fight. One on one. Mano a Mareo." Rogers narrowed his eyes at her response before the mare hurled herself at him at incredible speeds that no ordinary man would have been able to follow. But the Captain had fought with and against the fastest beings in his world, and with that experience he was able to duck out of the way of her first blow. He then drove his elbow into the side of her head before grabbing one of her hooves and hurling her over his shoulder.

Yet before he could deliver the finishing blow, Lightning Dust used her wings to drive herself into the Captain's feet, which were quickly knocked out from under him. Rogers slammed into his back as the mare leapt onto his chest, driving vicious rights and lefts at his face. Steve grasped the back of Dust's head with both of his hands before slamming the front of his skull into her, snapping her head back and dazing the mare. He then placed his shin on her throat before wrapping he other leg around the back of her head, locking her in a triangle choke.

"Give up!" he ordered the mare, who was still punching the Captain in the sides despite her air being cut off. "Lightning Dust, tap out!" Despite her blows getting weaker and weaker, the mare refused to stop punching the Captain. Rogers rolled his eyes before deciding to end the fight. "Lightning Dust! You are-" A blast of magic struck the Captain square in the side of his head, knocking him to the side while freeing Dust from his grip. Rogers shook the pain from his eyes as he turned towards the shot, spying a small mare who held a magic rifle in her hooves and wore a massive smile on her face.

"One on one, huh?" Rogers asked with a smile spreading across his face as he turned to look at Dust, who was breathing heavily with the largest smile on her face.

"Yeah...that's how it always goes between us right?" she wheezed. "So why would...this time...be any different? Why...would I...have a little...backup?" Rogers shook his head, smiling at Brighteyes before nodding to Lightning Dust. "So then...isn't there something...you're supposed to say?"

"Indeed there is. Captain America. Dead."

/ \
//A\
/// \\

"I'm impressed with each and every one of you," Rogers praised the twenty ponies back at the base. He glanced at each and every one of them, amazed that in two months they had gone from barely being able to hold a crossbow to being able to "take him down." "You have each shown great improvement over the past couple of months, going from new recruits to skilled fighters quickly. I couldn't be any prouder."

Rogers couldn't help but mirror the massive smiles that each of the ponies wore, but then he took on a more serious expression as he took out a clipboard. "However, the purpose off this exam was to see which of you were ready for actual combat experience and which of you needed more training. And while most of you did well...only a select few of you seem to be ready."

The ponies began to murmur amongst each others as Rogers cleared his throat, looking at each of them with serious eyes. "First up is...Bright Eyes." The mare pointed to herself with confusion as the ponies around her began to applaud, Rogers nodding at her with a smile. "You're sniping skills are the best amongst the best. You will make great support on any mission."

"Next is...Maud." There was no outward reaction from the mare as the ponies applauded for her, but the Captain could see her eyes sparkling. "You are strong. You are skilled. But more importantly, no matter the situation you remain calm and focus on the task at hand. You are, pun intended, the rock of the group."

"And last..." Rogers began as he swept his gaze over each pony, finally coming to a stop on the prancing Lightning Dust. She pointed a shaking hoof to herself and the Captain nodded. She then exploded with laughter, flying around the area while screaming that the top of her lungs.

"Seriously? Those are the three that you pick?" Rogers turned around to see Belle standing behind him, shaking her much shorter mane with disappointment. "Whatever, it's your choice. If you want the hot head, the shy girl and the rock to join you, be my guest."

"They've proven that they're the best of the team," Rogers replied as he gazed upon his three with pride, watching as the other soldiers in training congratulated them. His face then narrowed as he prepared for the next mission. "And they'll have the chance to prove that to you. Because we're going to start striking at the Three's forces. And you're going to help us."

"And why the hell would I do that?" Belle snarled at him, but the look that shone in the Captain's eyes silenced her rage.

"Because it's time we started taking back Equestria. And soon, Liberty's bell will let freedom ring!" Rogers replied while holding up his shield, the ponies all holding up their left arms like the Captain. "But in order to do so, I'm going to need a unicorn that is proficient with magic. And the only one here is you. So are you in?"

Belle wanted to say 'no', but a glance around at all of the determined and beaming faces made her let go of her hatred for a moment. "Fine Captain, I'll help you out. But I want you to understand now that I'm working with you, not for you. I don't follow your orders."

"Sure you don't. Until you're thrown up against something you can't fight by yourself," Rogers shot back with a smile. Belle's response was to shake her head and walk off, leaving the Captain to look upon his soldiers with pride.

Taking It Back

Spotlights shone down on the red, white and blue hero as he charged into the magic fire--shield first--bracing his shoulder against the shield as dozens of shots bounced off of the disc. He could hear shouting coming from ahead as he raced up the stone steps towards the main base stationed in Manehatten, knowing that at any moment his team would be in position.

A quick roll to the side prevented him from running into more guards. The three he did meet next to the iron doors had the opportunity to have the Captain's shield introduced to their faces. "Dust, I'm in position. Where's that air support?" Rogers called into a small radio.

"On its way, Cap!" her voice replied just as the soldiers unloaded onto the Captain again. Captain America crouched down behind his shield, eyes narrowed as he glanced over his shoulder to see gargoyles landing on the outskirts of the outpost with him. He weighed his options before racing towards the gargoyles, hurling his shield at one of them before driving his shoulder into another. The moment his shoulder impacted the stone, he drew an explosive from his belt and planted it dead center on the gargoyle's chest.

"Watch out for falling rocks," Rogers saluted before diving out of the way. The gargoyle glanced down at his chest right before the explosion detonated, raining pebbles upon the enemy forces. Rogers snatched his shield on the rebound and shifted it to his left arm, just in time to be tackled from the side by a gargoyle.

"Think yer a funny guy, eh?" the stone sentinel snarled as he cocked a fist back, giving the Captain plenty of time to duck behind his shield. He heard the stone strike vibranium, which was followed by a howl of rage and pain from the statue pinning him down.

"I'm getting better at it. Dust! Support! NOW!" The moment the words left the Captain's mouth a burst of wind-tearing speed hurled itself into the stone gargoyle, shattering him to gravel in a single blow. The cerulean mare crashed to the side, stars dancing around her eyes as she struggled to get up. "You can take a rest later soldier, we've got to finish this," Rogers shouted at her as he rolled up to her, placing his shield over the mare to deflect the magical bolts.

Dust shot to her hooves while using the Captain as cover, the both of them dashing to the metal door while magic tore apart the area around them. Dust unstrapped the explosive from her back and began to fasten it to the door. "It's gonna blow! And that means it's time for us to go!" Rogers nodded back at her as the pair fell back, confusing the soldiers for a brief moment before the doors exploded, hurling pony and metal alike in every direction.

"Double time, soldier!" the Captain instructed as he rushed inside, Dust flying beside him as they plowed into the command outpost. More resistance met them in the main room, yet with a combination of flying hoof kicks and shield to the mouth, the pair made it through with little effort.

"Belle, we're inside. Time to bring the heavy stuff," Cap instructed into the radio, smacking a minion down with the front of his shield. A brilliant flash of blinding white light erupted next to the pair, signaling the arrival of Belle. She cast a glance around the room while dropping off two duffle bags that were filled to bursting with explosives.

"You didn't even make it into the communication rooms yet? Faust, I thought you were good at your job," she snarked at the Captain, who didn't pay her any mind as he grabbed hold of one of the straps for the bag of explosives and hoisted them onto his shoulder. Lightning Dust followed his example and snatched up one of the bags as well, following after the Captain as he raced out of the room and further into the base. "Fine. Just ignore me then."

More magic and bolts resisted the Captain and his team, forcing him to drop his bag so he could hurl his shield with better accuracy. The shield bounced down the narrow hallway and struck one guard in the side of the skull, but the other had enough smarts to duck the shield before it could take a piece of him as well. He quickly took aim at the defenseless Captain before a white aura surrounded him. He had just a moment to understand what was happening before his head was driven into the wall beside him, putting an end to his obstruction.

"Do I have to do everything for you?" Belle snarled at the Captain while she secured his bag with her magic, but yet again the Captain ignored her and instead chose to press forward.

"Main room should be right here," Rogers instructed the pair as he kicked open a pair of doors at the end of the hallway, which fell onto one unfortunate soul who had been taking cover behind them. Numerous consoles with a multitude of lit up buttons on them greeted the trio, who were given just a second to take in the room before Rogers was at the consoles. "Explosive."

Dust nodded and tossed her bag to the Captain, who swiftly emptied the bag and placed each explosive in a specific place. When the first bag was empty he tossed it aside and held out his hand for the other one, waiting a few seconds before turning towards Belle with an annoyed look on his face.

"You could say 'please'," she snarked at him. Rogers didn't reply. Instead, he snatched the bag from her and quickly placed the rest of the explosives. With the two bags empty, he then pressed a button on the side of one of the explosives. A red number that started at thirty appeared, before it quickly counted down to twenty nine.

"Time to go," he instructed the both of them, taking off at full speed with both mares following behind him. To the annoyance of Belle, the Captain also grabbed as many of the fallen enemy as he could, with Lightning Dust getting the ones he missed. "Belle, grab as many as you can."

"Feh," she snarled before dragging the rest with her magic. As the trio escaped into the coolness of the nighttime air, Rogers turned to look back at the building while silently counting to himself. He then piled the unconscious guards together behind a carriage before dragging the two mares together and hiding the both of them behind himself and his shield.

"Three...two...one." An explosion of unmatchable might tore apart the mostly silent night, practically turning the night to day with the copious amounts of light that was generated by the giant ball of fire, where the main base within Manehatten had once stood. Rogers looked over his shield to find that the shrapnel had stopped raining, allowing him to smile at the destroyed building as Dust and Belle peaked out from behind him.

"One down. Plenty more to go," he smirked before picking up his radio. "Cap here...what do you mean "Superweapon"?

/ \
//A\
/// \\

Smoke, wind and shards of ice all ripped into the Captain's suit as he pushed himself forward with his shield up, doing his best to remain standing atop the train cars under the heavy fire. He glanced over his shield to find that the pony made entirely of ice seemed to have no such problems standing on the moving cars and was more than happy to sit back as the Captain struggled.

"Cap, do you read me?" the voice of Brighteyes spoke through his radio. Rogers found he didn't have the time to answer the call, as the stallion that could control ice had just turned the tops of the cars from metal to a skating rink. Rogers feet slid out from under him and he landed on his side hard, though the pain was quickly forgotten when the Captain slid off the ice and off of the car roof.

"Can't talk. Losing grip," Rogers curtly replied as his free hand shot out and grabbed an icy railing, the serum in his veins all that was keeping his grip from slipping. He slowly shook the shield off of his arm and caught it with his left hand, managing to slip it onto his magnet without dropping it into the chasm below.

"But Cap, we found the bomb," Brighteyes spoke up once again. "But...but it's far larger than our intel led us to believe!" Rogers sighed with a tilt of his head as he wrapped his free hand onto the railing, planting both feet onto the side of the car. A kickoff allowed him to vault himself back onto the roof of the train cars, where he sprinted up towards the icy stallion before he had a chance to react.

Rogers plowed into the stallion and drove him into the second train roof. The roof collapsed under their combined weight and shattered into hundreds of icy shards, sending both pony and hero tumbling into the car. Rogers and the pony both shot up at the same time, with the pony changing his left forearm into a sharp ice pick while the Captain brought both fists up.

The Captain ducked the first attempt to impale him before firing off three quick blows to the sternum that made the pony stagger back. Mist steamed from the stallion's nose before he lunged forward again, but this time the Captain rolled backwards while placing both of his boots into the stallion's gut. Using the combined momentum of the two of them, Captain America kicked the pony head over heels into the iron door on the empty train car. The door crumpled under the impact and the stallion was sucked out of the train, plummeting into the abyss below them.

"Brighteyes, I've got time to talk. What's going on?" Rogers spoke into his radio, yet the only response was the sound of magical bolts and rifle fire. Taking up his shield once more, the Captain braced his shoulder against the cool vibranium before charging like a battering ram at the other door at the end of the room. Iron met vibranium as the Captain collided with the door, but with the shield being stronger the door folded instantly. Another door quickly fell to the might of the shield, giving the Captain the entrance to the large train car that Brighteyes had mentioned.

First, he observed the massive machine that hummed with an unholy sound. A superweapon. Then he glanced over at the stallion made of metal that had pinned Brighteyes to the floor. A target. And last, there was the giant, flaming and metal gargoyle that towered over the metal pony. A problem.

"Kill him," the metal pony instructed, getting a strange groan from the metal and fire monster that lunged at the Captain. Metal jaws slammed into the vibranium shield and once again the shield proved superior. The gargoyle howled as his shattered fangs fell to the floor. The howling didn't last long as the Captain punched the gargoyle in the face with the edge of his shield, cracking the creature's skull. A second blow put the creature down for the count, allowing the Captain to change focus and drive his body into the metal pony.

"Damn that Sombra, his creatures become more and more useless!" the stallion snarled as he kicked the Captain off of him, driving a metal hoof into the side of the Cap's head to knock him flat. "It's almost like he doesn't care anymore!" Rogers groaned slightly as the metal stallion grabbed hold of his throat and began to strangle him, yet just as the Captain was beginning to resist a shot went off and a beam of light passed through the metal pony's skull. He collapsed to the floor without another word.

"Nice shot, soldier," Rogers said to Brighteyes as he picked himself up and raced over to the superweapon. "I have no idea what's making this thing tick, but it looks like it's going to detonate the moment it reaches Trottingham."

"Can't you stop it? Maybe hit it with your shield?" Brighteyes suggested, but Rogers shook his head in reply.

"Hitting bombs with shields is generally a bad idea. Time to get out of here, this train's about to make an unscheduled stop." Brighteyes followed Rogers back out the way he had entered. Rogers pulled himself up onto the roof before reaching out a hand to Brighteyes, taking the hoof she gave him to drag her up as well. "Belle, this is the Captain. I need you to crash this train immediately. Preferably somewhere where no one is around."

"What's the magic-?"

"NOW!"

"Well...there is a massive drop right beneath the both of you," the voice of Belle replied after a moment. The pair then lurched as the support columns to the bridge began to collapse, informing them that time was up. "If I were you, Faust forbid, I'd get out of there now."

"Can do. Lightning?" Rogers then scooped Brighteyes into his arms as the bridge collapsed in front of them. Brighteyes' signature eyes widened as the train ran off the tracks and began to plummet into the chasm below, but without any hesitation the Captain held a hand to the sky. A moment later a blur grabbed hold of the Captain's hand and yanked the pair into the air. "You were almost too late. Did you stop to get a snack or something?"

"Cut me some slack. You're both alive, aren't you?" Lightning Dust snapped back.

"If you don't hurry, we won't be," Brighteyes pointed out, getting a snarl from the Pegasus.

"Great. They're teaming up on me now." Cap watched as the train fell farther and farther down the chasm, before it landed nose first into the stony quarry at the bottom. The moment the train impacted the ground, the whole area erupted into an explosion of cataclysmic proportions, nearly knocking Dust out of the air as the shockwave it generated reach them in half a second.

"Belle! Teleport!" Roger shouted into his radio as Dust struggled to remain airborne. His eyes narrowed as the full force of the explosion chased them down, yet right before it could catch the three, white light made them vanish into thin air and the explosion just narrowly missed them.

/ \
//A\
/// \\

"...Alright, to recap. Ya managed to drive out the Three's forces in Manehatten when ya got a call that some sort of superweapon was being driven by train to Trottingham," Applebloom began as she and Scootaloo looked over the Captain's report, with Rogers standing in front of them with a serious expression. "So then ya and yer team went after this weapon and stopped it...by destroying the train and anything else around it in a five mile radius. Wow, and all in one day too."

"Manehatten is free and Trottingham is safe. I think that's a fair trade-off for the destruction of one train," Rogers put forward before he narrowed his eyes. "But once again, the Three show that they're willing to wipe out millions of innocents just at the off chance that it would hurt us. Our spies told us that the reason for the superweapon was because there were reports that the Crusaders were hiding in Trottingham."

"That weapon sounds like Sombra's work. That maniac was always the one that came up with the most dangerous inventions," Scootaloo informed the Captain before walking over to Applebloom and glancing over her shoulder at the report. "Yep, that flaming gargoyle is right up his alley. Good job taking that down, by the way."

"Thank you. What's the next mission?" Rogers asked, getting him two concerned looks from both Scootaloo and Applebloom.

"Cap, you've been working on missions non-stop fer nearly two weeks now," Applebloom reminded Rogers, whose face did not change despite the new information. "Ya stopped a doomsday weapon from wiping out the last remenants of the dragons in Equestria, led a charge against Tirek's forces of the damned when they laid siege to the ancient city of magic, and today freed Manehatten and stopped a superweapon from wiping out Trottingham."

"And?" Captain America asked when Bloom had finished speaking.

"We want you to take a break, dude," Scootaloo spoke up when Applebloom cast her a glance. "You've been full throttle for nearly two weeks. Even Rainbow Dash knew that she needed to take a break every once in awhile or she'd crash. You should probably take one to."

"I can rest when I'm dead," Captain Rogers replied.

"See, you dead is what we're trying to avoid. So take a break. Let Scootaloo and I handle the next mission. My orders." For a moment Rogers considered arguing, but then he sighed with resignation and saluted the two, who saluted him back before he turned and exited their office.

'A break huh? Well, I have been looking forward to...' Rogers stopped his train of thought when he exited the room, to spy Belle leaning up against the wall, a look on her face that made the Captain groan inwardly. "What can I do for you, Belle?"

"Nothing much. Just noticed that lately you haven't been putting up with me the same way you used to," Belle pointed out, leaving the Captain to nod his head. "Not that I'm offended or anything, honestly I expected you to treat me this way from the start, but now I'm curious as to what caused the change." Rogers stared down at the mare for a long moment, with eyes that were more sympathetic than they were angry.

"Belle...I know that you're hurting, despite how much you try to hide it. Your friends told me how much you lost on the day your nation fell," the Captain reminded Belle before his gaze hardened. "But now I have a war to win, and I can't have any soldiers disobeying my orders or jeopardizing the lives of others because of attitude. So I know that you're hurting, but so is every other pony here. So, when we're on the battlefield, you leave that baggage here. Am I clear?"

To the Captain's surprise, Belle nodded without any lip. Rogers nodded in reply before walking past her, leaving the belle to watch him go with sinking eyes. 'Heh, afraid that my attitude might get somepony killed. Well, it wouldn't be the first time somepony died because of me.'

Rocky Relationships

"Maybe I knocked too hard," Maud pondered aloud as she dug her hooves into the stone floor of the prison, tearing up a chunk of rock to defend herself from the arrows and magical bolts that tore apart the air around her. Behind the mare raced in Applebloom, Scootaloo and ten other members of the Crusade from a massive hole in the prison wall, each firing back at the gargoyles, changelings and other forces that guarded the prison.

"Come on Crusaders! We take the Pit and we wipe out one of the last strongholds that the Three have!" Scootaloo roared to the ponies behind her, unloading with a rapid fire crossbow and dropping two changelings before a gargoyle roared and charged down the hallway towards them.

"Maud, ya think yer finally ready to wreck one of these guys?" Applebloom asked Maud, whose face hardly changed as she lunged forward and drove her hoof right into the bridge of the goyle's nose. Despite its stone body being reinforced with Sombra's magic, the power that was Maud caused its face to break apart in a shower of stone.

"I think that is a yes," Maud replied with no emotion to Applebloom before ducking behind a door while more magic fire bombarded the area around them. Applebloom and the other Crusaders fired back, pinning down the opposing forces long enough to allow Scootaloo to rocket ahead and drop a bomb on top of the enemy forces. One massive explosion later and the forces were cleared out, allowing the Crusade to advance further into the base.

"Should we really be doing this without the Captain?" one of the ponies asked Scootaloo as she flew overhead of her allies.

"Steve has been more than doing his job in helping push the Three's forces back. We need to step up our game as well," she replied. Maud kicked two doors off their hinges and hurled them across the room, revealing a large, multi-floored block of prison cells. The group was greeted with more fire that forced them to spread out to avoid being a target.

"Avoid the prisoners as best ya can! Scootaloo, hit and run!" Applebloom ordered as she lifted a hoof into the air. That hoof was grabbed a second later by an orange blur, who flew the yellow mare over the enemy forces before chucking her down towards them. Bloom slammed her hooves together before driving them down into the floor of the prison, knocking every pony on the ground floor to their backs from the shockwave she created.

"All of ya that aren't a part of the Three, head towards the exit!" Bloom ordered to the prisoners as she raced to their cells, using the increased strength of the Mother Bucker to tear through the cell bars. With the covering fire of the other members of the Crusade and the support of Scootaloo from above, Bloom aided the fleeing prisoners up the stairs that were guarded by opposing forces.

She shattered the jaw of one pony with a well placed hoof shot before kicking a changeling in the chest with enough force to hurl it over the railing. Yet, her prison break was temporarily halted when a gargoyle crashed down onto the stairs with her, throwing a rocky right hook towards the side of her head. She just managed to duck underneath the blow to avoid being decapitated, yet the blow sheered the railing beside her from the stairs.

"Hey you. Look up." The gargoyle did just that to receive a massive right hook, shattering his skull clean in two and causing the body to collapse over the side of the missing railings. Maud nodded to Applebloom who continued to escort the prisoners up the stairs, doing her part in tearing the cells open so that others could go with them.

"We've managed to suppress the Three's forces in here, but it won't be long before backup arrives," Scootaloo informed her as the Pegasus landed next to the mare, who nodded slightly while looking around the room. "We're almost at the prison's control room though. Half of us are going to lead the prisoners to the extraction point while the rest of us head there. Which team do you want to be a part of?"

"Do you need to ask?" Scootaloo smirked before taking off into the air once more, scanning around the room for any source of enemy reinforcements. Spying a side door that had been thrown open, she turned towards the other members of the Crusade and brought their attention to it as well. A fire fight broke out between the two forces, yet none of the Crusaders fell thanks to Scootaloo bombarding the enemies with multiple explosives.

"Alright, just as we planned! Those of you escorting the prisoners, take them and go! The rest of you, with us!" Applebloom led the Crusade towards a large door that resided at the end of the prison cells, wrapping her hooves around one of the handles of the massive door and straining with all her strength. Maud grabbed hold of the other one and pulled back as well. With the combined strength of the two mares, the giant doors slowly creaked apart and allowed access to the Crusade.

"Come on Crusaders, one last push!" Scootaloo ordered as ponies raced by her, quickly grabbing hold of Maud and Applebloom as they did so and pulling them inside. As the twin doors slammed shut behind them, two more gargoyles bellowed at the end of a long hallway that extended over a large pit below.

"Maud. AB. You're up," Scootaloo said to her two friends as the gargoyles rushed the group. Maud was the first to react, lunging forward and striking the first gargoyle with her hooves in a jackhammer-like fashion. The gargoyle barely had time to register what had happened to it before it was completely pounded to dust.

Applebloom didn't have as much luck, for when she went to strike the goyle it caught her hoof in its hand and lifted her over its head. It then drove her into the stone floor, laughing before lifting her up to do so again. Before it had the chance, Maud bucked it in the knee, turning its entire leg into dust in a single strike. Another shot to the head put it down for good, giving the Crusaders access to the final door in the facility.

"After you," Scootaloo said with a bow to Applebloom, who rolled her eyes before using the strength of her suit to tear open the doors. A flash of light shone from the other side, quickly followed by a blast of green fire that scorched the air. Scootaloo was fast enough to knock Applebloom out of the way, but the Crusaders standing behind her had to retreat to avoid being burned. Applebloom ordered them back as a colossal beast appeared.

"Haw! Ah wondered when ya little scamps would show up?" a gargoyle that was far larger than any of the others cackled, emerging from the room as he cracked his knuckles and extinguished the fire in his maw. "Come all the way here just to have old Crusher put an end to ya, huh? Got to say ah'm honored that ya chose me out of all the others."

"We didn't come here to lose. We came here to put an end to your prison," Maud said, turning the gargoyle's face towards the mare with a smirk crossing his face. He then swung one of his fists towards the mare, who evaded by simply moving her head to the side before striking the gargoyle with one of her hooves. Though it didn't show on her face, surprise filled the mare as the gargoyle didn't even flinch at her blow.

"Oooh, I felt that one. Yer a strong one," Crusher snarled before driving his foot into the chest of Maud, hurling her across the hallway and into one of the walls. Stone shattered around her body, yet Maud hardly seemed fazed by the impact. Before Crusher could follow up with another attack, Applebloom and Scootaloo leapt onto Crusher's back. Bloom slammed her fists into his face while Scootaloo unleashed the flames within her wings to burn the gargoyle's face.

"Maud! Finish him!" Maud nodded as she tore herself free from the stones and lunged towards the gargoyle, slamming into his chest and hurling the both of them into another wall. Maud's strength was so great that the pair didn't just stop at the wall, but instead went clean through it. The pair began to fall into the void below the room, with the mare still slugging Crusher in his face.

"Haw! Think yerself something special?!" he said before laughing at her efforts to hurt him. He then grabbed hold of her head with both hands and drove his own stone skull into hers, snapping her head back. Yet Maud slowly brought her head back to gaze at the gargoyle, a stream of blood slowly pouring down a cut in her head. "Wait a moment, ah think ah recognize ya."

Crusher then let his wings spread before flapping with all of his might, ascending back out of the void and to one of the turrets of the prison. He snatched Maud off of his head and hurled her down onto the turret, where she cracked the stone with her hooves upon landing.

"That's it. Yer one of that pink ponies sisters!" he said when he recognized Maud, whose face remained unchanged despite the red dripping from her injury. "Haw, I remember when boss captured yer sister and her friends. Did ya know that yer sister tried to remain happy even after watching what the boss did to the others? She was a stubborn one, ah'll tell ya that."

Maud's face remained exactly the same as it had, but the stones near her hooves were crushed into pebbles as she twitched. Crusher failed to notice the action and continue to speak. "And her last words were, how she was sorry about how sad you would all be, with her gone. Not too bright that one, but ah guess that's what happens when ya stuff yer empty head with-"

Maud turned away with no change on her face, yet Crusher never noticed as a sudden force of power blasted him apart into pebbles. The rest of the castle's turret was obliterated as well, while the rest of the prison shook from the force that had crushed Crusher. Maud descended what was left of the stairs and worked her way back to where Applebloom and Scootaloo were, finding them in the room Crusher had been occupying.

"How is it going?" she asked the pair, who turned to face her as she entered. Their eyes glanced at the injury upon her head, but when Maud said nothing about it they decided not to either.

"Going well, actually. We've managed to mine a few of their data crystals and are actually making copies of their maps, which will tell us where most of the forces are located," Scootaloo explained as Applebloom got back to work before a smile crossed the orange mare's face. "So, I take it by the fact that you're back, it means that you actually managed to beat Crusher?"

"He said some things that irritated me," Maud blankly replied, but Scootaloo never saw her eye twitch once.

"Can you believe it, Bloom? Crusher, the gargoyle that had killed or captured so many of our allies...gone," Scootaloo said with amazement before Bloom turned around with a smile on her face as well.

"Well then, ah have some news that yer going to enjoy as well. See these disks?" she asked as she held up a blue and red crystal. "These have locations of where potential threats have been located. Seems the gargoyles here were trying to make a list of all of them before they went to wipe them out. But now we know exactly where all their most dangerous foes are located."

"That...is...awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed before wrapping a hoof around Bloom's shoulder and laughing aloud. "Take that, Sombra and Tirek! Our army gets stronger by the day while yours continues to suck! Pretty soon we won't need the Captain to fight our battles, will we?"

"As if we haven't been doing all of the heavy lifting ourselves," Applebloom teased back with a wink at Scootaloo as she finished writing down the maps. "Ah mean, we created the Crusaders, we fought against the forces of evil fer years and we're the ones that helped him. Ah think it's high time we got some recognition."

"But you know how it goes. Only the heroes get the glory while the rest of us have to settle for just being alive," Scootaloo said with a shrug of her shoulders before her smile returned and she glanced back at Maud, but the smile fell when she saw that Maud's eyes were slightly narrowed. "Maud, we're just joking. Why do you look like that?"

"Pinkie's letters...back when she sent them to me, she told me about you three--you, her and Belle," Maud said to the mares in her same bland tone. "But ever since I've gotten here, I've rarely seen the three of you together. The only time Belle speaks to you is when there's danger, but other than that she's on her own and the two of you don't leave the other's company. What happened?"

Applebloom and Scootaloo shared a look before the former decided to answer. "Ever since the fall of Equestria, Belle has been just as distant from us as she has everypony else. We try not to pry or be upset by her attitude. We know she lost a lot that day."

"Doesn't mean she can't be a colossal jerk though," Scootaloo added, getting Bloom to nod in agreement. "We figured that if we gave her time, then maybe she would...stabilize. But it doesn't seem like she's going to ever heal. So we...drifted apart. Speaking of her, we got what we came for. Let's head to the rendezvous."

Maud's eyes narrowed slightly while the two raced past her, thinking to herself about the letters Pinkie had sent her. She then glanced at the mares while recalling what she had just been informed, narrowing her eyes further as she came to a decision.

===3===

White flashes of magic shone as the Crusade appeared before a gargantuan tree that they called home, each of the members talking excitedly with each other as they headed inside. Applebloom and Scootaloo were lost in conversation with each other as they headed inside, yet when Belle tried to walk away a strong hoof rested upon her shoulder and held her in place.

"Hey," Maud said to her, getting a snarl from the mare as she tried to escape. Maud's grip held like iron and with a sigh Belle turned to face Maud, knowing that she wasn't leaving until Maud had spoken. "Scootaloo and Applebloom told me that the three of you aren't as close as you used to be. Why?"

"Ugh, that's what you're worried about? Let me go, I have other things to think about," Belle demanded, but Maud's grip tightened and Belle was rooted in place as pain coursed through her shoulder. "Alright, I'll talk. Jeez, your hooves could probably crack diamonds."

"They can."

"You want to know why we drifted apart? Because friendship is bull. Harmony is weak. The Five Dark Gods showed us that only through planning and skill can you hope to fight back against your foes," Belle said with a snarl, yet Maud's face remained unchanged. "So I don't distract myself with friendship and love like those two do. I do it so we can have a tomorrow to look forward to." Belle then turned on her heels and headed towards the base, but a sigh from Maud made her stop.

"I know you lost your sister. I also lost mine. And every day I regret that I was not there for her when she needed me," Maud admitted to Belle with a single tear streaking down her face. "We've both lost so much. So don't lose your friends as well. Even though it may seem like weakness to you, your friends will be there after all your plans and skills have failed. That is one of the last things Pinkie taught me. Cherish your friends...because we might not have them tomorrow."

Maud then walked over to Belle and pulled her into a quick hug before heading back inside, with her stone-like face returned to normal once more. Belle watched her go with both uncertainty and guilt clawing at her heart while Maud's words wracked her brain. The mare then shook her head and followed after the others, deciding that she would worry about it later.

We All Fall Down

Tiles shook beneath the hooves of Tirek as he stomped through the streets of Canterlot, swiveling his head from side to side. His eyes glared at his subjects while he passed by, daring one of them to look into his eyes. Yet to his frustration, all hung their heads as he passed by and refused him the chance to vent his anger. Even though the ponies refused to even dare a glance at Tirek, Tirek was still able to see some sets of eyes as they stared at the ground. And they were not the eyes of beaten subjects, like they once were.

'All because Captain America has given them hope,' Tirek burned, his thoughts like a volcano that had finally had enough and was ready to blow. 'All the work we did to keep them subjugated and keep the thought of rebellion out of their heads is ruined, all because of that damned hero!'

He was so deep in his hatred for the Captain that he barely registered that something had tapped him on the backhoof. Slowly, and with as much menace as he could muster, Tirek gradually turned to gaze upon the fool that would dare to touch him. Yet it was not a rebel that had struck the mighty centaur, nor was it a hero. It was a foal. A foal holding a trash lid painted with red, white and a star in the center.

"You...dare?" he asked the small foal with smoke billowing from his nostrils, bringing his face down so that his eyes were able to fully glare into the foal's eyes. To any other being, this glare would have been met with panic and begging for one's life. Yet with every eye upon the pair of them, the small foal smacked Tirek dead on the nose with his trash lid.

Tirek could barely hear the ponies' gasp over the whistling that was screaming in his ears due to his fury. 'I could crush this foal without so much as a thought,' Tirek realized as his front hoof began to lift slowly, preparing to carry out the brain's order. Tirek then forced the hoof back down, the wiser part of his mind telling him that was a bad move. 'Yes...crushing a child will make the ponies turn against me even more so than they have. Let the child play hero. For when the Captain his dead, this foal's pain will be all the sweeter.'

Ignoring the glances of disbelief at Tirek's self control, the titan turned and marched towards his castle. He always found comfort and peace in the darkened hues of what had once been a monument to the ponies' foolishness. Now the dark walls clashed against the bright sky like a demon waging war against the light, refusing to give in despite being surrounded.

'Yet this light is a fleeting one, and after it burns out our darkness will be all that's left,' Tirek comforted himself. Grasping hold of the handles, he tore the doors into the castle off of their hinges to announce his return. Dozens of butlers and maids shot into the room at the call of the master, bowing down to him as he marched by with a blaze of rage. "Is that infernal Sombra here yet? For if he makes me wait again, I swear I will burn down all of Canterlot."

"He arrived ten minutes ago," one of the butlers informed Tirek, who wore confusion on his face as he glanced down at the pony. "I had the same expression myself when he showed up early. It seems from his expression that he has something very important to tell you. He is, as always, in your chair in the main room."

Tirek stomped past the butler and kicked open to door to his throne room with a single blow, eyes narrowing as he spied the king of darkness sitting in his chair. Sombra wore a languid smile that drew forth the bubbling fury from within Tirek, yet with another effort of self control Tirek managed to drive down the lava once more.

"Sombra. You're early," Tirek growled to his ally, who raised a glass of wine in response to Tirek's words before pounding down the drink. "I do not know whether to be grateful or afraid for the news that you have brought for me. And you have better brought me news."

"Indeed I have. And you'll hate all of it," Sombra previewed with a smile. Groaning in anticipation, Tirek sat down in the chair closest to his and dropped his chin onto his hands. "First is, that Captain America and his band of misfits have driven out our forces in Manehatten. The city is theirs."

"By the creator," Tirek replied with steam pouring from his nostrils, the magma making a second attempt to break free of Tirek's control.

"Oh, don't blow your lid yet. Please wait until I'm finished," Sombra asked with a chuckle that bubbled the magma even further. "Also, our superweapon has been derailed. Yep, they dropped the train off a cliff and stopped that potential for death and destruction from happening." Tirek could feel the magma pounding at his mental dam, wanting to be let loose and destroy everything in its path.

"And finally, you have a bit of paint on your nose from where that foal struck you. Looks like you're wearing the Captain's shield." Volcanoes would have been envious of the explosion that erupted from Tirek. The centaur screamed with fury that could not be matched as he unleashed a torrent of magic from his horn that decimated the wall that had been facing him.

"This cannot be! Captain America has freed cities, defeated our forces left and right, and has somehow managed to avoid our detection despite having no magic whatsoever!" the centaur billowed as the rage poured forth from him. Sombra simply raised an eyebrow in response to the beast's rage before shaking his head and taking another sip. "How can this be?!"

"Because they have a unicorn on their team that is almost as good with magic as Twilight was, minus the whole alicorn thing," Sombra informed the centaur, who managed to ebb the flow of wrath long enough to hear the king's words. "She's been the one teleporting them, protecting them from our spells and managing to hide their base. But funny thing about a magic like hers, is that if used too much it becomes very easy to...follow."

Slowly, a smile began to spread across the centaur's face as the weight of Sombra's words sealed up the volcano within once more. Sombra smiled at Tirek in response, but the smile that Sombra wore was far beyond menacing. Sombra allowed his horn to glow and a portal to darkness was torn in the wall beside them, revealing dozens of gargoyles within.

"So what do you say we see where this trail leads?"

/ \
//A\
/// \\

Silence had always helped the Captain relax. As far back into his life as he could remember, he always found that he was at peace when there was nothing going on. But in the modern day world, there was almost no such thing as quiet. Technology had a death grip on the modern world and while the Captain could see the good it gave, he missed the days when a simple breeze rustling through the trees would be the only sound one could hear.

'But this world...doesn't have any of that. They barely have radio,' Rogers appreciated. He lay against a tree that had been kind enough to use its branches to shield him from the sun, keeping the temperature perfect for him as a breeze held his hair in its fingers. 'Which means that I can relax like I used to. Before the war...before the Captain.'

A tilt of his head to the left brought a tree that towered over all the others into his field of vision, a tree that was filled with pink petals that swayed in the breeze as the wind made them dance in the air. Yet beneath the beauty of nature, Rogers knew there were hundreds of ponies below. Ponies whose world had been stolen from them. Ponies who had been so desperate for help that they had sent out a message across dimensions to reach him.

'But I'm still not sure if I'm the Avenger they needed,' Rogers pondered as he shifted his weight, sitting up with his own strength instead of relying on the tree to support him. 'Tony would be better at adapting to his foe's technology, while Thor would have ended this war long ago. Of course, they might have gotten the Hulk and then everything would have been destroyed. I just hope that I can protect them. Because while this shield of mine is strong, some things are just beyond-'

The call to action assaulted Rogers ears as an explosion of earth-shaking magnitude snapped the Captain to reality. Rogers snapped his head towards the tree to find that the pink leaves and branches were now ignited with a black fire that hungrily consumed every inch of the tree. Rogers was on his feet the moment he had seen the smoke, his hand already grabbing the edge of the shield that was still resting against the tree.

'They've found us.' That thought fueled the Captain's muscles, forcing him to race faster than he normally would as he vaulted, rolled and navigated the forest back to the base. His fears were brought to light when he spied gargoyles tearing apart the secret entrance to the tree, forcing him to take action.

His shield sailed through the air from a well-aimed throw and caught a gargoyle in the back of the head, slamming the skull into the trunk of the tree from the force of the blow. With demonic energy pouring from their eyes the other gargoyles spun around to face their attacker, who had just caught his shield before he began to analyze what he was up against.

'Seems to be a new model,' Rogers noted as the two gargoyles belched black mist towards him. Rogers rolled out of the way and cast a glance sideways, noting how the mist turned the grass to death within seconds of being touched. 'Can't let the mist hit me. Even trying to deflect with my shield is too risky. How to do this?'

Captain America crouched down low as the two gargoyles stalked their prey, each moving to a different side of him in order to make him split his focus. Faster than their eyes could react, Captain America hurled his shield at the one to his left before charging the one on the right. He heard the shield strike home just as the gargoyle he was facing took in a deep breath, telling him it was time to act.

America dropped to the ground and slid beneath the gargoyle's legs, just in time to evade the blast of mist that suddenly found no target directly before it. With nothing else to hit, the gargoyle's mist shot ahead towards its brethren, who was still stunned from the shield's blow.

"Friendly fire. Happens in every war," Rogers said with a shake of his head when the mist began to melt the stone monster. The second one turned to exact its vengeance upon the Captain, but the return trip of the shield caught it in the back of its head and put an end to that idea. Rogers snatched the shield out of the air with a spin before sliding the shield back onto his arm. Edge first went the shield into the stone sentinel's face, dropping it without any further resistance. With his foes out of the way, Rogers raced to the secret door and wrapped his fingers around its exposed edge. One strain of effort was enough to tear the door off of its track, granting the Captain access into the burning base.

He shot down the stairs into the main room, where, to his horror, he spied hundreds of ponies being suspended in the air within the confines of spheres of magic. Within some of the spheres he spied ponies such as Scootaloo, Applebloom and Lightning Dust, all of whom looked badly beaten and injured. Yet the horror in his eyes turned to caution, for across the burning floor and the ruined chamber next to a pit stood two beings that he did not need to know in order to be wary. One was a centaur that was nearly too big for the room, while the other was a unicorn that wore a look the Captain had only seen on the likes of Loki.

"So, the Captain finally decides to reveal himself," the large centaur, who the Captain figured was Tirek from what he had heard, said with a booming voice. At the mention of their hero, everypony that was confined with the spheres turned with looks of hope towards the Captain. "Now that you are here, everypony can finally watch as you die." Rogers braced himself for the battle of his life as Tirek took a step towards him, but Sombra held out a hoof to stop the titan in his tracks before shaking his head.

"Don't be foolish, Tirek. Captain America has the home field advantage. Who knows what traps he might have here, just waiting to spring on us?" Sombra asked his partner, whose eyes narrowed with understanding as he retracted his leg. "We have what we came for. The Crusade fell to us in matter of minutes. We have ensnared them all with barely any effort. And they had to watch as I struck down their strongest amongst them with ease."

"But we could end him here!" Tirek argued.

"Perhaps. But I do not like to take chances. Besides, even if we burn him to ash here, the ponies of this world will not believe that he is dead. They are stubborn like that. So when we kill him, it will have to be in front of everypony, so that none can deny how their hero fell to us," Sombra replied in the tone of a pony that had calculated everything. "So that is what you must do Captain. If you want to save the lives of all these trapped ponies who believed in you, the you will come to Canterlot. Where you will die. And then the world will finally see that our rule is absolute."

"What's the matter? Afraid that the two of you are no match for me alone?" Rogers asked the both of them, but annoyance flashed in the Captain's eyes when Sombra merely chuckled with a shake of his head.

"None of that Captain. The only way you will save all of these ponies is if you come to Canterlot and take them by force," Sombra promised the Captain before a grin spread across his face, each tooth filled with the same venom and guile that the pony himself wore. "That is...if you survive."

Rogers didn't even have time to glance around him before the dozens of gargoyles that were clinging to the ceiling above all detonated at once. The detonation of the stone sentinels ruptured the core integrity of the tree, causing chunks of smoldering wood and iron support that the ponies had added to crash down upon both parties. Through the rubble and smoke, Rogers managed to make out the cackling face of Sombra as he vanished in a flash of light. Rogers wanted to chase after them, but with the base coming down around them he had no choice but to duck under his shield and brace himself as the last symbol of freedom in Equestria was buried beneath the weight of its base.

/ \
//A\
/// \\

Pain. That was all the Captain felt when consciousness returned to him. And he was glad that he felt pain. Pain meant that he was alive, meant that there was still a chance. But as he wearily opened his eyes and glanced around to find himself buried beneath tons of rubble. He shifted slightly and felt the edge of his oldest friend pressing into his back, holding up the parts of the structure that would have crushed him had the shield not intervened.

'Got to get out. Got to get to Canterlot.' Those were the only two thoughts that Rogers allowed himself to think as he began to strain against the seemingly endless weight that pressed against him. But he had traded blows with the Iron Man armor, withstood impacts from Thor's hammer, and survived battles with the Hulk. Being crushed to death was child's play to the Captain. So after a full minute of straining against the rubble, he felt it shift to the side and provide an exit.

Rogers crawled through the small hole that he had made to escape, gritting his teeth as the reminder that he was alive coursed through his body. With one last grunt he fully freed himself from the rubble that had sought to bury him, bit the freedom did not bring him any joy as he glanced around the chamber.

What had once been a room filled with lights and plants was now ash and death, with the support trunk that had held up most of the base now cracked in half and devoid of life. Rogers shook his head at the loss before forcing himself up, glancing around for any exit that might have survived.

Yet even as Rogers kept his eyes open for an exit, it was his ears that picked up on where he would go next. Just as he was climbing over a pile of rubble he heard the faint sounds of coughing, a weak cough that he had heard many times from those who were close to death. Following his ears, the Captain pushed through pile after pile of what had once been a base constructed in the hopes of freedom, eventually leading him to the pit by which Tirek and Sombra had once stood.

"Is someone down there?" the Captain called down, yet before the someone could answer back the Captain's eyes widened with shock at what he saw. Halfway down the pit lay a mare in a small alcove, which had probably saved her life. The mare was covered in blood and barely seemed conscious, yet Rogers didn't look at the blood or the injuries. Where he did look was at the mare's head, and the cracked stump where her horn had once been.

"Dear God, Belle...what happened to you?"

Teachings

"Belle? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" Rogers called down to the mare. Belle gave no reaction to his words, but he could see from the faint rise and fall of her chest that she was at least alive. Rogers found he couldn't tear his eyes away from the cracked and blackened stump where her horn had once been, but he finally broke free when the shattered tree interior groaned in a tone he didn't like.

"Belle? Can you move? If so, reach out and see if you can grab my hand," Rogers instructed her as he lay on his stomach and held his hand down for the mare. "I think if you stand on your hind legs you might be able to reach. Come on Belle, the whole place is about to come down."

This time his words gained the Captain a reaction from the mare. Belle slowly moved her eyes to glance at the Captain, before she slightly shook her head and lowered it back down onto the wood outcropping once more. She then closed her eyes, refusing to so much as glance at the Captain despite he pleas.

"Belle, for the love of all that is holy, give me your hoof," Rogers asked once more, this time with gritted teeth. The tree support groaned again, getting the Captain to look at the ceiling before glancing at the area around him. Upon spying a vine that was half trapped under some rubble, he grabbed the vine before using a piece of debris to anchor it into the ground.

Holding onto the vine with both hands the Captain then began to rappel down the side of the pit, reaching the outcropping where Belle lay within a matter of moments. "Belle, we need to get our of here! Tirek and Sombra have captured the Crusaders and we're the only ones that can save them!"

"Then go. Save them," she whispered in a pained voice before turning away from the Captain. "Just leave me here."

"I can't do that Belle. I'm getting you out of here," Rogers grunted as he swung towards her, trying to wrap one of his arms around her waist. The moment he touched her she kicked at him with her back legs, breaking his grip. But she didn't have the strength to even stand, so her kicks barely phased the Captain at all.

"Leave me. Let me die," Belle practically begged the Captain, who narrowed his eyes at her words.

"As I said Belle. I can't do that."

"Yes you can. I'd only slow you down," she whispered, her words barely audible over the sounds of the base caving in around them. "I wasn't strong enough to save my friends when Sombra and Tirek attacked, so what makes you think I can help them now?"

"I don't care. You're coming with me." Rogers didn't wait to see if she would argue. Instead he swung over and tucked her under one of his arms. He then focused his full attention onto the climb back up, which taxed him greatly due to the pain that sought to bring his body down. Even though he only had one arm available to him, he managed to pull both himself and the limp mare back onto solid ground. Ground which then cracked under his feet as he stepped on it.

"Time to go," he muttered to himself before sprinting towards the exit. He thanked his good fortune when he found that the way he had entered had not fully collapsed yet, though he did have to shoulder his way past many boulders that sought to block his path. Rogers grunted as he muscled one of the stones out of the way. It then rolled down the stairs behind them, which collapsed under the weight of the rock.

'Glad that wasn't us,' Rogers thought as he sprinted towards the exit, bursting forth out of the base...and into the forest that burned like the fires of hell. Smoke began to swirl around the pair while Rogers took in what was happening, covering his mouth with his arm before glancing around for a way out. Only one clear path revealed itself and that was the way the Captain ran.

'Of course, Tirek and Sombra would destroy an entire ecosystem just to make a point,' Rogers thought with disdain as he raced through ash and fire, pitying the animals that fled from their homes just as he fled from his base. He didn't know for how long he ran, only that he finally decided to stop once the both of them were free of the ash and flames. Rogers let out a sigh while he glanced around to find that he had run the both of them into an open field that was covered entirely in the black ash that he had first discovered on his arrival.

"Perfect place for a break," he sighed with exhaustion as he sat down in the ash, laying the still limp Belle onto the ground next to him. Rogers then slid his mask off of his face before resting his arms on his knees, gazing off into the distance at that inferno that sought to consume everything before its path. For an hour he sat alone in silence, half of him mourning the loss of every life that was trapped within that forest, while the other half of him waited to see if Belle would speak first.

"Belle..." he finally began after his patience had run dry, casting his gaze down onto the mare who had yet to move. "You have to know that none of this is your fault. There was nothing that you could have done to-" A scream of absolute wrath broke Belle's silence, and with tears breaking free of her will she howled at the sky while slamming her hooves into the ash.

"Of course there was nothing I could do! That's how I ended up in that situation in the first place," Belle screamed into the ash as she clamped her teeth together, agony and wrath making her body shake. "Because I was powerless, because I couldn't save the day when others needed me to!...Because I'm nothing more than a pony with a talent that means nothing in the face of the Three."

She then broke into a sob that she tried her best to make silent, yet with eyes that were as somber as the mare Rogers watched as Belle cried silently into the ground. He waited until the sobs had finally gone dry and her body had stopped shaking before he placed a hand on her shoulder, yet she pulled away from his touch almost as if his hand had burned her.

"Belle, those two are two of the most evil and powerful creatures in this land. You were lucky to make it out alive," Rogers tried to comfort her, but his words seemed to wound her far greater than the actual injuries that had been inflicted upon her.

"You don't understand...you know nothing," she seethed back as she closed her eyes and looked away.

"Then please, help me to understand. Help me to see why."

"Ever since that day...ever since Equestria fell and the Ambassadors of Harmony were killed, I have devoted every fiber of my being into being powerful enough, so that when the day came that I needed to fight those that killed the ones I loved, I would succeed," she spat into the ash, talking as much to it as she actually was the Captain. "And then Sombra and Tirek show up in my home, kidnap my friends and destroy the place. It was finally my chance. My chance to avenge my world. The chance to kill the villains that had taken everything from me...the chance to prove that I had what it took to be a hero like my sister..."

"And I was crushed. Sombra dealt with me no differently than a master deals with a rookie. And once I had been completely decimated he snapped my horn off of my head and tossed me down into that pit, just to show that he could," Belle revealed, tears breaking free from her control once more as they tumbled down her face. "Its was only because of that broken piece of bark that I survived. But there was nothing I could do. Everything that I had spent my life training for...and it all amounted to nothing."

Rogers found his lips had been shut after hearing Belle's eruption, not sure what he could say to her that would be of any comfort. So once again he rose up and walked over to the mare, sitting down beside her while he placed a hand upon her shoulder once more. This time Belle didn't leap away. She didn't give any reaction whatsoever.

"You should have let me die back there--die being crushed in the very place that I had failed to protect," Belle told the Captain, who continued to look at her with both pain and pity. "Because even though you saved my life, it didn't change anything. My magic is gone. My friends are captured...and I am just as useless now as I was when the world died."

Rogers lowered his head while the mare buried her head into her hooves again. Then he slowly raised it once more, having reached a decision that he realized he should have made ages ago. "Belle...I know the pain you're going through. I know how it feels to be powerless as a child. To be unable to defeat those that constantly beat you down. To be powerless in the face of evil."

"No you don't," she spat back. "You're a hero. You've said it yourself, you've saved your world over a dozen different times. You don't how it feels to be powerless, as the world and everyone you loved died around you. You don't know-"

"What it's like to lose my family? Belle, my mother died of disease before my very eyes when I was a kid. To watch the world be destroyed around me? One of the most evil men of human history nearly wiped out the world when I was no more than twenty. I've been in the situation you're in right now so many times. Beat down to practically nothing while a mad tyrant holds the world in his hands, while placing his boot on your chest." Then Rogers turned Belle so she was looking into his eyes. "But when you are at your lowest is when you must fight the hardest. That's when you always get up. That's something my mother taught me that I never forgot."

"So I know things look bad now, and I know that we've been beaten down as far as we believe we can go. But it's time to get back up. to keep on fighting," Rogers told her as he began to walk off towards where he believed Ponyville to be. "Because there are lives out there that need to be saved. And if I know anything about the heroes that you once adored...including your sister...it's that they would have kept fighting, no matter the odds. That they would do anything to keep you all safe...as will I."

"Rarity. My sister's name was Rarity." Rogers brought all thoughts of heading out to a halt as he turned to look back at Belle, who had slowly gotten up to her hooves. "And she was the Ambassador that had been at the Crystal Empire the day the world fell. She was the one who wasn't there when the world had needed Harmony," Belle revealed in a near whisper. "She was the only member of Harmony that we knew had been killed. Because Sombra showed the whole world the day he took the Empire. He killed my sister."

"And I know my friends told you what happened on that day, but they didn't tell you everything that happened with us. Because when the Ambassadors were at their lowest and all seemed lost...I tried to take my sister's place. I tried to be the element that they were missing. I thought I could...be the hero she was." Belle then looked away from the Captain with both tears and disgust in her eyes, unable to bring herself to face him. "It didn't work. And because of my desire to be the hero my sister was, Twilight was captured saving me instead of stopping Tirek. Everything that happened...is because of me."

"And that's...the reason I hated you so much. Because you were what I failed to be. A hero. The pony...when everything is at its worst and the world is on the brink of being destroyed...you prevail. That's why I hated you. Because you are what we needed. I'm just the mare that failed all she cared about." Belle hung her head in shame once more, expecting the Captain to be disgusted with her or simply walk away. What she was not expecting was for him to gently place his arms around her and pull her into a hug.

"Belle...I wasn't always like this. Powerful. Strong. At one time I was one of the weakest men on the planet, probably weaker than the average pony," Rogers revealed to Belle, who lifted her eyes to look at the Captain. "But I continued to try and fight against the evil that threatened my world, even when everyone else said that I couldn't."

"But then a man came to me--one of the most noble and kind men that had ever lived. And he said that he wanted me to be the subject in a test of his, to make the ultimate soldier. The process could very well have killed me; that could have ended my life before I had the chance to change the world. But I took it anyway. And do you know why?" he asked her, waiting until she shook her head before he continued. "Because he needed me. Because I was the only one who had the heart needed, to be what he wanted."

"I'm telling you this so you know that it's not the strength of the man nor his destiny that makes him a hero. It's his heart. When he chooses to fight against evil only to be beaten down time and time again, just to get back up. And I see that in all the Crusaders. And in you. The rest of the world gave into the Three or joined them. You refused. Your friends were captured by Sombra and Tirek. You chose to fight. That shows me that you have the potential to be the hero you want to be."

"Hero? Cap, I-"

"And you haven't failed yet. Are you're friends still alive? Is the Crusade dead? Has the world been destroyed?" Rogers asked her, waiting until she had slowly shaken her head at each answer before speaking once more. "Then this fight isn't over. And that means you're not done yet. Those ponies need a hero to save them, but honestly I don't think I can do it alone. Will you help me?"

"But...without my magic...?"

"I'm still a hero even without my shield. Thor is still a hero even without his hammer. It is not the tools that made us who were are, but the fact that we fight even in the face of overwhelming odds. Your magic was a tool, Belle. But the ponies don't need the magic, they need you." A smile then spread across the Captain's face that Belle did not know that he could make. "And Tirek and Sombra made a mistake in leaving you alive. Because a hero only stops when he's dead. And even if he's killed, he walks it off."

"So, I ask you once more. Are you going to lay there, finally defeated by the evil that took your land? Or are you going to do what your sister would have done? Will you stand up?" Rogers then turned to walk away, but a small giggle from Belle caused him to turn back around.

"You're going the wrong way. Canterlot is this way," Belle informed him with a smirk that made a smile break out on the Captain's face. "I swear, what kind of hero doesn't know where he's going?"

"That's why there's two of us. So that we can back each other up when one makes a mistake," Rogers replied before he began to race off in the direction where Belle had pointed him. Belle mustered what strength she could to chase after the Captain, who slowed enough so that she could keep up with him. "Now come on Belle, we have a world to go save."

"Sweetie Belle," Belle said from beside the Captain as the pair ran. "That's my full name. Sweetie Belle."

"Alright then, Sweetie Belle, listen and listen good. Because I've been formulating a couple plans that I may put into play when we reach Canterlot," Rogers informed her as he reached up and slipped the mask back over his face. "But the most important part of them is what happens when we reach Tirek. Because when we do..."

"I will be the one to face him."

Impossible Odds

Drops dripped from the "A" that the Captain wore proudly on his head as he took his first steps into the city of Canterlot. The clouds had chosen that moment to unleash their drizzle upon the Captain, but his eyes pierced through the rain to see the city that had suffered from the tyranny of Tirek. Every building wore his face upon it, and dozens of statues littered the streets.

'But today it all comes to an end,' Rogers promised as he turned his eyes towards the solemn sky, asking silently for strength from above before he snapped his head back down and sprinted into the streets. He was grateful for the rain, since the rain acted like a second mask. It masked his scent, it masked his presence, and it masked his suit.

''Roadblock. Ten of them at most. All armed,' Captain America calculated as he reached back and took up his shield once more. The second that the enemy forces came into view the Captain was already hurling his shield into one of them. He heard the satisfying sound of vibranium striking bone and saw the outline of the shield slice through the rain on its arc.

"It's the Captain! Take him-" A boot to the head silenced the guard before he could get the rest of his statement out. Captain America then spun on his heel and drove his leg into the stomach of a second guard. He caught movement to his side and ducked to avoid a bolt of magic. Giving his foe no time to launch a counter-attack, America lunged at the armored horse and slammed a fist in-between his eyes.

Rogers then spun into the air and stuck out a leg, catching the edge of his shield and hurling it back into the crowd of guards with renewed force. The shield snapped one guard's head to the side before it hurtled into another that caught it in the gut. While the shield was dealing with the ponies out of his reach, Rogers wrapped his legs around the neck of the closest guard to him. With a twist of his midsection the Captain sent the stallion tumbling head over hooves into the street.

The remaining three shouted to each other as they began to fire at where the Captain had been standing, but another advantage of the rain was that it made the Captain hard to find and even harder to hit. A low sweep knocked one of the guards off of his hooves, and an axe kick to the back of the head kept him down. The second guard closest to the Captain also got a good look at the bottom of the Captain's boot, but the exposure caused him to collapse with a small groan.

The Captain then rose to his full height while the rain drops weaved down his suit, not turning his head towards the final guard when the pony took aim at him with a crossbow. Right before the pony could fire, Rogers heard the sound of vibranium meeting armor and held out his hand to catch the shield as the pony went down.

"Area secured. Moving up," Rogers briefly spoke into his own radio before racing ahead. Despite the rain and the focus on his mission, Rogers couldn't help but wonder what the city had been like before the fall of Harmony...before the deaths of the Ambassadors.

For despite Tirek doing everything in his power to stamp out the old ways, Rogers was still able to tell where areas had once been places of joy. As he crossed through a large square, his eyes chose to soften when he spied what remained of hopscotch marks. To his left there was an old comedy club that had fallen into ruin, with a sign next to it that was barely legible. What Rogers could make out though, told him that it was once a place of laughter.

'He'll pay for all of it. All the lives that he ruined. All the lives that he took. All the lives that never got to live.' Yet despite the rage and the desire to get to Tirek as fast as he could, Rogers was still unnervingly aware of the fact that the streets were devoid of the guards that should have been trying to kill him. 'There's no way that Tirek would only send ten guards to kill me. He's arrogant, but not a total idiot. Either someone else managed to deal with them, and I can't imagine who, or this is the clearest trap I've ever seen.'

Rogers then sprinted up a tiled slope to the entrance to the Castle of Midnight that had once belonged to the biggest protectors of freedom and harmony that had ever lived. Yet despite the Harmony having been long dead within the castle walls, Rogers raised an eyebrow to see that the castle gates were open welcomingly for the Captain. Two guards on either side of the gates motioned for the Captain to follow them into the castle.

'Looks like it's the trap then,' Rogers concluded after he knocked out the two guards for good measure. He took his first step onto the castle grounds and immediately felt a wave of magic wash over him. He had to raise his shield in the face of such pressure just to advance forward. 'Trying to intimidate me with a show of strength, Tirek? I've fought the Hulk. Your show of strength is just hot air.'

The magical assault eventually ended, leaving the Captain free to lower his shield while he walked past a pair of open doors. His eyes were narrowed and his shield was up as he stalked through the corridors that were devoid of any life, ready for the first sign of a trap or ambush. Yet there was only the emptiness, the emptiness and the few portraits that Tirek had bothered to keep hanging.

While Rogers did wish to reach Tirek as fast as he could, he couldn't help but stop to look at a portrait that somehow was older than him, according to the date at the bottom. It was of an alicorn with a massive, white beard and crimson wings while a pitch black alicorn with hair as silver as the moon sat beside him. At their hooves played two fillies, one who was the same snow color as her father and the other who was more of a midnight blue.

'So you two were Celestia and Luna,' Rogers deduced while he gazed at the two foals, before looking up at their parents. Both of whom had the word "FAILURE" painted over them. 'And that was your family. I'm so sorry that all of this happened. But rest easy. For today, your home and city will be avenged.'

"Hurry, Captain America!" a voice that could only be equated to cannon fire, roared through the hallways that only held memories. "I know that you are out there! I grow tired of waiting for you to face your end! Find me in the party room! For tonight there will be a party that Equestria shall never forget...no matter how much it will wish to!"

Rogers followed the sound of the booming voice down hallways and across bridges, finally reaching a massive pair of doors as black as the master of the castle's heart. Rogers reached up with his hand and gently pushed against the doors, which were then ripped from their hinges by the massive centaur that had been waiting on the other side.

"Finally!" Tirek barked as he reached down and crushed the Captain within his grasp. Rogers snarled in pain before chucking his shield into the titan's eye. Tirek howled with pain as he released his grip, allowing Rogers to fall to the floor and reclaim his shield while he sprinted to the other side of the room.

But as Rogers took a chance to glance at the room around him, he nearly dropped his shield as the realization of where he was came crashing down on him. Held aloft in cages that swung from the ceiling, almost like a collection of trophies for a monster, hung the ponies of the Crusade. Every single one of them looked drained of their wills, for the eyes he gazed into were devoid of even the spark of hope, even at the sight of him.

"So you will not let me kill you and be done with it? Good. I have been looking forward to this ever since you destroyed the Starfall," Tirek said delightedly as a smile crossed his face, a smile that took pleasure in what was to come. "And I see that you have already seen what has become of your allies. Do not worry Captain, for you will not be joining them. The fate I have in store for you is more...permanent."

"You monster...what did you do to them?!" Rogers demanded from the beast, who once more let a knowing smile spread across his lips.

"Why, I stole their magic. And their power. And their will to fight," Tirek gleamed before pointing a finger behind the Captain. Rogers made sure his shield was directly in front of him before daring to take his eyes off of his foe, slightly turning his head to see what Tirek wished for him to see. In the center of the room, towering over everything else, stood a machine that seemed to suck in the very magic around them. "And that is what I plan to do to the rest of the world, after I am done with you."

"See, that is what I would have normally done had Sombra not suggested otherwise. It was at his insistence that I did not syphon the magic out of every pony the moment we came into power. Something about keeping some leftover, just in case, showing that we could be merciful. I did not care." Tirek then began to take steps towards the Captain, steps that made the castle shake as if it was afraid of what was to come. "But now the time for restraint is over. For now that I have the Crusade, I have no more reason to hold back my desire. For once you are dead, no other force in this land will be able to oppose me...and I shall finally be an all powerful god!"

Tirek threw his head back and began to unleash a bellow of laughter that made the ponies within their cages shake with terror. That was until a vibranium shield smacked him right in the throat. "Getting a little ahead of yourself there, aren't you?" Rogers asked the centaur as the creature gagged while holding a hand to his throat. Rogers lifted his hand and snatched his shield from the air. "Because this whole plan of yours requires you killing me. And last I checked, I'm still alive."

"For now, Captain. And that's only because I wish for you to be." A vortex of black magic then began to swirl between the monster's horns, which he then unleashed into the wall next to the Captain. Rogers braced behind his shield in case it was an attack, but instead of attacking the Captain the vortex instead showed a city with thousands of ponies within. Tirek repeated the process five more times, with each of his vortexes showing towns or cities within them.

"Because just killing you won't be enough. No, if I do that then there is the chance these fools will make a martyr out of you...remember you as a hero they believed you to be, not the soon to be six feet under failure that you actually are," Tirek informed the Captain before he then held his arms out to take in all of the vortexes. "So that is why our fight will have an audience! So the world sees what it means to cross Lord Tirek! Now face me, Captain, face me while millions watch their hero's final moments."

"You just don't get it Tirek," Rogers finally said after looking around at all of the vortexes, before casting a quick glance at the ceiling to see a white mare slipping in through one of the small windows above. "None of you villains do. You think that this revolution, this desire to get rid of you, is all because of me; that whether or not your rule is absolute depends on whether I live or die. But what you fail to grasp is that I'm only a man, a well-trained man who has dealt with hundreds of beings like you."

"But the cold truth, Tirek, is that as long as evil like you is in power; as long as injustice and cruelty reign over this land, there will always be those who will oppose you. Even if you manage to kill me, you will never know peace...never know absolute tyranny. Because Liberty's Bell will never be silenced," Rogers promised as he began to walk towards Tirek, who narrowed his eyes with deadly intent while his horns began to glow. "Because these ponies wish to be free. And so long as the desire to be free burns within the hearts of those you oppress, then the fight for justice will never-"

Tirek, who had had enough of the Captain's speech, screamed with fury as he unleashed all of his ungodly power into the Captain. A black beam of magical might that crackled with the power of the alicorns and all the ponies in the land obliterated the area where the Captain had been standing, before turning the back wall of the room to dust as it continued its destruction. The beam finally came to a stop when in struck the top of the mountain upon which Canterlot had been created, blasting the hundreds of tons of stone to nothing in one, giant explosion.

All that was left after the beam of darkness had died was silence, and the smoke that had been generated by the attack that could fell gods. As Tirek slowly raised his head, he took a moment to gaze around at not only the faces in the portals, but also the faces of the Crusade that had been there live, to witness the death of their hero. And a smile filled with victory spread across his lips as he spied the same emotion in the ponies before him as he did the ones in the portal--absolute despair.

"Do you fools finally see?" he asked all of the ponies--both there and across the nation--his laughter filling up the room as the broken souls around him looked at the smoke where their greatest hero had been standing a moment before. "This is what happens when you choose to fight against an absolute power such as myself! Captain America, the first hero that was able to harm us, is now dead, and all it took me was a single blast! Now you see my true power! Now you see what I could do to any of you if I so wished it! Now you see that my rule is-"

"As I was saying." Only the dead were quieter than every being in the room and across the land. Every eye that watched, be it pony, centaur or anything else, turned to look at the smoke where the voice that was supposed to be dead had spoken. Yet as the smoke began to clear, the faintest outline of something still standing amongst the ruins could be seen. The smoke decided to end the charade and faded a little more, revealing a single, white star.

"It...cannot be," Tirek whispered in a voice that only the dead could have heard while the smoke cleared away further, revealing the form of the Captain still standing tall while braced behind his shield. "That...that kind of power could have killed Celestia and Luna with a single blow. It could have destroyed the moon! How...?" Nopony knew what to say as the Captain slowly raised his head out from behind his shield, the fires of freedom still burning bright in his heart as he took up a fighting stance.

"You are powerful, Tirek. That attack told me that much," Captain America stated as he began to walk towards the centaur, revealing that the area that had been behind the Captain was as undamaged as he was. "You are definitely more powerful than me, that much is also clear. In fact, I don't know if I can win this fight. But I know I'm going to try."

"Nothing could have withstood that attack. That attack was filled with the magic of the strongest beings in this land, as well as millions of ponies...how are you alive...WHAT ARE YOU?!" Tirek demanded, his shouts shaking the very castle once more. Yet all the Captain did in response was smile at the titan, which seemed to anger him far more than any of his words.

"What am I, Tirek? I am nothing but a man. A man that was called upon to save the lives of those who are in danger," Captain America replied before his eyes steeled and he pointed his shield at the centaur. And with everypony across Equestria watching, the Captain then said his oath that would be remembered by all who heard it. "But I am also the only one that these ponies can depend on; the only one who stands between you and their lives. So as God is my witness, I promise you now that if you want these ponies and their magic...then you better make damned sure to kill me. Or else I won't stop fighting until all are free."

Rogers then let loose a cry that shook all who watched to their cores as he lunged towards Tirek, who had recovered enough of his nerve to bellow in reply before galloping towards the Captain with both fists raised high. He slammed the fists down as the Captain leapt up to meet him, beginning the battle that would decide the fate of the Crusade...and all the world.

Igniting the Fire

Magic infused knuckles rang aloud as they slammed into the vibranium disc, generating a shockwave that blew out the windows so that the sky itself would have a view to the match. Rogers clamped his jaw shut while he dug his heels in to fight against the force that drove him back, sliding across the marble floor while struggling to gain a foothold. Rogers quickly braced himself for the second assault while Tirek shook the pain out of his knuckles.

"Ah...I understand now. I now know the truth. You did not survive my magic. Had it struck you it would have killed you. What has kept you alive all this time...is that shield," Tirek figured once the feeling had returned to his hand. "It is impressive. There is not much in this world that can survive a direct hit from one such as myself. Perhaps once I have killed you I will add it to my collection, since you have no magic for me to take."

"Please. You know what happened to the last of your group that promised to take my shield? They went splat," Captain America informed Tirek before the titan swung a fist that could crack mountains towards the Captain. The super soldier managed to leap out of the way while letting his shield fly at the same time. Rogers landed and rolled up to his feet just in time to hear the sound of vibranium meeting face, along with the roar of pain that generally followed. "But if you ask real nice, I promise I'll let you see the old gal up close a few more times."

"Your attempts to convince me that you are in charge of this battle amuse me, Captain, when it is clear that your shield is all that I have to worry about from you," Tirek muttered before his horns glowed with power once more and blasts that crackled through the air tore at the Captain. Rogers slammed his shoulder into the inside of the shield just as the bolts impacted, digging in as he struggled to not be pushed off his feet.

"Yes, for the shield is what has kept you alive the entire time that you have been here!" Tirek bellowed while he charged the Captain, each hoofstep shaking the mountain city as he closed in on his prey. Rogers quickly realized that he didn't have the time to dodge, so he braced himself once more and prayed that he could take the hit. Tirek drove his twin horns that still held within them magical might into the Captain's shield, and while the force of the blow was not enough to even scratch the surface, it was enough to send the Captain hurtling across the room and into a wall. Brick gave way as the super soldier cracked stone, getting a groan from the Captain while he slid down and collapsed to his knees.

"This contest is a mismatch, Captain. For while your shield may enable you to take my hits or stop my magical assaults...it cannot protect you from my overwhelming power." To cement his point, Tirek swung his fist towards the Captain once more. Yet when the Captain raised his shield to build some defense against the attack, the blow from the back fist ripped the Captain from the ground and sent him crashing into decorations that aligned the bottom of the room.

"I am not like the other fools that you have managed to best in your time here, Captain. Starlight, while a fanatic, was a weak pony that relied on the talents of others. Chrysalis hid behind her soldiers and her shape-shifting tricks. And Ahuizotl...well, his weakness speaks for itself. And all three of them were beings that you were capable of overcoming." Tirek then reached down and grabbed the Captain by his shield, hurling him across the room where he skidded along the floor.

"But me? I am not only a master of all that is magic, I am also physically the strongest being in this land," Tirek bragged while cracking his knuckles one by one, taking his time walking to the Captain as he forced himself back up. "So throw your shield and speak about freedom all you want. You cannot harm me. You can barely even stand in my presence."

Captain America wanted to refute his point, but instead he chose to glance down at the reflection on his shield to see Belle still struggling with the cages above her. 'I can't break the locks,' he saw her mouth in the reflection, making the Captain's eyes narrow as he turned his gaze back up to the approaching Centaur. Then he took his shield in his left hand and took perfect aim before letting the shield fly. Tirek crossed his arms with a snarl, letting the shield bounce off of his muscle and it hurtled up into the rafters.

"Ah, terrible luck, Captain," Tirek taunted when the shield didn't come back down. The centaur turned his gaze to his unarmed foe, who had lifted both fists and made the motion for Tirek to attack.

"Maybe it's bad luck. Or maybe I decided to give you a handicap, since you seem to hate my shield and all." A smirk crossed the face of Tirek when he figured out what the Captain was doing.

'He wishes for me to fight him without my magic. Which would be foolish since without his shield I could crush him with ease," Tirek knew, but then his gaze glanced to the many portals that surrounded the room and the ponies that were watching the battle. 'Yet, if I do use magic when I am physically stronger, then there is a chance that they will see me as a coward. That they will not believe me to have truly crushed the Captain...well, what fun is crushing somepony if you don't do it with your own two hands?'

'Idiot took the bait,' Rogers realized when Tirek cracked his knuckles once more before giving the Captain the same motion that he had just given him. 'Now all that's left to do is stall. Got to make this look good.' Rogers then sprinted at the centaur full speed, eyes narrowed as he watched the titan for the first sign of movement. But to the Captain's surprise, Tirek didn't wind up for a punch, but instead stuck out one of his hooves. Rogers reacted just in time to vault over the limb, but the moment he landed the other hoof came crashing down right next to him.

Rogers grunted with pain as he was sent skidding once more off of the marble, which had been polished to the point that Cap was clearly able to see the hoof about to crush him when he rose to his knees. Captain America rolled to the side just in time to avoid that hoof from crushing him, but flat on his back he was able to see the other hoof descending upon him. With no other options, Rogers reached up with both hands and feet.

"GRAAAAHHHH!" Rogers howled as Tirek unleashed the full force of his girth upon the Captain, whose muscles nearly gave out with agonizing spasms while he pushed against the hoof for all he was worth. Despite being in peak, physical condition and having the super soldier serum running through his veins, Rogers found his vision turning into little black spots as his limbs were slowly forced down.

"Do you see now, ponies of Equestria? Do you finally see?" Tirek laughed as a wicked grin replaced his usual scowl, enjoyment radiating from him as the Captain struggled to push back against his power. "This is what happens to any who dare to oppose me! Who even thinks that just because they have a fancy talent or an unbreakable shield, that they can defeat me! Now watch Equestria," Tirek began with menace as he applied all of his power into his leg. "Watch as the hero you adored dies under my-"

CLANG!

Tirek unleashed a bellow that was filled with both fury and annoyance as a red and white disc caught him in the side of his head. The centaur staggered to the side from the impact, finally relieving the Captain from the pressure. Rogers let out a weak sigh before slowly pushing himself back up, but when he reached his knees he found a white hoof being extended to him.

"Need a hoof? Or how about a shield?" A chuckle escaped Rogers' lips as he glanced up at Sweetie Belle, who was holding out her hoof to him while holding the shield with her other one. Rogers took her hoof and with a grunt the mare yanked him back up to his feet before offering the shield to him.

"Did you manage to free every pony?" Rogers asked her as he turned his attention back to Tirek, who had just realized where the mare had come from and glanced up at the ceiling.

"I got some of them, but figured you needed your Frisbee back," she teased before taking a more serious look. "Bloom and Scoots should be freeing the rest, but for some reason none of them have-"

"Have what? Jumped down?" Tirek finished with a laugh as the Captain and Belle lifted their gazes to the ceiling to see that indeed the rest of the ponies aside from Bloom's friends remained still in their cages. "Perhaps that is because they have finally realized what a futile effort it was to fight against me...something that it seems you have not learned!"

The air screamed as Tirek unleashed another of his beams of black magic straight for Sweetie, yet before the blast could kill the mare Captain America leapt before her and brought up his shield. He managed to take the blast, but he didn't have enough time to brace himself so he was hurtled across the room and pinned to the wall by the sheer, unrelenting force of the blast.

"Ah Captain, ever the hero," Tirek said with approval in his voice when the Captain collapsed to the floor, his shield rolling away from him. "But as I was saying, the ponies have finally seen. They have seen my true power, seen that their Crusade was kept around simply to amuse beings such as myself. They realize now that their efforts are wasted, that they cannot do anything to stop me! For with ease I have bested the Captain, just as I easily bested their heroes when I took Equestria!"

Tirek tossed his head back and began to laugh with victory ringing in his voice. But then he heard something, and with a sigh turned to glance at the Captain, who was pushing himself to his feet once more. "Why do you bother getting up, Captain? Surely you must know by now that you are defeated."

"Because...all I can do...is keep standing up," Rogers stated as he glared at Tirek, eyes still alight with the burning desire for justice. "And you're right about the ponies. Why shouldn't they be afraid? After all, they've had to watch as you and your allies beat their heroes not only once, but twice. Why would they bother standing up to you after that?" Sweetie Belle was staring at the Captain as if he had gone crazy while Tirek had his eyes narrowed, knowing that the Captain had to be up to something.

"But you have to stand up, ponies. You have to always get up, no matter how hard evil beats you down. Because evil can only win if you choose to stay down. I know that you are afraid to stand up to Tirek after what you've seen him do, afraid after watching as he killed your heroes," Rogers stated with power building in each of his words while he grabbed his shield and slipped it onto his left arm, marching towards the centaur with eyes flashing.

"But now I ask you to stand! To stand up for not just your loved ones and friends, but for all across Equestria who have suffered at the hooves of these tyrants!" the Captain roared as he held his shield aloft, causing light to reflect off of its star and shine for all across the entire land to see. "To not watch as your land falls, but to stand and fight to keep it safe! To put an end to the tyrant that has taken so much from you! To stand with me!!"

Rogers then waited to see if the ponies would join him, would battle with him against the evil or Tirek. But after a moment of silence, the centaur began to laugh as not one of the ponies dared to move. "Do you see now, dear Captain? They know that your words will only lead them to their doom! They have chosen to live, to live under my-"

Tirek's speech was interrupted as a cage came crashing down from above and collided with the centaur's skull. Tirek bellowed with pain as the cage crashed to the floor next to him, blinking out the tears in his eyes as he glared back over at the Captain...and the few ponies that stood with him. He grunted in pain once more and again turned bleary eyes towards the Captain...to see that all of the caged ponies now stood with him.

"My turn to ask you a question, Tirek. Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Rogers asked, before gazing down at the whole Crusade that now stood with him. Their eyes were bleak and none of them had their cutie marks, but they stood with him all the same. "Now then, Crusade! Time to take back your home!"

With a roar that drowned out the bellow of Tirek, the ponies of the Crusade all charged towards the titan. Tirek's horns crackled as he prepared to erase the ponies from existence, but his aim was altered slightly when a vibranium disc bounced off of his eye. Tirek clutched at his eye with a howl while his magic blasted into the ceiling, giving the Captain a chance to gather Bloom and Scootaloo in the confusion.

"Bloom. Can you reprogram that machine of his so that it only sucks up magic in the general vicinity?" Captain asked her.

"I...I don't know. He took my magic...he took mah cutie mark," she whimpered slightly, but the Captain then grabbed her shoulders with a look that dashed any doubt within her.

"Bloom, you are one of the best engineers that I have ever seen. You can get that machine to work, with or without your mark. You are what makes you special. Not a mark or your magic. Now go!" Bloom nodded at his words before taking off after the machine, leaving Scootaloo and Belle to gaze up at the Captain with admiration while waiting for his orders. Rogers then glanced over at Tirek, who was being swarmed by hundreds of ponies that all tried to bring him down with their numbers alone.

"Are you ready, kids?" he asked the pair of them.

"Aye-aye, Captain. What do you need us to do?" Scootaloo responded while flapping her metal wings.

"We're going to run a distraction while Bloom reworks the machine. Now come on, let's show Tirek what true heroes are made of!" Rogers charged towards the centaur as the beast smacked ponies off of him a dozen at a time, calling out Tirek's name and getting the titan to look up just in time to receive a shield to his other eye.

"GRAH! Damn that shield!" he seethed as he clutched at both of his eyes, giving the Captain plenty of time to catch his shield and leap onto Tirek's back.

"What's the matter Tirek, don't want it anymore?" Rogers taunted as he climbed up the centaur's back and slammed the edge of the disc into the base of Tirek's horn. Tirek snarled as he angled his head down and charged at a wall, hoping to crush the Captain on impact. All Rogers did was smirk before he flipped off the back of the titan, landing on the floor as Tirek plowed head first into solid brick.

Having a moment to regroup, Cap flashed a glance over at Bloom who was working with the machine. He watched her combine a few wires before turning her gaze towards him and shrugging. "Fine...Belle, go help Bloom. Scootaloo, with me."

"What for Cap?" she asked before Tirek tore his head out of the wall, eyes a pitch black inferno as he began to unleash magic in every direction.

"Because I think he's finally lost it." Rogers then ducked down behind his shield as the mad titan began to unleash torrents of dark magic in every direction, blasting the ceiling to ash before doing the same to the walls. Ponies screamed and ran for cover as Tirek began to blast at whatever was moving, before his bloodshot eyes focused in on the Captain.

"I am finished with all of you! I am done with the Crusade! I am done with you ponies! But most of all...I am done with the CAPTAIN!" Tirek shrieked with a voice that shook what remained of the room, turning both his fury and his beam of magic towards the Captain. Rogers then nodded to Scootaloo before grabbing hold of her hoof as she took to the sky. The beam of magic just narrowly missed the pair as the orange Pegasus shot into the rainy sky as fast as her wings could take her, with Tirek's beam of magic trailing after them with every intent to kill.

"Why must you infernal heroes oppose us at every turn?!" Tirek demanded to know as the pair flew right above him, getting the centaur to position himself in the center of the room as he took aim at the both of them. "Why must you be so impossibly hard to kill?! Why can you not just roll over and die?!" Tirek screamed as he unleashed all of his magic upon the pair of them

"Because I won't die until I see the world free," Rogers promised as Scootaloo spun once to build up momentum before hurling the Captain down right into the path of the beam. Rogers brought up his shield just as the magical power bombarded him. Yet despite the magic having the power to extinguish the sun and shatter the moon, neither the shield nor the man yielded as they plummeted down towards the centaur, cleaving through his magic. And Tirek's eyes widened when he saw the Captain plummeting down from the heavens towards him, like a star descending from above to strike him down. And then the Captain made impact.

"HYPER! SHOOTING! STAR!"

Tirek bellowed as the Captain descended shield first into his head, shattering both of Tirek's horns while the red, white and blue energy surrounding the Captain caused his magic to double back upon the caster. Agony coursed through Tirek's body as he staggered back from the force of the blow, the magic within him going haywire since his horns could no longer control it. And in his blind agony he never noticed the he was staggering back towards his machine.

"Now!" Bloom ordered over the sound of the raging monster, flipping on the machine before both she and Belle ran for their lives. Tirek staggered back into the machine as tendrils of energy erupted from it, digging into his body and draining the magic within him while cracks began to form along his body.

"N-no, you fools! There is...too much magic within me to absorb!" he screamed at them as parts of his form began to shatter. "If this machine tries to take it all in, it will-" The rest of Tirek's words were drowned out as the machine began to spark and smoke in a way that did not bode well with any of the ponies. They all began to run for their lives as Belle and Bloom rejoined the Captain and Scootaloo, who watched from the end of the room as Tirek began to shrink down.

"Please...somepony...help me!" Tirek pleaded amongst the pain and agony, his shrieks able to be heard over the machine. Rogers gazed upon him as he suffered, gazed upon the being that had hurt and killed so many, now finally suffering like those that he had made suffer. And then he took a step towards Tirek.

"No...he's one of our most hated enemies! The one who helped to kill everyone we loved!" Belle screamed at the Captain when she realized what he was thinking. "Do you even know what you would be doing if you save his life?!" Rogers gazed down at her for a moment, knowing that with what had been done to her and her world she would probably never understand.

"The right thing."

Rogers then took off towards Tirek, leaping over tendrils of magic and blasts of power that ripped through the air around him. As the Captain got closer, Tirek began to shrink smaller and smaller until he was smaller than the Captain. Rogers reached the machine and immediately had to raise his shield to defend himself from the magic that clawed at him as well.

"Hold on!" Rogers roared at the centaur, using the edge of his shield to slice through the tendrils of magic that were sucking the very life from Tirek. The machine began to glow with an unholy light, telling the Captain that he had only moments before it exploded. So with all of his willpower he drove his shield in-between Tirek and the machine, straining with every last drop of strength to separate the two. Despite the tendrils clinging to Tirek, the shield was beyond the magic and with one last pull the Captain freed the centaur. Rogers grabbed Tirek and rolled to the girls, just as the machine detonated.

"Behind me!" he roared as he braced his shoulder against his shield, protecting the ponies and centaur with both the shield and his body.

Rogers had been expecting the strongest wave of magic that he had ever felt, but instead what washed over him was a feeling of calm and joy. He and the ponies peaked out from behind the shield to see that a rainbow of gentle magic had been created from the explosion, one that towered into the sky like a column of peace. And while the machine was complete blasted apart into rainbows, none of the ponies paid that any mind as symbols began to rain down from the machine and onto them.

"Mah cutie mark," Applebloom pointed out as her wrench came floating down in front of her, before attaching itself to her side once more. Scootaloo's airplane returned to her in a few moments as well, and from the cries of joy coming from the other Crusaders, the Captain assumed that their marks were being returned to them as well.

"We...did it," Scootaloo finally said as she looked around at the destroyed castle room before gazing at the centaur next to her. "We finally brought down Tirek, even though I don't agree with what you did. Even on our best day, we never imagined that we'd actually be able to..."

"We didn't just beat him, we beat him in front of the entire world," Sweetie Belle pointed out as she pointed to the vortexs, the only remainder of what had once been Tirek's plan. Cap gazed into each one to see thousands of ponies smiling, holding up their hooves to the sky as their cutie marks returned to them from above. "And it's all thanks to you," Belle continued as she nudged the Captain in the leg, breaking his gaze away from the images. "Stopping Tirek, saving us...taking back Canterlot. You did it, hero."

"We did it," the Captain reminded them before he let out a small sigh and stared up at the sky. "Go on ahead and see how the other Crusaders are doing. Then find whatever weaponry you can and set up a perimeter around the castle. Just because Tirek's beaten doesn't mean that the city is ours. There's still the guards to deal with. Move out."

The three saluted him before racing off to do as he instructed, leaving the Captain alone to gaze up at the rainy sky before lowering his head and walking over to what remained of the machine. He spied a few loose wires and a couple sheets of twisted metal, but what truly grabbed his eyes were the shattered pieces of a horn that lay in the center of the floor. Rogers knelt down as he picked one up, lobbing it once in his hand before walking over to the centaur, who was just starting to move again.

"W-what happened?" he asked with a withered voice that sounded like it had aged millennia, gazing up at the Captain with confusion. "Why did you-?" Tirek's words were cut off as the Cap slammed his shield into Tirek's face, dropping the centaur without another word.

"Because the world needs to see that your ways aren't the right ones," Rogers said before gazing up at all the ponies that were still watching through the portals. "That mercy and restraint are far stronger than fear and death. And because I'm an Avenger who saves as many as he can...even someone like you."

Promises

"Got to admit, it took a few days but this place has really started to feel like Canterlot once more." Rogers and the Crusaders enjoyed the sunlight that streamed down from the breaks in the clouds, seeming to breathe new life into the city that had been in evil's clutches for so long. The first thing that the Crusaders had removed were the numerous statues of Tirek, after driving the rest of his forces out of the city.

"Yeah, it is starting to feel like how ah remember it," Bloom agreed with Scootaloo, who had a hoof draped over her shoulder. "That was so long ago...when we first created the Crusade. We could barely get anything done without fighting and now look at us. Canterlot is ours and we're down to the last of the Five...oh, and Ahuizotl ah suppose."

"Well, we have the star-spangled hero to thank for most of our victories," Sweetie pointed out as she smiled over her shoulder at the Captain, who accepted the praise with a nod of his head. "But we did most of the work of course."

"Of course."

"Going to have to do something about that soon," Scootaloo grumbled as she gazed at the sky, seeing the sun up there for the third straight day. "Hey Cap, can you move the sun by any chance?"

"Doubtful, but I'm always willing to try."

"You suck at humor."

"That I do," Rogers agreed, yet his focus was hardly on the conversation that the ponies were having. Instead he was looking around at all of the other Crusaders that were repairing their once great capital. Statues of evil were being torn down while banners that once showed the tyrannical grip of the Five were being burned in the streets. But what made a smile spread along the Captain's face was that both the Crusaders and the ponies that had been living in Canterlot were all working together to rebuild their city.

'Maybe harmony isn't as dead as Tirek believed,' Rogers figured before Belle stamped a hoof, turning the Captain's glance away from the ponies and to the mare that wore a look of impatience on her face. "Let me guess, you just said something important that I failed to hear?"

"How you've survived your battles with the villains here astounds me sometimes," Belle growled with frustration as she shook her head, giving the Captain a stink eye before motioning for Applebloom to speak once more. "As you were saying..."

"Well...while the rest of ya spent most of yer time helping to drive the remaining soldiers out of the city, ah searched the castle fer anything that might be of use to us...and ah think ah may have found something." Intrigued by her discovery, the group followed the yellow mare into the castle and up into the throne room. Rogers' eyes narrowed as he glared at the obsidian throne that greeted them, the only item of Tirek's reign that still remained in the castle.

"Give it a rest, Cap. We tried to move it and it didn't budge. Once this is all over, then we'll find a way to move it," Scootaloo promised the Captain, who let go of the rage with a sigh. Applebloom then brought the group over to the back wall behind the throne, where she tapped her hoof against one of the bricks that was just a bit off from the others. All eyes widened as the bricks slid back to reveal a passageway that descended down into the darkness.

"No way...a hidden passage," Belle whispered with awe.

"And judging from the amount of dust that has accumulated, no one has been down there in a very long time," Rogers observed as he wiped his finger along the passage floor, causing a streak to form in the thick layer of dust.

"Haha! That's my mare!" Scootaloo praised with a laugh as she pulled Applebloom in tight. "Leave it to you to not only find a secret passageway in a few days, but to find one that Tirek couldn't find after living in this castle! Is there anything that you can't do?"

"Stop it, yer making me blush," Applebloom shyly responded as she glanced away. Belle made a gagging sound before she walked ahead into the passageway, the Captain and the other two ponies following after her. The descent downward took a few minutes, since they were stopped every once in awhile by somepony sneezing, but eventually the path straightened out again and revealed to the group the secrets that it had been hiding.

"You have got to be kidding me," Belle whispered as they all stepped out into a massive chamber that was filled with items and contraptions that made the ponies' heads spin. Numerous computers and machines decorated the walls, a massive tube filled with a liquid bluer than the Captain's suit occupied the center of the room, and the rest of the room belonged to tables and blueprints, which were scattered everywhere and also covered in dust.

"Holy Tatarus...this must be the princesses' hidden laboratory," Scootaloo whispered to herself, getting looks from the other three. "Yeah, I kinda heard that the princesses had this place. Rainbow Dash told me after hearing it from Twilight. Well, more like overhearing it and...look, it doesn't matter. This place is real!"

"And it's incredible," Applebloom said in awe as she began to search around the room, starting with the tube that stood tall over every other invention in the room. "I...only heard of this back when Twilight was alive, but I thought that it was only in its infant stages."

"What is it?" Rogers asked her as he walked beside the mare.

"A healing tube...well, that's what she called it when she showed the idea to mah sister," Bloom clarified before flashing a coy smile over at stunned Scootaloo. "What? Yer not the only pony that heard secrets of the mane six from yer sister. But yeah, it's a tube that's filled with some sort of magical liquid that Zecora discovered. Apparently, over enough time, it can be used to heal any energy. The problem was the liquid was completely unstable and could kill a pony if not applied right. But according to these notes," Bloom trailed off as she picked up and dusted off the reports about the tube.

"Whoa, what are these?" Drawn to the intrigue, Rogers soon joined Belle as she gazed over numerous blueprints for what looked to be a mechanical horn. "You seeing this, Cap? They were working on artificial horns. Hey AB, think that you could build one of these for me?"

Applebloom stopped talking to her notes and joined the pair, taking the blueprints from Belle and scanning them over with her eyes. Amazement spread farther and farther across her face the longer she read, and after finishing one blueprint she grabbed the next one that was closest to her, devouring the knowledge that it held within a matter of seconds.

"This is incredible! If these blueprints are as accurate as ah think they are, then not only would ah be able to build a replacement horn fer ya...but ah might be able to channel the magic of any foes that we come across." All the Crusaders stared into each other's eyes as she said this, each of them thinking of only one name. "Ah need to get started on these immediately. Ah need to focus on these, so Cap and Belle, can the two of you go off and see what else ya can do?"

"Wait a moment, what about Scootaloo?" Belle asked as the Pegasus walked by her with a smirk on her face.

"Sorry Belle, I get special privilege," she bragged before waving the two away. Belle rolled her eyes while Rogers chuckled good humoredly, the two leaving the pair alone so that they could work.

"Those two can be so sweet sometimes that it's disgusting," Belle grumbled to the Captain once they were back inside of the throne room.

"At least we all have a reason to smile again," Rogers pointed out while they walked the castle halls. "Tirek is beaten, Canterlot is free and now we finally have a new base to recover to after the loss of the forest."

"I've been meaning to ask about that. I was barely conscious for most of what happened...is our home really gone?" Belle hesitantly asked, getting a nod from the Captain that was as somber as it was apologetic.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't save your base, but I promise to save your home," Rogers assured her, getting another eye roll from the mare while she quickened her pace.

"And speaking of disgusting, stop being so damn heroic and nice all the time. It really irks me." Belle then tried to turn her thoughts to something else, but Rogers saw a flash of pain followed by a sad mood cast over her face, and she looked at the floor for a moment before speaking. "Hey Cap...you know that I hate to ask any favors from you, but...before all of this happened, my sister used to own a boutique up here in Canterlot and I was just wondering..."

"Of course I'll escort you there." Belle flashed him a grateful smile before the two headed out, walking past numerous smiling ponies who were only too happy to be tearing down anything within the castle that reminded them of Tirek. After stepping out into the sunlight and into the streets, the two were stopped dead in their tracks by a crowd of ponies that had formed to see them.

"Or more specifically, you," Belle smirked as the crowd began to cheer at the sight of the Captain, who held a hand to wave to them with a modest expression on his face. The ponies all began to chant for the Captain while foals raced up to meet him, some of them with trash can lids painted in the colors of his shield. "Oh sure, I save your life in the battle against Tirek, but does anypony care about that?"

"I care. And I know what each of you has done to help me," Rogers answered her while kneeling down to meet the foals, who suddenly lost their nerve in the face of the Captain. Sweetie Belle watched from the sidelines as the parents of the foals came up and helped their children to thank the Captain for giving them something to believe in, causing her face to fall slightly as a realization dawned on her.

'That's right. The reason that so many ponies, including ones within the Crusade, are willing to fight against the Five is because Cap gave them hope. He gave them a hero to believe in. But...the battle with Tirek showed me that he's not invincible. And if he were to die in battle...' Belles eyes then set as she reached her decision. 'No. The Captain can't die. No matter what else happens, he has to live. So that the ponies of this world will have somepony to believe in. And I'll make sure they do, no matter what.'

"...Are you ready?" Belle shook herself free of her thoughts before glancing up at the Captain, who wore a smirk on her face so transparent that she sighed aloud at what he was thinking. "Let me guess, you were saying something important and I missed it. Alright, rub it in. What was it?"

"I was just asking if you're ready to move?" She bowed sarcastically in response the Captain's question and the two headed off once more, Belle biting her tongue as more and more ponies came out to see the hero of Equestria. "Do you remember where it is? Because I still get lost in this city."

"It's been a long time, but if I'm correct then it should be right around..." Sweetie Belle's words became a lump like coal in her throat as she turned the corner where her sister's boutique had once stood, only to see a large pile of rubble that was all that remained of her sister's dream. Belle's eyes sunk while she and the Captain walked up to the remains, finding a sign sitting outside of the rubble.

'This is what will happen to any that oppose us. Your dreams and your lives will be crushed.'

"Well, they're thorough, I'll give them that," she snarked, but when she glanced up at Rogers she found that he was gazing upon the remains with a look of sorrow that she had never seen upon his face before. "Rogers, what's the matter? Yeah I wanted to see this place, but it was just a building. It wasn't..."

"I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. This...simply reminded me of something on my world," he said softly, making Sweetie's ears perk up at the tone in his voice. "Of returning to a city after so long, only to find everything that you once loved is either torn down or in disrepair...and how all you have left of it is the memories." Surprise was the only emotion that Belle could feel in response to the Captain's words, but when she glanced into his eyes she found that his expression was far beyond the world they were in. She waited patently for a few minutes until the Captain snapped out of his thoughts, sighing slightly before resuming the look of determination that she had always seen upon him.

"Hey, Cap?" Sweetie asked when the Captain turned away and began to head back to the streets. "Is...there something that you'd like to share with me?" She could see Rogers thinking about her offer for a moment, before the confident smile that often made her roll her eyes returned to his face and he shook his head instead.

"It's nothing, Sweetie Belle. Just thoughts and memories that belong in the past." Rogers then turned and walked away, never letting Sweetie see his eyes go from 'confident' to 'determined' to 'do right' in a moment. 'I'm tired of seeing this. Of places of creativity and joy torn down, because of a madman or a tyrant. All those memories, all that joy that Belle must have felt when she used to visit that place...gone. But no more. No more tyrants killing loved ones, no more destruction just to prove a point. All that's left is you, Sombra, and I promise that I will make sure you fall...and speaking of tyrants.'

==2==

From the light that shone onto the frail centaur within his cell, Rogers found that Tirek had not moved ever since he had been relocated from the throne to his new home. Rogers lit a lamp before walking up to the bars of the centaur's cell, gazing down at him while the villain stared ahead without acknowledging the Captain.

"Heard from the guard outside. Seems you haven't been any trouble since we threw you in here," Captain America said. Tirek gave no response, choosing to stare ahead with a blank look upon his face. "No threats of revenge, no trying to eat the magic of the ponies that bring you food. I'll admit, out of all of the five you're the one I expected to be the least quiet. What's the matter?" Tirek again said nothing in reply, getting the Captain to shrug before turning to leave.

"Why?" The one word stopped the Captain and he glanced over his shoulder at the shriveled centaur, who had moved his eyes to gaze at the Captain. "Why did you save my life? After all that I have done?" Rogers thought about his answer for a long time before he finally decided to answer the centaur.

"Maybe it was to send a message. To show that mercy and restraint is a far greater answer than vengeance or murder. Maybe it was because I thought you might have information about Sombra that we might need. Or maybe," Captain America began as he fully turned to gaze at Tirek, his eyes blazing with virtue and truth, "I just couldn't stand by and watch as someone called out for help."

"But...me? I am your enemy, the one who brought so much death and destruction. Why even tease the idea of saving me?"

Rogers then gazed at the ceiling, lost in memories for a moment. "You asked why I fight so hard, despite having no power, no magic? Because I never give up. I don't give up when faced when an unbeatable foe. I don't give up when I'm horribly outclassed and have no way to win. But most of all I don't give up...on those who have given up. Even when they've fallen so far, even when they have lost everything. Because...when someone is at their weakest is when you see who they truly are. What they do when they've fallen. And most usually do two things: They either lie in their darkness...or they stand up. So will you lie in that darkness? Or will you be better? Will you stand up?"

Rogers then left the centaur there alone, alone to think about the Captain's words. Tirek gazed down at his hands, clenching them slightly before turning his attention to the sun that still rested overhead. A small frown crossed his face when he saw that it had yet to move, yet to change position without his aid.

He then summoned forth all the magic that he had left, the shred of alicorn magic that he had managed to hold onto in his horn, knowing that he would have more than enough power to blow through the bars. But then he hung his head for a moment before gazing up at the sun once more, the words of Rogers in his mind again.

And then the sun began to move.

==2==

There was a change in the wind. Sombra could feel it on his face as he gazed over the Crystal Empire from atop his spire, gazing off into the distance from where the wind came. He did not bother to look down at the ponies below, for he knew for the first time in a long time there was hope among them, a hope that was so powerful that they dared to show it even with him there.

'It doesn't matter. For soon I shall dash that hope,' he smirked before there was a knocking at his chamber door. "Enter." One of his gargoyles slowly cracked open the door and peeked into the room, visibly flinching under the gaze Sombra gave him.

"Uh, sir? It's...Ahuizotl. He's here to see you." Sombra raised a single eyebrow in response to the gargoyle's news, but after mulling it over for a moment he nodded his head to allow the creature to enter. Ahuizotl was then hurled into the room by the gargoyle, the hybrid of creatures wearing terror like an outfit as he scrambled over to Sombra.

"Sombra...thank the heavens you're alive!" Ahuizotl said with gratitude in his voice, not noticing the look that Sombra was giving him. "Tirek...Tirek is done. The Captain and his ponies managed to beat him. This is bad, this is far worse than anything we could have believed to happen."

"Ahuizotl..."

"I mean, we expected maybe to lose Starlight or Chrysalis due to their own stupidity. I know that many of you thought that I'd be the first of the Five to bite it."

"Ahuizotl..."

"But what can we do to stop the Captain now? Tirek was the strongest of all of us and even he wasn't able t--HURK!" Ahuizotl was silenced as Sombra grabbed hold of his throat with his magic, lifting him into the air with a smile on his face that pierced Ahuizotl's heart with pure terror.

"Yes, Tirek is beaten. Starlight and Chrysalis are dead. All those who stood in my way are now gone...save one," Sombra cackled with a smile on his face that sent chills up every creature within his kingdom. Ahuizotl's eyes filled with realization a moment before a blast of black magic erupted from Sombra's horn, removing Ahuizotl's head from his body. "And trust me when I say, I couldn't be happier, Ahuizotl. Everything is finally going the way I want it to." Sombra then cast the headless corpse to the side and stamped his hoof twice.

"You called, boss?" the gargoyle asked as it opened the door, sparing the corpse off to the side a moment of pity before turning his full attention to Sombra.

"Yes. Captain America will soon be on his way. Assemble every guard that isn't assigned to the project and prepare them to fight to the death," Sombra instructed before thinking a bit to himself. The gargoyle then began to cower slightly as a smile crossed Sombra's face that he only wore before many lives were lost. "And also clear the top of the spire. And get some of the strongest gargoyles you can find."

"Sure...what for boss?"

"Because I feel like being particularly cruel today. Now then, grab those gargoyles and bring me the sun and moon. Time to remind the world why I am called the hero killer."

Plan Of Attack

"GAH! Stop yanking on my mane like that!"

"Well if ya would sit still fer two seconds...stop moving!"

Scootaloo sighed with a shake of her head as Belle and Bloom continued to snarl at each other, the latter trying to apply an agent to Belle's horn that would help to keep the attachment on her head. However, some of the material had gotten into Belle's mane and now bits of her mane were stuck to Bloom's hooves. 'I hope Rogers comes to get us soon. I'm sick of hearing these two argue,' Scootaloo thought as she glanced around the secret laboratory.

In a matter of days, Applebloom had turned the dust filled chamber into her own personal workshop, allowing her to work five times faster on her inventions than she had previously been able to do. 'Including these bad boys,' Scootaloo praised as she flapped her sleeker and far more maneuverable wings, but the smile fell when the shouting resumed again. 'I just wish she could invent something that would get the two of them to stop fighting.'

"And...done!" Bloom cried with pride as she leapt back and held a hoof out to Belle, who grumbled under her breath with eyes gazing at the torn out pieces of her mane that lay in clumps on the floor. Yet with a glance at Scootaloo, who was gazing at her head, Belle followed her friend's gaze to what now rested on her head. "Ah give ya yer new horn!"

The horn was made of multiple crystals that had been combined with an expert's precision, while a mystical gem rested in the center of all of the crystals to help aid it in channeling the magical transfer. Sweetie Belle tilted her head from side to side, getting used to the weight of the new horn.

"It's...heavier than my horn was," Sweetie Belle pointed out.

"Of course it is. It's made of crystal after all," Applebloom pointed out before taking an empty beaker off of one of the racks and placing it upon a table in front of the mare. "Now then, fer the final test. Think ya can channel yer magic into that new horn and destroy this?" Belle's eyes narrowed as she concentrated, focusing all of her efforts into blasting the beaker. A flash of white magic burst forth from the tip of the crystal, shattering the beaker upon impact and causing glass to fly across the room.

"It works!" Bloom cried in triumph after Scootaloo got off of her, sighing with a shake of her head as she glanced at all the glass that had narrowly missed the mare. Bloom shot to her hooves and raced past Scootaloo, who rolled her eyes at the lack of thanks for protecting the mare. "And not only that, it seems to have increased yer magical strength. Whatever Twilight and the princesses had discovered to make this must have been incredibly hard to work with."

"Ugh, my head feels a little funny," Sweetie mumbled as she held a hoof to the new horn.

"Yer probably still getting used to the new horn. Try to practice with it and maybe that feeling will go away," Applebloom reasoned with a huge smile on her face.

"I know that smile," Scootaloo muttered with a thin grin of her own. "That's the smile that precedes a whole lot of bragging."

"Of course ah'm gonna brag! Ah've managed to create Pegasus wings, earth pony enhancers and now a horn fer unicorns! Do you now how incredible this is?" she asked Scootaloo as she shook the mare by the shoulders before leaping away to her workbench and leaving Scoots to try and get her eyes to stop spinning. "If ah could apply these machines to the rest of the Crusade, we could have ponies that are stronger and faster than any of Sombra's..."

"Sombra. He's the final one, isn't he?" Scootaloo finished when Bloom trailed off, the three of them sharing similar glances at each other. "Once we beat him, Equestria is free once more."

"But I know it's not going to be easy," Sweetie Belle continued when Scootaloo finished. "Because, and let's be honest here, while Tirek was always the strongest, Sombra has always been the pony that we've been worried about the most. Because he's smart. Far smarter than any of us. Sorry Bloom."

"No offense. We've all seen what he can do." For a long minute the three were lost in memories, before Bloom shook her head once more. "But now it all comes to an end. With Captain America on our side, we can't be beat. Sombra will fall soon, that's a fact."

"But will we all be there to see it?" Scootaloo and Applebloom turned their gazes towards Sweetie Belle, who wore a morose expression as she crossed her forehooves. "This is Sombra. The pony that killed my sister. The pony who killed Cadence. The pony who is called the hero-killer. As pessimistic as it is to say...I don't think all of us will make it. Not when fighting him."

Bloom and Scootaloo shared concerned glances before moving closer to each other, but Scootaloo was also vaguely aware of the tone in Belle's voice. "Belle...there's more you want to say, isn't there?"

"All of this happened because of Captain America. The fact that we're here now, the fact that three of the Five are dead...he's the hope of Equestria, the single star that the whole world looks to for guidance," Belle explained to the other two. "But if he were to die...so would Equestria's hope. So what I'm trying to say is no matter who may die in the battle with Sombra...we have to ensure that it's not him."

The other two ponies shared glances of uncertainty before the sound of footsteps ended their conversations. A moment later the red, white and blue soldier then entered into their room, nodding to Bloom and Scoots before raising an eyebrow at Belle. "So the horn transfer was a success. Let's hope that your magic is just as strong as when you had your actual horn. Because we're going to need it."

/ \
//A\
/// \\

The three main Crusaders and their generals stood around a massive table with a spherical crystal in the center of it, all staring at the Captain at the front of the table. He tapped a finger on the table, causing the sphere to conjure a massive image of the Crystal Empire. Other crystals had been set up so that the other members of the Crusade that were in other rooms or in the streets could hear and see.

"This is our target. The last stronghold of the Two," Rogers explained for the audience that consisted of nearly all of Canterlot. "I shouldn't have to explain what the Crystal Empire is to any of you, so instead I will be going over new details. These maps are the newest that Tirek had in his castle and according to the date they are two weeks old at best. So we can't trust them."

"Why not, Captain?" one of the generals asked. "If Tirek was keeping as close a tab on Sombra, and I don't doubt it seeing as he had maps of his empire, then wouldn't they be accurate."

"Yes, they are accurate. But from what I've been told about Sombra, he's not the kind of pony that will sit around while waiting for us to come to him. That empire will be far more fortified than it is in these images." Rogers then flicked the image out of the way and brought up a creation of dozens of different aerial craft and a land invasion. "Our attack with be two pronged. By good fortune we managed to discover some experimental aviation vehicles. Now while Tirek's ponies weren't smart enough to get them working, our resident gadget expert did."

Rogers gave a quick nod to the beaming Bloom before moving the images in closer with a pinch of his fingers. "The first part of the assault will come from the air in these vehicles. These vehicles will lead the attack, creating enough confusion and discord amongst Sombra's forces so that the ground forces can move in without suffering too many losses. I will lead the charge in the first of the aircraft, while any who volunteer will follow behind me in the others. The ponies in this part of the assault are the ones who will be in the most danger, so think long and hard about whether you want to join me in this part of the mission. For those who do join, Bloom will teach you how to work them."

"The second prong of our assault with be the ground forces, who will be striking at the empire here and here," Rogers continued as he pointed out two separate areas where the conjured ponies began to move. "The ground forces will be trying to break down the empire's walls. Bloom has informed me that she has constructed at least a dozen of her exosuits, so the best fighters and runners will be assigned them to help on the battlefield."

"Look at you, being the star of this show," Scootaloo teased Bloom, who only beamed even brighter.

"Despite the different approaches, the objective remains the same. To drive Sombra's forces out of the empire." A cold look then crossed Rogers' face as he gazed at everypony in the room, and those outside by extension. "But let me make this point very clear. Sombra is by far the most dangerous target. Do not engage him if alone--if you see him at all. I will be the one who goes after Sombra first, but should I fail to stop him, focus on evacuating as many as you can before trying to kill him. And good luck if you must face him."

"I still don't know why you just don't drop bombs on the place and be done with it," another general spoke up, but Rogers flashed him a look that silenced any other thoughts.

"Because as evil as Sombra is, I will not sacrifice the lives of any of the ponies that live there just to kill him. We're going to beat him while showing that we're better than him. By saving every single life." Rogers then gazed around at the group standing before him, daring any of them to object before smiling at the fact that none did.

"That's the majority of the plan. The rest will be explained to those depending on what operation they chose to join," Captain America finished before gazing at all the brave soldiers that were fighting with him. "Just one last push ponies, and your home will belong to you once more. For freedom!"

The Crusaders in the room with the Captain could hear the cry echoed by every pony in the city, getting a nod from the Captain as he shut off the image. He then spoke with the generals for a few minutes before noticing a look that the three Crusaders wore. "Let me guess. The three of you want to come with me?"

"Of course we would, Cap. Haven't been nearly killed in a while and I figure what better way to change that than stand next to the guy that everypony will be shooting at?" Scootaloo sassed in reply, gaining a smile from the Captain that was as dry as his mouth.

"Jokes are fine, but I want you three to know that this will be dangerous. Sombra is almost guaranteed to try and kill me before I get to him." Rogers then nodded to them before walking away, though he stopped for a moment and glanced back over his shoulder at them. "Which shows what a fool he really is, if he believes this whole war hinges on whether I live or die. I'm just a soldier, like any of you. Now get ready. In three days we attack."

/ \
//A\
/// \\

The machines hummed with power as they sailed across the snow caked landscapes up by the Crystal Empire. Dozens of the flying machines all flew towards their target approximately at the same speed, while the sounds of hundreds of hooves running all at the same speed could be vaguely heard over the roar.

In the machine that led the pack of vehicles sat the Captain, eyes closed and arms crossed as he prepared himself for the battle ahead. But he was finding it hard to concentrate with the constant sound of teeth chattering and the whispers of the two ponies that sat across from him.

"Cold?" he eventually asked Applebloom and Scootaloo, who were huddled close to each other while trying to stay warm. The two nodded with shivers before raising eyebrows at the fact that the Captain seemed perfectly fine. "Trust me, after what happened to me I doubt that I'll ever be cold again. This is warm weather compared to my last nap."

"What do you mean by that?" Sweetie Belle asked from the cockpit, glancing back at them with a large coat covering most of her body. Rogers' response was to shake his head with a shrug, but the other two were giving him the same curious glance that Belle was. "This could be the last chance for us to talk Captain. And despite all that you've done for us...we still don't know that much about you.

"Y-yeah. Like why ya felt so sad when ya saw Rarity's boutique in ruins." Under the pressure of the three mares' gazes, the Captain finally relented with a sigh before leaning forward and placing his arms on his knees.

"Truth be told...I'm actually over ninety years old," he revealed. The ponies' jaws would have dropped had their teeth not been chattering because of the cold. "Back when I was younger, a terrible man tried to take over my world, using his army to hurt and kill a lot of people. I wanted to stop him, so I tried to fight in the war only to be rejected because of my weak body."

"But then Doctor Erskine came to me, said that he saw something in me that he didn't see in anyone else. He gave me the super soldier serum, turned me into the soldier you see before you. And then he was killed by the other side." Rogers hung his head for a moment in respect for the man. "But they were too late. I had become the Captain. And so I fought against the forces that threatened my world."

"Yet one mission is where I nearly met my end. While disarming a missile over the Artic Ocean, I fell in. I should have died, but the ice saved my life and preserved my body...which was then discovered decades later." He saw their eyes widen in shock at the Captain's story, who shared a sympatric glance with them.

"The world that I had fought so hard to protect was gone. All the places that I used to know and where I called home had been gone for years. One day I just woke up...and it was all different." Rogers then nodded to each of the ponies before continuing. "That's why I fight so hard for your nation. Because I know what it's like to have a tyrant take your world from you. To return to your home only to find it long gone. But while I lost my time and home...I can still save yours. So I'm not afraid to fight for the notion of a world of harmony...and why I am willing to die for a world that isn't mine. Because liberty and freedom shouldn't have to be fought for or even a right...it should be a universal truth."

None of the three ponies knew what to say to him, how to even respond to a story like that, but then Scootaloo smiled up at the Captain. "Hey Cap? We may have said it before, but still...thank you, for doing all this for us. For leading us against the Five, for helping us to be stronger...for being the hero we needed in our darkest times. For inspiring us. I don't know...what would have become of us if not for you."

"You would have prevailed." The three gazed up at the Captain with stunned eyes as he nodded to each of them, a smile on his face. "I've seen plenty of heroes in my time, so you can trust me when I say that's what I see when I look at you. I see the courage, resolve and dedication to good, that all heroes should have. While my being here may have quickened the freeing of Equestria, believe me when I say that you would have freed your land even without me. So don't think that everything good that's happened is because of me or that I'm the only hero you've got. Because I'm looking at three, three who can overcome any obstacle by working together. You are the heroes that will win this war. I'm just here to help you along the way."

The three mares all shared the same look of wonder at the Captain's words, but then his eyes narrowed as he leaned out of the side of the machine. "Game faces on, everypony. We're approaching the empire...and it seems Sombra's been busy!"

===1===

"So you've finally come to face me, haven't you Captain?" Sombra chuckled with mirth in his voice as he backed away from his telescope, savoring the peace before the battle broke out. Then he snapped his head towards one of his gargoyles with bloodlust shining in his eyes. "Time to take your brothers and go to the skies! Bring down as many of those ships as you can! Then return to the empire and prepare for the most glorious battle that you have experienced in your life!"

"Yes boss. But what about Captain America? Shouldn't we focus all of our efforts on him?" one of the two gargoyles asked. Sombra's eyes flashed with fury and in a heartbeat that gargoyle lay on the ground as a pile of pebbles.

"Care to tell me what was so stupid about that statement? No? Captain America is a hero. You are foot soldiers. If foot soldiers were able to beat heroes, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. Now go. Focus on his soldiers," Sombra ordered, the remaining gargoyle bowing before flying off with a shriek that caused hundreds of gargoyles to join him. "Leave the Captain to me."

Sombra then teleported to the top of his spire, staring off in the direction from which the Captain was coming. Sombra licked his lips as the anticipation caused his body to shiver, before his thoughts were distracted from the upcoming battle by a white hoof that stepped down behind him.

"Good, you're here. Stay close, because I will need your powers if I hope to win," Sombra instructed before rubbing his hooves together with a toothy grin. "Oh, this is going to be fun. I haven't been this excited since I fought that guard to the death so long ago, on the day I killed the princess. I hope today can live up to that."

Where My Captain Lies...

Rogers dug his heels in as best he could as the twin horns of the Frankenpony slammed into his shield. He strained against them with his might, but the twin-headed alicorn flapped its wing with a bellow before starting to push the Captain back. Pushing himself even harder, Rogers slammed his shoulder into the shield and managed to bring the struggle to a halt...until both alicorn heads unleashed a blast of magic point blank into his shield.

"Quite the creation, isn't it?" Sombra chuckled with mirth as he and Sweetie Belle watched Rogers fly across the crystal roof and slam into one of the pillars that jutted out from the side. "Those two were always inseparable, except for the whole Nightmare Moon thing, so I decided to keep them that way--on a level that they never would have dreamed of."

"You...twisted...bastard!" Belle seethed at Sombra as her horn began to glow, getting Sombra to roll his eyes.

"Do you really not remember how this fight ended for you last time? Sit down Belle, before I decide to kill you early." Belle's whole body shook as she wished nothing more than to kill him then and there, but his words pierced her will and she ceased her magic. "And I'll have you know that my mother agreed to marry my father before they had me, so your statement is invalid."

"But yes, I figured that death was too good for those two fools, especially after all they had made me endure," Sombra continued on as Captain America bounced his shield off of Celestia's face before kicking Luna in the jaw. "So I spliced the two of them together, after ripping apart their minds and destroying any trace of self they had. Now they serve me, as one of my most powerful weapons. And yet the Captain still fights. He amazes me, do you know that?"

"And why's that?" Belle dared to ask the tyrant, keeping a close eye on him for any sign of movement.

"Because he is a human with no magic, no wings and only a shield that can't be broken. And yet with barely anything going for him, he brought down far more of us than any of those alicorns or supposed 'destined' heroes did. It is truly fascinating," Sombra remarked. In that moment Belle saw her chance and with a bellow of fury she fired a blast of magic into Sombra...only for it to be deflected by a barrier that she hadn't seen. Sombra rolled his eyes once more at the mare before unleashing a blast of darkness into her chest that sent her sprawling across the roof of crystals.

"Does stupidity run in your family? Because that was the very same trick your sister tried on me before I killed her, except with less flirting," Sombra revealed with a smirk as Belle weakly pushed herself back up. "And to be perfectly honest dear, you're nowhere near as attractive as she was. Six at best." Sombra would have gone on, but at that moment a vibranium disc slammed into the side of his head and dropped him.

"Belle!" Rogers called out as he rolled under a blast of corrupted solar magic and slid over to the mare, shielding her with both body and shield as he helped her back up. "Can you stand?" Belle didn't respond, choosing instead to gaze out from behind the shield at the Frankenpony that was advancing towards them while its body twitched in an unnerving way.

"That creature...it's Celestia and Luna," she revealed to the Captain, who kept his surprise and horror inside as he braced against the shield. Two blasts of magic that rivaled the gods slammed into his defense, nearly hurling he Captain away from the mare. "Sombra...did this to them. Made them twisted. Fused them together."

"So how do we beat them?" Rogers asked as another salvo unloaded onto his shield, which still managed to hold out. He glanced down at Sweetie once the attack had ceased to find her staring off into the distance, the same hopeless look on her face that he had seen on many soldiers before. "Belle, listen to me. Things may seem bad, but when things are at their worst is when we need to fight the hardest. Now I can fight the monster or I can fight the princesses, but I can't fight both and expect to win. Do you have my back?"

Belle looked out from behind the shield at the twin-headed monster that was stalking towards them, before shifting her gaze towards the Dark King. The king raised an eyebrow back at her as a grin filled with both malice and teeth spread across his face. In the face of both of those foes, she didn't know how they were supposed to win. But then she glanced up at the Captain and saw that there was no despair or signs of defeat in his eyes. There was only his resolve and his concern for her.

'Even against these creatures, he still has hope. That's why he's the hero,' Belle remembered as she forced herself to stand back up, forcing the pain into the back of her mind. 'And that's why he has to get out of this alive.' She then glared at King Sombra and began to march towards him. Rogers nodded at her choice before he spun on his heels and charged towards the Frankenpony, shield up and eyes focused.

"So, you've chosen to actually fight me?" Sombra asked with his toothy grin. Belle's response was to spit into the crystal next to her before her horn glowed with a crimson light, drawing the king's eye to it. "And I see that you've gotten an upgrade since our last battle. How'd I miss that? Oh well, let us hope that this time you will actually be a challenge. Come on Belle, time to avenge your dear sister."

On the other side of the roof, Rogers slid underneath of a blast of magic before tightening his fist into a knot. He then swung that fist right under the jaw of what had once been the lunar princess, snapping her head back and causing her half of the body to stagger. Celestia's half of the body failed to flinch and the next moment Rogers had to bring up his shield to deflect the blast of magic that she unleashed upon him, sending him skidding across the rooftop.

'The two of them are forced to share the same body, but it doesn't look like they share the same nervous system,' Captain America guessed as he got back up. Celestia and Luna both unleashed their magic upon him at the same time, forcing the Cap to vault into the air over the blasts. While airborne, he let his shield fly on an arc that sent it flying right into the side of Celestia's head. Cap narrowed his eyes as only she cried out in pain and ceased her spell, while what had once been her sister failed to notice.

'Same body, different minds and different set of nerves. Means I've got to take them both down if I want to end this fight,' Rogers pieced together as the pair covered their entire body with magic before hurling themselves towards the Captain. Rogers flipped over their attack and caught his shield at the same time, bringing the shield up as the two whipped their heads around and fired upon him once more.

'Do you really think you can save them all?' The sudden voice in his head caught the Captain off guard, giving the Frankenpony a chance to drive their heads into his shield and send him skidding backwards. Cap shook his head as the pair resumed their attack. Snarling to himself, Cap let Luna get a taste of the old gal as he drove the star on the shield right into her nose.

'You have no magic. No wings. Nothing that can hope to give you an edge over us!' Rogers recognized the condescending tone as King Sombra, but he didn't know how the pony managed to get into his mind and at the moment he couldn't dwell on it. Celestia whipped her horn towards the Captain and stabbed over his shield, causing her horn to slice through his suit and pierce the Captain's shoulder. Rogers grunted in pain before driving the edge of the shield into Celestia's face, getting both her attitude and the horn away from him.

'I have experience. I have the skill. And you are evil. That's all I need,' Rogers retorted as he swung his boot into Celestia's face and snapped her head to the side, before flipping around in the air and dropping the back of his heel onto Luna's skull. The Frankenpony staggered back under the Cap's assault, giving him a moment of rest.

'Skilled as you may be, you are in this fight alone. And do you truly believe that you can best us by yourself?'

'I am not alone. I have the Crusade with me and all those who are counting on us. And we won't fail them.' The Frankenpony let out a screech as it charged at the Captain once more, but then to the Captain's surprise it came to a dead halt feet away from him.

'The Crusade? Captain, they are foals trying to fight against gods. See for yourself.' Backing up slightly so that he could keep his eyes on both the princesses and whatever Sombra was planning, he slowly shifted his gaze over to Sombra...and then immediately focused onto the bloody and beaten Sweetie Belle that lay broken twenty feet away from Sombra.

"Allow me to make this painfully obvious if I haven't already, Captain. You are the only threat to me and my plans," Sombra said in a quiet voice. "The Crusade is only around because I wanted something to fight, something I could pit my mind against. They are no threat to me and she," he said as he blasted Belle in the side, causing her to weakly cry out. "Is not the hero you are. Now face my princess, Captain America. And if you can overcome that, then you can face me."

"Why not face me yourself? Are you afraid?" Captain America asked, but Sombra let out a small chuckle before blasting Belle again.

"I did not become the only surviving member of my allies by being a fool. You will fight the princess or I will kill her before you can react. Now fight."

"Fine Sombra, I'll play your game for now," Rogers said before spinning towards the Frakenpony and slamming the edge of his shield right in-between the heads. This time both heads cried out in a ghostly pain as they staggered back, giving the Captain a chance to glare at Sombra. "But none of these ponies die today. Not on my watch."

Rogers then hurled himself back into the fight, planting both boots firmly into the side of Celestia's body and knocking the princesses off of their hooves. He rolled the moment he landed before letting his shield fly, angling it perfectly so that it bounced off the two princesses' heads multiple times before finally returning to him. With the creature dazed and confused, Rogers leapt into the air above it and came crashing down, boots first, into the parts of their bodies that had been fused together.

The Frankenpony wailed with pain as it flapped its wings, trying to take to the sky to get some distance from the Captain. Rogers was quicker on the draw and let his shield fly once more, hearing bones break as the vibranium clipped the alicorn's wings and sent it crashing back into the crystal roof. It let out another weak groan as it tried to rise once more, but the Captain walked over to it and slammed both of his fists into its heads.

"Bravo, Captain. Once again you have proven yourself quite the adversary," Sombra cackled as Captain America lifted his shield above the monster, preparing to finish it off...before twirling around and letting his shield fly at Sombra. The Dark King was ready for the action and deflected the disc with a dark shield. Rogers then let himself fly at the king, but Sombra caught him out of the air with his magic and hurled him across the rooftop.

"Now then, Captain, while I would love nothing more than to battle you to the death...I am stuck on something that you said earlier. That no pony would die today on your watch. Cap, you should know better than anypony," Sombra cackled as he whistled a tune, a tune that caused the Frankenpony to rise once more with both eyes glowing a green color that was beyond sinister. "That heroes shouldn't lie."

Rogers grabbed his shield from beside him as he leapt to his feet, bracing himself as he saw both horns begin to glow with a power that shook the entire tower. The next moment a sphere as crimson as the sun had formed on the end of Celestia's horn, and she pointed it at the Captain...before moving it to the side slighty. Rogers dared a glance behind him to see she was aiming past the Crystal Empire and towards the snow-swept lands beyond its walls...where thousands of civilians were being evacuated.

"Like hell I'll let you kill them!" Rogers promised as he threw himself in the path and placed all of his strength into his shield...before realizing that the sphere as white as the moon on Luna's horn wasn't aimed at him...but instead at Sweetie Belle. "No..."

"Yes Captain. That is your choice!" Sombra cackled as the tower shook beneath the might of the alicorn's twin power. "You can either save all of those precious, innocent civilians and let this piece of trash die...or you can save Sweetie Belle and let all those innocents that look up to you die. The choice seems pretty obvious to me, but I love seeing what the hero will do. But no matter which you choose...somepony dies today."

Rogers' eyes switched back and forth between the ponies and Sweetie Belle, trying to figure out a plan. He then vaulted into the air and angled his shield at Celestia and Luna, but a bolt of black magic drilled through his leg and sent him crashing back to the roof in pain.

"None of that Captain, my eyes are peeled for any of your heroic actions," Sombra promised him. "I also have a barrier around my princess should your shield get by me." Rogers grunted as he pushed himself back, ignoring the pain as best he could. He glanced between the ponies behind him a Sweetie Belle, knowing that with his wound he would not be fast enough to get to her then deflect the other blast.

"Steve...no...don't let...down those who believe in you." All eyes turned towards Sweetie Belle, who was shakily pushing herself back up despite the bleeding and pain that was making her body shiver. She slowly lifted her eyes to glare at Sombra, eyes filled with the same resolve that she had seen within the Captain's. "Those ponies...the Crusade...they need you to save them. You're their hero. And to keep that...safe...I'm not afraid to die."

"But if I do die...then at the very least...I know I died standing up...knowing that Sombra didn't break me! That I fought till the bitter end," she snarled at the Dark King, wishing the she could shoot at him but knowing he would block it. So she focused that strength so she could remain standing. "That I made my sister proud."

"Truly, this must run in your family," Sombra cackled with a shake of his head. "Your sister said the very same thing to me right before I snapped her neck--about how she had died fighting even though it was hopeless. That her friends would be proud of her. But guess what? Her friends died too. And so will yours. So we will see how proud your sister is...when you go meet her. Fire."

The princess monster screamed as its power reached critical mass, taking perfect aim at the fleeing ponies with one head and Sweetie Belle with the other. Sweetie glanced over at the Captain one last time with a smile, but when she glanced at him he very quickly flashed his eyes towards Sombra. Sombra caught the motion and took aim at the Captain with his horn, only to be blasted in the stomach by Sweetie Belle. He snarled as he was sent hurling over the side of the castle, leaving the two alone with the beast.

"Cap! Throw your shield!" she called out to him as she weakly collapsed, but when he did so a barrier of solar magic crafted around the creature to defend it.

"No good! I can't get through the barrier!" he called back over to her.

"Then I guess...this is goodbye," she softly whispered as she closed her eyes, waiting for the end to come. "Steve...thank you, for helping me to be strong once more. To fight against a foe I didn't believe we could beat. To believe...in heroes again. Thank you...and good-"

Clang.

Belle's words were cut off when she felt something hard strike her in the side slightly, causing her eyes to snap open and glance down to see...a metal disc with a white star in the center of it laying beside her. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she gazed up at the Captain to see him smiling at her, giving her a thumbs up right as Celestia and Luna unleashed their magic upon the both of them.

'Why?' her eyes asked him.

"As I said. None of you are dying on my watch," he replied as he turned to face the blast of solar magic as it came barreling down upon him, crossing his arms as he prepared himself for what was to come. "So I leave it up to you and the Crusade. And remember, I was nothing special. I chose to stand up." The beam of solar magic then struck the Captain, who howled in pain as the magic tore his body apart. He could feel his muscles burning away, feel himself being turned to ash by the sheer volume of magic. His conscious nearly went black as he began to falter under the overwhelming magic.

'Stand up,' the voice of his mother echoed in the back of his mind. 'No matter what, you always stand up.'

And Rogers did just that. Despite being consumed by a power great enough to decimate the lands, to crush gods, to move the sun...Captain America did not fall. Under the crushing power of a magic that far exceeded what his body should have been able to take, the Captain did not fall cold or dead. He stood up.

Sweetie called out the Captain as he continued to take the onslaught of magic. Tears poured from her face as she lifted the shield and crouched behind it, bracing against the blast of lunar magic with all of her might. The blast nearly knocked her away, but the shield did not yield under the relentless magical assault. From behind the shield she dared a glance at the Captain, whose suit had been burned away and his body was horrifying to look at. Yet it remained standing, taking the solar magic without giving an inch. But she didn't know for how much longer he could.

'Sweetie...Belle...'

She nearly jumped as the voice spoke in her head, the voice of a princess that she had believed to have been long dead. "Luna?" she whispered in reply, unable to look at the princess due to the amounts of magic bombarding her.

'Please...he cannot hold out...much longer...you have to...kill us.' The tears came to a stop at the horror of what Luna was asking, but a quick glance at the Captain, who was now starting to fade away. Showed that there was no time. With a scream of rage that would have made the Hulk envious, she poured all of her strength into the shield. She then angled Luna's blast of magic back towards her and her sister, lining it up perfectly on the spot of their body where their two halves were merged.

Both princesses ceased their magic as they howled with pain, their shared body glowing with both lunar and solar magic. Cracks formed across their body as the magic overloaded them, before both halves erupted into a column of magic that pillared into the sky. Sweetie stayed crouched behind the shield the entire time, waiting until the shaking stopped, until she dared a glance outside.

All that was left of Celestia and Luna was two piles of ash that lay on the ground, one a pure white and the other a midnight blue. Yet she barely spared the two a thought before she raced over to the Captain, hardly noticing that she was still carrying his shield as she fell to her knees beside him.

He was horrifying to look at. His body looked like a corpse that had been burned away, with barely any of his skin or hair remaining. Most of his organs were visible and his face barely resembled the man she knew. Yet despite all of the horrific injuries that had been done to him, Sweetie could still faintly see his chest rising and lowering. She didn't know how he was alive, but she knew that it wouldn't last much longer if he didn't get some kind of help.

"Well, I'll be damned. He actually did it." Sweetie's head snapped around to see Sombra standing beside her, a wicked smile upon his face as he glared down at what remained of Rogers. "I honestly thought he was going to leave you to die and then I'd pick him off when he mourned. But to be able to take that much solar magic...I underestimated him. I doubt I was the first. But still, it seems that it was enough to finish the job"

'He thinks Steve's dead,' Sweetie realized, giving her a precious few seconds to think. She then let out an unholy scream as she swung the shield at Sombra, who caught it with a smirk.

"Sorry Belle, but you're not him," Sombra cackled as he kicked her in the knee and dropped her to the ground. He then stared out across the Empire, which was devoid of any ponies save for those that had been killed in battle. "And the Crusade even managed to completely evacuate the Empire. Excellent. Now the final play can begin. But first," he said with a snarl as he turned towards the mare, who still clutched at the shield as she struggled to get back up. "I believe it is time that I was rid of you."

Sombra's horn had just begun to glow before an orange blur slammed her hooves into the side of his head, sending Sombra flying right off the rooftop once more. Scootaloo then raced to Belle's side, taking a moment to see if she was alright before gazing down with sickening horror at the charred body that lay beside her.

"Is...is that...oh Faust," she whispered before Belle dragged herself over to the Captain.

"He's alive, but barely. We need to get him some aid!" she ordered, using whatever magic she could muster to lift the Captain. Scootaloo nodded as she wrapped her hooves around Belle's stomach, lifting her and, by extension the Captain, into the air before rocketing off as fast as she could towards Canterlot.

"Run, run, as fast as you can," Sombra cackled as he teleported back on top of the castle. He then stamped a hoof into the rooftop, resulting in a blast of magic being launched into the sky. Then the whole Empire began to shake as hundreds of crystals began to move at once. Slowly, the very Crystal Empire itself began rise out of the ground, before a massive hand erupted from the ground and shook the earth as it slammed into the ground. "Because with the hero dead, this is my world now."

The Empire rose higher and higher into the sky, revealing another arm and a gargantuan pair of crystal legs that supported the entire body that had once been the Crystal Empire. The land shook beneath its feet as it took a step, the clouds parted as they floated into its shoulders and all of the land fell under its shadow as its massive form blocked out the sun. And from atop his spire, which slowly slid down into a crystal skull, one that burned with green eyes, rested Sombra, who cackled with laughter as his plan finally fell into place.

"Onward, my crystal titan! Because now, there is nothing that can stop us!"

Message

A somber mood hung over the ponies that resided within Canterlot, and some of the more desperate ones planned to leave the city as soon as they could. Most of the Crusade still kept guard and focused on helping the ponies that had gotten back from the Crystal Empire, though nopony was certain why Sombra had let them go. But there was a single thought in the back of everyponies' mind that none of them could get rid of, a fact that smothered any thoughts of courage or hope within.

The Captain had fallen.

While someponies believed him to be completely dead, Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom knew that he wasn't that. At least, not yet. But when they watched his charred and disfigured body being placed into the healing tube within the secret chamber in the Canterlot Castle, they realized that he might as well be.

"You can help him, right Nurse Redheart?" Scootaloo asked the mare with the red cross on her flank, who was looking over the Captain's vitals with a look on her face that made her seem chiseled out of stone. "Because Sombra is on his way with whatever the Tartarus that massive thing is, and we can't fight it without him." The look the nurse gave Scootaloo caused her to backpedal to her friends, giving the nurse space to finish her observations.

"To fight? Scootaloo, Captain America is essentially dead," she informed them gravely before shaking her head and running a hoof through her mane. "Apparently whatever willpower Celestia had left she used to mix in healing magic with her attack, but the damage is beyond anything I've seen. That bit of mercy is all that's keeping him alive right now, along with whatever is running through his veins--and his sheer willpower. But he's barely alive. It may be possible to heal the damage done...in a few years at least? By the time that thing gets here? You're asking for the impossible."

"But we need him!" Applebloom reminded her, getting another sigh from the nurse. "He's the hero of Equestria! If we don't have him fighting with us, then how can we possibly hope to-"

"You think I don't know that?" Nurse Redheart said in a quiet voice that packed enough emotion to silence Applebloom. "You think I don't know what Captain America meant to the ponies out there? To the future of our world? He brought us hope, he showed us that the Five weren't invincible...that evil wouldn't win."

"But even if he is the greatest hero we have ever seen, recovering from this is going to take time. Actually, from the extent of his injuries and Belle's description of what happened, he should be beyond dead. I'm chalking up his still being alive to the fact that he has a will that will not stop." Redheart sighed once more as she removed her cap and let her mane fall over her shoulders. "Maybe we can help him. This liquid is soothing his injuries and maybe, with some time, we can even heal his skin. But we all know that Sombra won't give us that time. So the only way we can heal the Captain is to defeat Sombra...and we need the Captain for that."

"Then...what do we do?" Scootaloo asked her.

"I don't know. All I can do is stay here with him and make sure he doesn't completely die on us," Redheart promised as they all glanced into the tube where the Captain floated. "The rest of you...should get some rest. It's late and you need sleep. You're probably going to need it...for when Sombra gets here."

With that the nurse went back to checking on the Captain, leaving the three mares to show themselves out silently. Scootaloo and Bloom talked amongst themselves while Belle trailed behind them, the Captain's shield still tightly in her grasp. She hadn't let go of it since the Captain had thrown it to her.

'Why Cap? Why did you bother to save me?' she silently asked, expecting no answer. The magical properties of what had been in the tube had healed most of her wounds, but there was a hole in her heart that even they couldn't' heal. 'You knew more than any of us the weight that was upon your shoulders, that you were the hope of this land, yet you still chose to save me. Was it just because you are a hero and that's what you do? Why?'

"Belle?" Bloom asked her, piercing through the clouds of pain and confusion to snap her back into reality. "We were...discussing what our plans should be. Our pegasi recon teams have informed us that the Crystal Titan is tearing a path across Equestria to get to us and will be here in a few days at most. Do we flee? Can we find a way to get all the ponies out of here in time?"

"Shouldn't we at least try to fight?" Belle put forward with a half-hearted attempt to show some courage, but all her words did was gain her looks of pity from her two friends.

"Belle...how can we fight that thing? How can we hope to beat Sombra without the Captain here? Even Sombra himself admitted that the only threat to his plans was the Captain. And now he's...we're on our own," Scootaloo reminded Belle, who tried in vain to think of something to say in reply. "We should probably evacuate. I'll see if I can start moving the sick or injured to the train station. Maybe we'll get lucky and Sombra will take a little longer to get here."

Scootaloo then took to the skies, leaving Belle alone with Bloom in the silence of the empty throne room. Bloom gazed from Sweetie Belle's eyes to the shield that she still clutched tightly in her hooves, the tiniest smile that she had ever made spreading across her face.

"He still went down a hero. That's something at least. He promised Sombra that nopony else would die under his watch and they didn't. If ya can...don't beat yerself up over his decision. He did save ya..." Bloom saw that her words had no effect on Belle, who had resumed staring at the floor.

When Sweetie Belle looked up again she was alone in the room, with nothing but the sound of rain trying to break in through the glass to keep her company. Her spirits fell with the raindrops as she walked out of the throne room, walking past numerous members of the Crusade that had the same somber look upon their faces as well.

'They all feel the same as us. That it's hopeless now, hopeless without the Captain,' she realized upon reaching the room that she had claimed for herself, a room that her sister had often used whenever she came to Canterlot. Belle threw herself onto the bed and lay the shield down next to her, staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes while trying to get some sleep, figuring that Nurse Redheart was right in saying that she needed rest.

Yet every time she closed her eyes, her mind was brought back to the battle. She had been barely able to lift her head, gazing towards the Frankenpony that was prepared to wipe her out...and then the shield landing at her hooves. The thumbs up from the Captain. His last words. And then how she had to stand by and watch as the greatest hero she had ever met "died" to save her.

Belle rolled over in her bed with a groan, trying to banish those memories from her mind. Yet when she fell asleep again, she was sucked back into the battle once more. The shield, the thumbs up, the last words...it all repeated again. She cracked her eyes open to see the moon beaming down on her, telling her that she had been trapped within the horrifying memories far longer than she had originally believed. With a small sigh of acceptance, she rose out of bed and walked to the window. The moon that shone so bright reflected in her eyes, making her feel as if Luna was watching from above like she had always done.

"Sis...I don't know if you can hear me up there, but we really need help," she whispered to the heavens, praying that her sister could hear her. "Sombra is stronger than ever and without Cap...what would you do? What would the Ambassadors do in this situation? I know that you would tell us to fight, but...this is a fight we can't win. Not without a hero to help us. Please...give me something."

A yawn escaped her lips and told her that it was time to return to her bed once more, which she did with fear that the nightmares would return. And indeed, upon closing her eyes and drifting off, she found herself standing atop the crystal spire with the shield in her hooves, with Rogers giving her the thumbs up.

"As I said. None of you are dying on my watch. So I leave up to you and the Crusade. And remember, I was nothing special. I chose to believe." Belle felt his words stab at her heart like knives, and she had to avert her eyes as the Captain vanished in a flash of light. But when she lifted her head again, she found the Captain standing as he had right before impact and he spoke his last words once again.

An eyebrow slowly went up on Belle's face as the scene repeated itself once more, with the Captain repeating his last words before being blasted away by the solar magic. 'Why...does my dream keep going back to his last words?' she asked herself as the scene replayed once more, her eyes narrowing this time when she caught something. 'Wait a moment...that line. I was nothing special. Why would he tell me that? Out of all the things in the world he could have said, why tell me that he was nothing special? Of course he was special, he was a hero! He was strong and brave and inventive and...'

Then the scene shifted around her, changing from the last words of the Captain to a time long before that. Belle recognized the scene almost immediately, for it was when she had spoken with Scootaloo after she had just gotten back from the Starfall with the Cap.

"So you're telling me that the two of you, by yourselves, with no backup whatsoever, managed to kill Starlight and bring one of the greatest weapons of destruction down?" she remembered asking with pure disbelief.

"I know! I can't believe it either!" Scootaloo had exclaimed from her hospital bed, flapping her tiny wings with excitement. "You should have been there! Starlight was in a giant crab, Discord had been trapped in a machine that was stealing his power and the Captain and I had to fight her alone!"

"Heh, I can't believe that star-spangled moron managed to defeat Starlight and destroy the Starfall," Belle watched herself reply with a shake of her head, her words offending the orange Pegasus.

"Hey, I helped too. In fact, Starlight was about to kill the Captain with her magic before I intervened. And who do you think reflected Starlight's magic into the tube to free Discord? Me."

The image faded away the moment Scootaloo had finished speaking, leaving Belle confused as to why her mind would show her that before the next memory appeared before her.

"Fer the last time Belle, ah'm fine. Ah don't need to be in a bed, ah need to fix my suit," Applebloom had spoken from her workbench, ignoring the look that Belle had given her while fixing her suit. "If anything, Rogers should be in a bed instead. He took quite the beating at the hooves of Chrysalis."

"And yet he managed to beat her. That's three he's already taken down," Belle had said with a shake of her head, not able to believe at the time how the Captain was managing to defeat the Five.

"Well, he didn't do it alone. He may have been the one that held her off, but ah'm the one that dropped the cauldron on top of her," Applebloom revealed with a small smile that had made Belle raise an eyebrow. "And ah'm glad ah got to be the one to do it. She was always one of the worst of the worst. But yeah, we both really showed her."

The memory faded away, leaving Belle slightly less confused than she had been. She was starting to notice a pattern with all of the memories, and what they were saying, but before she could draw a conclusion one last memory appeared before her.

"I've seen plenty of heroes in my time, so you can trust me when I say that's what I see when I look at you. I see the courage, resolve and dedication to good that all heroes should have. While my being here may have quickened the freeing of Equestria, believe me when I say that you would have freed your land even without me. So don't think that everything good that's happened is because of me or that I'm the only hero you've got. Because I'm looking at three."

Belle turned around to find the Captain looking down at the three of them with a smile, a smile that showed not only confidence, but belief in the mares he was looking at. The memory then glanced over at the real Belle and smiled at her as well, giving her a thumbs up before tossing his shield over to her.

Her eyes snapped open as she shot up on her bed, mind racing as she struggled to shake the sleep from her eyes. Once she had done so, she glanced down at the shield beside her to see it reflecting the moonlight that had come beaming in from the window. She wrapped her hooves around it and lifted it up, looking into her reflection upon the metal that only continued to shine. Then one more voice spoke in her head, a voice that made her blood boil.

"Because he is a human with no magic, no wings and only a shield that can't be broken. And yet with barely anything going for him he brought down far more of us than any of those alicorns or supposed 'destined' heroes did."

'But...maybe...that's where the secret lies,' Belle started to figure as she lifted a hoof up and touched her crystal horn. 'Captain America...was nothing special, at least by our standards. He has no magic. He couldn't move the sun or moon. He didn't have any ancient artifacts that made him far stronger than he was. But he still made it farther...than any other of those heroes...with incredible magic or powers we couldn't comprehend. Why?'

Then the mare thought back to how the Crusade had been before he showed up, how they had all been hopeless, how they didn't believe that they stood a chance...how they were desperate for a hero to show them what to do. And that had been exactly what the Captain had done. And then she remembered how he had told them about his life, how he had been chosen for the program that had made him the Captain and how he had fought despite the impossible odds.

'He didn't fight because he was a destined to or because he had a magic that would win him the battle. He did it because he had to,' Belle pieced together, remembering the impossible odds that Rogers had faced the entire time he had been here. 'Because if he didn't prevail, then there would be nopony left to fight. But now...things are different. We've shown that we can fight back, that we can save our world. That together we can bring down even Tirek, despite us being nothing--'

Belle took in a quick breath as the final piece fell into place, finally understanding what the Captain had been trying to tell her. She then gazed down at the shield and saw her own reflection within, a reflection that only showed her. 'I understand now. I understand what he had been trying to say for so long. And now I know we can win this, that just because we don't have the Captain doesn't mean that we're beaten!...But I still need to convince the others and right now they are beyond hopeless. They already believe themselves to be beaten. How can I show them otherwise?'

She wracked her brain for nearly an hour, trying with all of her mental might to think of a way to convince the Crusade to take up their weapons once more. And then, just as the moonlight shone down on her, she had it. She knew exactly what to say.

"Idea," she whispered as it all came together, a large smile spreading across her face as she leapt out of bed and ran for the door. She accidentally dropped the shield on her way and out had to race back over to pick it up. Yet when she did so, she glanced at the shield to see her reflection...and the faintest reflection of a white mare with blue eyes standing behind her. Yet when Belle glanced behind her she found that there was nopony else in the room with her. But as she sprinted from her room to wake the other two Crusaders, she had a feeling she was no longer alone.

Hero Killer

Scootaloo rocketed towards Sombra at full speed, her hoof cocked back to deliver the first hit upon his smug face. Yet right as she reached the Dark King a barrier of darkness erupted around the king to intercept her, hurling the orange mare back across the room at even faster speeds than she had been flying. Belle and Bloom couldn't afford to spare a second to see if their friend was alright, since they were forced to dodge blasts of dark magic.

"Come now fillies, I thought that this is what you had wanted for so long?" Sombra cackled as his eyes of emerald shined with a menacing light. He twisted his head towards Belle and fired off a green and black bolt of shadow towards her, yet the eyes narrowed when the mare ducked beneath the shield and deflected the blast. "I hope that you can do more than hide behind the Captain's shield. Because you will not beat me if that is all you can do!"

Bloom snarled as she leapt into the air, hurling herself above Sombra with her enhanced suit. She then slammed her hoof covered in armor into the barrier of the dark king, sending cracks along its top and causing Sombra to raise an eyebrow in interest. Bloom smirked at the crack in the shield before Sombra exploded the shield himself, hurling both Belle and Bloom away from him with the explosion. Before Applebloom could hit the floor, a dark tendril of magic wrapped itself around her neck and pulled her in close.

"So you are the little tinkerer that has been constructing those strange enhancements that managed to impress even me," he whispered with menace as Bloom struggled to break free of the iron grip of the Dark King. "No need to answer. I can already tell by the fact that your suit is far superior to the ones that attacked my empire. Which means that if I wish to put an end to these suits," he began before forging a sword out of the air that was blacker than his heart, "I need to kill you fi-"

Sombra's words and teeth were knocked clean out of his jaw as a blur of orange and purple slammed into him at speeds that shattered the sound barrier, immediately driving him back-first into a wall. He snarled in pain as he glanced up to see what had hit him, before a flurry of hooves descended upon his face.

"You! Will! Not! Touch HER!" Scootaloo roared through her fury as she cocked back a hoof before throwing it right at Somrba's eye with a cold scream of wrath. Yet Sombra's horn glowed once more and caught the attack, which he then directed back into her face. Scootaloo let out a cry as she staggered back, allowing Sombra to float into the air once more with a sinister smile on his bloody face.

"That's it! That's the fight I've been waiting for!" Sombra cackled as he lifted Scootaloo with his magic and hurled her into Bloom, sending the both of them tumbling by Belle while she raced forward and unleashed her magic at the Dark King. Sombra snickered before clapping his hooves together and tearing chunks of crystal out of the wall with his magic, which he then floated before him to deflect the mare's attack. "I do not know why you bother, Sweetie Belle. I already proved before that my magic is far beyond anything you can even hope to dream of. But if you did not understand the lesson the first time, then I suppose another demonstration is in order."

Sombra slipped into the shadows after firing two blasts of magic at the mare, who sheltered behind the shield to defend herself from the assault. Yet even as the shield protected her from the frontal assault, the shadow of Sombra slipped around behind her with ease. Belle had just enough time to glance behind her before Sombra re-emerged from the shadows, cackling like mad before unleashing a burst of green magic into her chest. Belle cried out in pain as she was flung across the room, slamming into the wall and sliding to the floor with a dazed look.

"Is that all you can do, Belle? Can you not channel your rage into your magic and at least try to entertain me?" Sombra mocked the dazed mare, who struggled to push herself back to her hooves. "How about I help? I killed your sister with a twist of my hoof. The only reason that we managed to capture Twilight was because you thought you could be an Element! Come on, doesn't any of this tick you off at all?"

"Oh trust me. It ticks me off just fine." Sombra turned around and instantly threw himself to the floor to avoid a wild haymaker that just narrowly missed his head, yet even from below Sombra could see the air trail that followed after the blow. Bloom caught on to his sudden movement and shot out one on of her hind legs to catch him in the face, yet once more the Dark King returned to the shadows to escape.

"That looks like it might actually hurt," Sombra observed with another one of his smiles as he appeared across the room from Bloom, who was bouncing back and forth on her hind legs while quickly jabbing at the air in front of her. "Ah, I see that you've learned the martial arts. They are impressive...until you realize that a true master unicorn would never let you get close enough to use them."

"So, let's find out if ya are a master or not," Applebloom said before throwing herself towards Sombra, who laughed at her confidence before spinning around in a circle to create three orbs of darkness that continued to rotate even with the king had stopped. He then fired blasts of magic towards the mare, yet to his surprise she managed to punch each of his spells out of existence. He had just enough time to raise an eyebrow at her display before she drove into him shoulder first, laying him flat on his back while she pinned him down by his throat with a single hoof.

"Ah hope yer ready fer a world of pain. Because on this world, the pain doesn't stop," she whispered to him before throwing a massive right straight for his face, only for her blow to be intercepted by one of the spheres. Bloom registered what had happened before torrents of black lightning erupted from the sphere, causing the mare to scream in agony as the lightning was conducted into her metal exosuit.

"I can see that the pain does not stop. I would hate to be subjected to such a fate," Sombra chuckled as Bloom staggered back, her whole body twitching from the surge of lightning. The spheres then lunged towards her, forcing the mare to punch and kick them away from her to keep them from getting close. Yet, each time her hooves came into contact with the spheres, she received a jolt of lightning that burned through her nerves. After striking the orbs a few times, Applebloom nearly collapsed to the ground as exhaustion and pain coursed through her.

"You may be smart enough to build some fancy machines, mare, but even your incredible physical strength must strike your foe in order to do any harm," Sombra taunted with a smile as Bloom tried to push herself back up, the three spheres circling around her with lightning crackling with devastating power. "And when the things that you must hit to keep away inflict pain upon you...well, it becomes clear which one of us is smarter."

Sombra caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and quickly constructed a barrier around himself, preventing Scootaloo from hurling herself into him a second time. He still had to grit his teeth while bracing both himself and the barrier from the sheer power behind her attack. The blow was just as bad for Scootaloo, who stepped back with teeth clenched together to avoid crying out.

"Ah yes, I remember you well," Sombra began as his horn glowed, turning the spheres back into nothing before constructing magical tendrils that he cracked like a whip. "You were that filly that was always hanging out with Rainbow Dash. Always kissing up to her. Always wanting to be like her, despite the fact that it should have been painfully obvious that you couldn't."

"Go to hell!" Scootaloo screamed as she rocketed forward once again, but this time Sombra elegantly sidestepped her and wrapped one of his whips around her leg as she passed by. He then clamped the whip with his magic and yanked it back with all of his might, snapping Scootaloo to a dead stop and dropping her to the floor. With a furious snarl she staggered back up, yet Sombra smiled when he saw that she was avoiding putting any pressure on the leg that he had caught.

"Do you want to know how your brave and unbeatable Rainbow Dash died when the five of us took over the world? She was the first to fall, the first to be beaten down into nothingness by the combined might of Tirek and Chrysalis--something they actually managed to get right!" Sombra preached as he swung the two whips towards her, forcing Scootaloo into the air though she moved as quickly as she could to avoid the whips. Yet the moment she went airborne, Sombra hurled a blast of magic from his horn that caught her dead center in the chest, rocketing her across the room and into a crystal wall.

"All because she raced ahead to save the day, leaving all of her friends and her support behind. That is the story of how your precious hero met her end. Because she just couldn't for once wait for others to catch up to her." Sombra then lifted the mare into the air and hurled her into Bloom, who had just gotten up only to be struck down once more as her partner slammed into her. Sombra shook his head with a sigh of disappointment at the two before he glanced over his shoulder to see that Sweetie Belle had gotten back up.

"You are tenacious, I will give you that," Sombra praised with fake pride as Belle spat out a bit of blood to the side, horn glowing as she crouched behind the shield. "Tell me Belle, do you believe that by carrying that shield that you actually know what you are doing with it? To the Captain that shield was offense, defense and a distraction that could turn the tide of battle for him. For you? It is nothing more than a disc of metal."

"Steve threw me his shield before he gave himself to save all of us. He gave it to me because he believed in me and that I would stop you," Belle revealed to Sombra, who only rolled his eyes at the mare's words. "This shield shows that he is still with us, fighting in spirit despite him not being here. And you should know Sombra, that Steve's spirit is unbreak-"

Sombra torn up multiple shards of crystal from the floor and hurled them towards the mare, who quickly ducked behind the shield and braced herself as the shards of crystals bounced off of the shield. She glanced up just in time to see Sombra land right on top of her, using his rear hooves to kick the shield from her grasp before slamming a forehoof right into her nose. She cursed while staggering back from the blow, clutching at her bleeding nose as the shield skirted away from her.

"Your words bore me, Sweetie Belle. The Captain is dead, because he valued your worthless lives over his own, despite being the only one that could stop me," Sombra informed her before constructing a blade of darkness and slashing at Belle with it. Belle constructed a blade of light to intercept Sombra's, the two pressing against each other as light and darkness clashed. "And you are not him. You are not a hero. You are a mare that once again has tried to take on the role of a true hero...only to fail so horribly!"

Sweetie screamed in pain as a black orb struck her in the back of her head, sending electricity coursing through her body. Sombra then cackled as he slammed his sword into her blade, shattering it into hundreds of shards of light. He swung his head forward as a follow-up and drove his forehead right into hers, snapping her head back and sending her crashing to the floor.

"Enough of your words. Enough of you. I had been hoping that one of you may have been able to challenge me, to give me one last battle before I conquered this world once and for all," Sombra informed the three of them as he glanced around at their beaten and broken bodies, shaking his head as he turned and walked towards the eyes of the titan. "But now I see that you are just as pathetic as your sisters. They had the Rainbow Power and were not able to best us. I fail to see how you believed that you could do any better. So I suppose it is time that I finally put an end not just to you...but to this crusade."

As those words left his lips, the crystal titan let out a bellow that shook all of Equestria to its core. It then lifted both of its arms over its head, casting a shadow across the entire city of Canterlot as its colossal form blocked out the sun. Then it struck with all of the power and might that Sombra had built into it, shattering the shield around the city as its fists collided with the barrier.

Ponies everywhere began to scream as the crystal beast began to slam its hands down upon the city, crushing all in its way beneath its mighty arms. The Crusaders fought back with all that they had, firing the remaining catapults at it while their air force tried to distract the machine as best they could. Yet within moments the catapults were crushed into twigs, and with a clap of the titan's crystal hands it tore the pegasi from the sky.

"Now you see what awaits all of you," Sombra informed the three as he glanced back at them, seeing Scootaloo and Bloom trying to get up while Sweetie had already risen to her hooves and clutched at the shield once more. "But I am a fair, mad tyrant. So, Belle, I am going to give you this one chance to defeat me. You and me. One on one. And if you win, you get to kill me. And if I win, you get to see your sister again. Really it's a win-win. So what do you say?"

Sweetie answered with a roar of rage as she lunged at the king, swinging the edge of the shield towards his head for all she was worth. Sombra cackled as he ducked under the blow and constructed twin daggers of magic with which he slashed at her. Sweetie used her horn to create a second shield of magic, which she used to deflect one strike before blocking with the old gal.

"Not bad, girl. But let us see if you can keep up!" Sombra then began his full onslaught, slashing, jabbing and striking at every opening and chance that he spied. And despite having the twin shields to protect her, Belle was quickly sliced and stabbed multiple times. While none of the wounds threatened her life, she could feel herself weakening with each strike and slash. Sombra then let out a bellow as he combined his blade into one, massive claymore, which he brought down on her with all of his might. She raised both shields up to defend herself, yet only one of the shields held under the Dark King's assault.

Sweetie cried out as she was hurled backwards, tumbling across the floor before sliding to a stop. She groaned weakly as she tried to get up, each of the cuts and stabs burning with incredible pain as she tried to move. She then looked up at the Dark King, who was advancing towards her with a smile of victory written all over his face.

'I can't beat him with my magic. He overpowers me in a physical contest. And he's far faster than me,' she realized with dread as each of her options faded from her mind. But then she glanced down at the shield, which reflected her eyes within it. So in one last act of desperation, placing all of her faith into the shield, Sweetie Belle slid the shield from her arm and hurled it for all she was worth.

Sombra saw the movement and quickly stepped to the side, causing the shield to whip right by his head before the smile retuned to his face. Yet even as he walked closer, Sweetie kept track of the shield's movements out of the corner of her eye. She saw it bounce off the wall before ricocheting off of the ceiling, sending it on a course right for Sombra. It flew on a course straight for the back of his head...before Sombra tilted his head to the side and caused the shield to fly right past once more.

"Ohohoho, that is a look," Sombra said with glee as the shield clattered to the ground right next to Sweetie Belle, whose eyes were wide as could be while her pupils had shrunken down with pure terror. Sombra chanced a glance at the other two to find the same looks upon their faces, telling him that an explanation was in order. "Did you fools really believe that I would learn nothing from my comrade's deaths? I know how the shield can bounce, I know that it has a nasty habit of coming back to the Captain...but in the end, it is all angles and trajectory. And a genius such as myself, in a room that I built no less, has no trouble knowing where and how the shield will bounce."

"So don't expect any miracle to save you three," he promised as he advanced towards them, twirling his claymore with the sickest of smiles that he could possibly wear. "Don't expect anything to save you. Because today is the day...that the Crusade dies!"

Stand Up

Regaining what little will they had left to fight, Sweetie rolled to the shield while Scootaloo launched herself towards Sombra. Yet the Dark King cackled as he brought up the side of his blade to block the mare before blasting her in the face with his magic. She screamed in pain as she tried to brush the magic out of her eye, only to be tackled in the side by Bloom. The two hit the ground just as the black blade of Sombra sliced the air where they had been standing a moment before.

"Come Crusaders, fight me one last time! That way I can actually write a page about you in my history book instead of leaving you as a hoofnote!" Sombra demanded while he caused the blade to vanish, slamming his hooves into the floor to create a wave of demonic darkness that swept across the entire floor before it came crashing down on them.

"Behind me!" Belle yelled just as she hurled herself in front of the three, who crouched down behind her as the darkness buried them beneath it. Yet even as the darkness began to fade Sombra prepared his next move, able to see the shield still defying him beneath the blackness. His spell cleared a moment later and revealed to him that indeed, the three were still alive.

"Well, if it was that easy the other fools would have been able to kill you long ago," Sombra remarked before he glanced down through the floor, spying something that made a large smile cross his face before he turned his eyes back towards the mares with evil intent. "Ah, it seems that the final piece of my plan is finally at one hundred percent. Care to guess what that may be? Go on, guess?"

When none of the three Crusaders guessed, Sombra let out a sigh. "You're no fun. Fine, I'll explain. Remember that machine that Tirek had? The one that could suck the magic out of nearly everypony in the land? Think along those lines, except on a global level." The shock and horror that flashed up in the three sets of eyes made Sombra cackle as he rubbed his hooves together.

"There it is. That's the reaction that I wanted. Do you see how futile this is now? My crystal titan tears your forces to shreds as we speak. My machine will soon suck all of the magic from every creature in the world, leaving them powerless to resist me. And the Captain is gone. This victory is already mine," Sombra boasted before smiling at the three once more. "All that's left is to see how much longer you will last against me before I finally kill you. So come on you three, try and beat me. But you can't."

"He's right," Applebloom whispered after a moment of silence, getting shocked stares from her friends. "We can't beat him like this."

"So what are you saying? That we just give up?!" Scootaloo roared at her friend, fighting through the pain that burned the side of her face. "We are the last hope for Equestria! If we fail here, then there won't be another chance! Sombra will have won!"

"He's already won!" Bloom screamed back at her, dropping to her knees as she did so. "Can't ya see that? We all attacked him with everything we had and he still kicked our sorry flanks! He's right. All that will happen now is seeing how long it takes for him to kill us."

"No...we can't..." Scootaloo argued, yet the fire within her eyes was dying as well as the realization started to crush down upon her.

"Boo. Don't give up. That's boring," Sombra added from the sidelines with a smirk.

"What can we do? What can we try that we haven't already?" Applebloom asked Scootaloo, gazing up at her while awaiting an answer. Scootaloo tried to think of an answer, yet nothing came to her as she scowled and glance away.

"We could try...fighting as a team." Both Bloom and Scootaloo glanced over at Belle, who was gazing at the floor with far away eyes. "Like how we used to work as a team when were little. Before...all of this."

"Haven't we been doing that?" Bloom asked with a shake of her head.

"No...at least, not like we used to. Ever since the death of my sister, I've been...cold, distant and angry with any who tried to get close to me," she admitted with pain. "And as I drove myself farther away...and as the two of you grew closer, the trio that we used to be broke apart. And it's been that way ever since we formed the Crusade."

Sweetie Belle then glanced up at her friends with both guilt and hope within her eyes. "I know that I'm responsible for the split, I know that I'm the one the drove us apart. But I ask you, beg you, to let us fight together once more. To be the trio that we used to be all those years ago."

Bloom and Scootaloo both looked at each other for a moment, before, much to the amazement of Sombra, they began to laugh. The sudden laughter made Belle glance from the both of them with confusion on her face, before she was hugged from both sides.

"Belle, we've always been that trio. Neither Bloom nor I ever stopped believing that," Scootaloo laughed.

"And we've always been yer friends, always there with ya, even if ya didn't see it," Applebloom finished for Scootaloo, leaving the tearing up Belle to hug her friends back. "So ya don't need to ask us to fight with ya. Because we always have been. Because we're your best friends."

"So come ,Crusaders. Lets take this villain down," Scootaloo began as the three let go of each other and turned to face Sombra, each with courage, resolve, but most importantly friendship, shining within their eyes once more. "As a trio."

Sombra didn't say anything for a moment, but then he threw his head back and began to laugh. His body shook with the force of his laughter and when he finally managed to stop, he had tears streaming from his eyes. "There it is. That is what I have been waiting for all this time. That heroic speech that gives you three the strength to get up to face me one last time. And it was pretty good too. I'll give it a seven. But it doesn't matter how heroic you feel or how tight your friendship is, because the outcome of this battle is still the same." Sombra then used his magic to conjure massive, crystal broadswords that floated along beside him.

"You will die."

"Maybe we will. But if we do die, we'll die together," Belle promised the Dark King. Both sides then let out battle cries before throwing themselves at the other. Scootaloo grabbed Sweetie Belle's hoof and hurled her into the air before both she and Applebloom charged Sombra from below, forcing the king to split his attention between the two.

He had no issue doing just that, since he sent Scootaloo and Applebloom flying backwards with a blast of magic at their hooves before swinging one of his blades up at Belle. She brought the shield up just in time to deflect the blow, yet the force of the impact still sent her flying across the room.

"Gotcha!" Scootaloo informed Sweetie as she flew up from behind and intercepted the mare, yet Sweetie could barely flash Scootaloo a look of gratitude before she had to raise the shield again to protect them from Sombra's second assault with magic. "Hey Sweetie Belle? Are you feeling like a fastball?"

Sweetie's smile answered for her and in the next instant Scootaloo spun around and hurled her friend towards Sombra. The Dark King snarled as the shield with the star in the center came hurtling towards him, forcing him to take refuge within the shadows to avoid the blow. Yet the moment that he surfaced from the shadows once more, he was instantly tackled by an orange blur that kicked him across the floor.

"You're up, Bloom!"

Sombra snarled as he rolled out of the way of a fist strike that shook the entire chamber. He conjured the orbs around him once more, yet this time three blasts of white magic knocked the orbs out of the air. The Dark King roared as he cast a barrier of black magic around him, before slamming his hooves into the floor to shatter the barrier. The three Crusaders were hurled back once again from the explosion, giving Sombra a chance to counter attack.

He shot a burst of his fastest magic towards Scootaloo, nailing her once more in her already injured eye. As she screamed in pain Sombra turned towards Applebloom and let lightning flow from his horn, frying both her and her machinery with all of his black power. He then turned with dark intentions towards Belle, eyes narrowing at the unicorn who faced him with the shield held before her.

"And now you're all alone," he whispered to her as he created a thin blade of black magic once more.

"As I already told you, I'm not alone. I have my friends. And the Captain," she reminded him as she tapped her hoof against the shield. Sombra howled with fury as he lunged at her, causing Sweetie to raise the shield...before he spun on a dime and went straight for Applebloom. He brought his sword back as he prepared to strike, smiling when he saw the realization dawn in the mare's eyes.

"DIE!" Sombra bellowed as he stabbed the sword forward, watching as a blur of orange threw itself over Applebloom...before his blade struck a shield with a white star. Both Applebloom and Scootaloo looked up to see Sweetie standing over them, pushing back against Sombra's blade with the shield.

"I lost the both of you once," she began as she smiled down at them. "I won't lose the two of you again." Scootaloo and Applebloom smiled up at her in reply...before a blade of darkness drove itself right through Sweetie Belle's stomach. The mare spat out a bit of blood as she slowly turned to face Sombra, who had a sneer on his face.

"Even an invincible shield can only protect so much," Sombra panted as he twisted his second blade, getting a weak cry of pain from Belle before he tore the blade from her and blasted the belle in the chest with a stream of magic. Sweetie Belle flew across the room and slammed into the door, sliding down to the floor as blood started to pour from her wound.

"NO!" her two friends cried before they were both hoisted into the air by Sombra's magic. They both struggle to free themselves as the Dark King took aim with both of his blades, aiming straight for their hearts.

'No...he's going...to kill them,' Belle realized as she tried to push herself up, yet her muscles failed her and she collapsed into her own blood. With tears beginning to fall from her eyes, all she could do was watch as Sombra prepared to kill the two that she cared about more than anything else in the world, powerless to-

'Stand up.'

The words cut through her pain like a ray of light in the darkest of days, reminding her of what she had been told long ago. She blinked the tears out of her eyes while gritting her teeth, forcing her limbs to move as she slowly pushed herself up. Her muscles screamed out in agony, the wound in her stomach hurt with far greater pain then any she could imagine, nearly bringing her down once more.

'Stand up.'

Sweetie forced the pain from the mind, only allowing herself to focus on the danger that her friends were in. She needed to help them, she needed to stop Sombra then and there. The pain was far too great for her to even try to focus on her magic, but with all of her might she gripped the vibranium disc that rested beside her and took aim.

'You always stand up!'

Sweetie screamed as she poured all of her might into her toss, hurling the shield across the room and straight for the Dark King. Yet once again Sombra caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and snapped his head to the side, watching as the disc sailed past.

"As I said girl, I can read the trajectory of that shield better than you," Sombra reminded her as he watched the shield bounce off of the ceiling and to the other side of the room. He then smiled at Sweetie while the mare struggled to remain standing before turning back to her friends. "So watch closely. Watch as I kill the only two ponies left that care about you, while you stand helpless to save-"

CLANG!

Sombra howled with surprise and pain as the vibranium shield cracked his horn, causing him to drop the two mares while he bellowed in pain and anguish. Through the pain in his eyes he managed to glare at the shield, which had bounced off the floor before returning to Sweetie Belle. She held out a weak hoof to catch the shield, but right before it could strike her an orange and yellow hoof caught it instead.

"Don't worry. We always got your back," Scootaloo said to her as she stood beside her friend, both she and Applebloom handing the shield back to her. Then all three of the Crusaders glared back at the Dark King, who was struggling to keep his magic under his control.

"That...is not possible!" he screamed with fury and confusion. "The shield did not have the velocity nor the angle to return and hit me! I read it perfectly! So how in the unholy hell did that stupid, inanimate...?!" And then Sombra's eyes widened as he gazed at the three, certain that he must have been seeing things because of the pain. For he did not just see the Crusaders when he gazed at the three. For what he saw was Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash standing behind them, glaring at him with the same looks that the Crusaders gave him now.

And standing behind all of them, was a man in a star spangled outfit. A man that did not wear a look of rage or hate, but instead had a smile on his face. A smile that told Sombra that he was about to lose.

"Maybe it's because of a weird bounce. Maybe it's because of a little luck. Or maybe," Sweetie Belle panted with a smile that mirrored the Captain's upon her face. "The old gal just doesn't like you."

"But whatever the reason, it's time that we finally put an end to you," Applebloom continued, getting a snarl from Sombra. "Because we've taken all of yer best attacks, all of your darkest magic, and yet you couldn't tear us apart."

"But now it's your turn, Sombra. Time for you to realize that in the face of a bond such as ours, your power means nothing," Scootaloo snarled at the Dark King, who scowled back at her. "And time for you to face what we can do together."

Sombra roared with fury as he used what magic he could muster to construct his massive claymore once more, lunging for the three of them with murder in his eyes. Yet even with the wound in her chest, even with the Dark King raging towards them, Sweetie still lifted the shield above her head. The Crusaders then glared down the Dark King, all of their eyes shining like the Captain's.

"Crusaders...FALL IN!"

Scootaloo rocketed forward and knocked Sombra's hooves out from under him, sending the Dark King tumbling to the floor. He roared with rage as he shot back up, only to receive two hooves to the face that were amplified a hundred fold by the 'mother bucker'. His face shattered under the blow and he was sent hurling across the room, where Scootaloo flew back around and drove her shoulder into his back.

"For all of Equestria!" Scootaloo cried as she grabbed hold of the king and spun him around, hurling him over to where Bloom was.

"For the princesses!" Applebloom continued as she slammed her hoof into his stomach, hurling the Dark King towards a mare who braced behind her shield.

"For our sisters!" she added as she drove the shield into Sombra's chest, stopping his momentum dead and dropping the king to the floor. He wheezed weakly while he fell to his back, rolling over and forcing himself back up as the three formed up once again.

"No...I am Sombra...the hero killer. I will not...not...DIE!" he roared as he covered his body in a black magic and lunged at the three.

"And for the hero who helped to show us the way. For Captain America." Applebloom then stepped forward and slammed both of her hooves onto the crystal floor, shattering the crystal and sending Sombra hurtling into the air. Scootaloo then grabbed both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle by the hooves, hurling the three of them into the sky over King Sombra.

"No...I have slain alicorns...champions...harmony itself," he spat as he channeled all of his remaining power into one last blast. "I will not allow...myself to die...at the hooves...of mere PRETENDERS!"

"Yes you will, Sombra, because today is the day that you finally face justice for what you have done! Your final..." Sweetie roared at him as all three of them placed their hooves against the ceiling, lining themselves up perfectly with Sombra. Applebloom then kicked off the ceiling with all of her strength, sending the three hurtling down towards Sombra. Scootaloo then activated her wings to increase their speed, causing colors to begin to form around the trio. And then as Sweetie covered them all in her magic, creating the illusion that they had become a shooting star, did the three cried out in one voice,

"JUSTICE!"

The star then slammed into Sombra with all of its might, shattering through his dark magic and hurtling the screaming king through the crystal floor beneath them. They continued their charge and drove Sombra into the magic stealing machine, forcing him through its crystal shielding and into the very core of the machine. He roared with agony as the machine began to tear him apart, overloading it with the sheer amount of damage that had been done to it.

The force of Sombra being driven into the machine caused it to crack and falter, sending out bursts of magic that could be felt around the land. Cracks formed in the Dark King's body as the power coursed through him, causing him to scream as he gazed at the three mares that had done this to him. But as the very life was sucked from him his vision changed and instead of the crystal machine, he saw a field of white around him. And instead of three mares, he now saw six Ambassadors that were circled around him in that void. And all of them wore the same look, a look that Sombra had never seen among the living...or the dead.

'Hello Sombra,' Rarity said to him with a smile, a smile that was mirrored by all of her friends. And for the first time in Sombra's death, he felt very afraid. 'And welcome to your hell.'

The machine let out a roar before a pillar of rainbow magic erupted from within it, ripping through the crystal that formed the structure of the monster and tearing it clean in two. The beast began to fall apart in front of all of the Crusaders that had been fighting it, who watched with wide eyes as the creature that had been so close to wiping them out started to fall apart.

And just like the titan itself, the gargoyles around the city began to plummet to the ground as well. Their eyes had all extinguished and they shattered into dust upon impact. The ponies that watched as Sombra's forces fell apart before them had no idea what to think, before a single thought spread among them.

They had won.

And as the city began to cry out in victory, celebrating the final victory over Sombra, and by extension, the Five Dark gods, none noticed as three mares came flying down into the gardens. Scootaloo did all she could to slow their descent, but her wings finally gave up on her and caused the three to tumble across the grass. There they lay on their backs as they tried to recover their senses, before one by one they sat up to gaze at what had happened.

"It's...over, isn't it?" Applebloom finally asked as they gazed down to see all that remained of the crystal titan laying in a pile at the bottom of the mountain.

"Yeah...I think...we actually won!" Scootaloo laughed before letting out a weak groan and collapsing against Applebloom. Applebloom sighed in exhaustion before she glanced over at Sweetie Belle, who was still bleeding heavily. "Hey Bloom? Am I still pretty?"

"We should really get ya checked out. That looks bad."

"In a moment," Sweetie Belle smiled at her friends before she glanced down at the shield, which was covered in ash. She wiped a bit of it away with her hoof, revealing the star underneath once more that reflected the mare's eyes--eyes that finally shone like those of a hero. "Let's just...savor this moment."

"We did it. The three of us actually beat Sombra," Scootaloo whispered with amazement, as if she herself couldn't believe it. "What we've fought for so long...our families and friends...we finally did it. And we did it like we should have...as a trio." Sweetie then weakly smiled at the shield, knowing that it had indeed taken all three of them to finally bring an end to Sombra's evil...plus a little help.

"And now we can finally say what I thought we'd never say," she began, her friends nodding in agreement as they moved in close together. And under the shining sun sat three friends, who were finally free of the shadow that had plagued them so. "Rarity. Applejack. Pinkie. Fluttershy. Twilight. Rainbow Dash. Celestia. Luna. Discord. Cadence. Shining Armor. All of our Crusader brethren that were lost in this battle. All of the lives that were lost to the Five...and even you Steve. You have all finally been..."

"Avenged."

Back To Work

Rogers ducked when a mug of beer flew over his head, hearing it crash against the wall as he turned his head to watch the two soldiers that had gotten into a brawl over a game of cards. He shook his head at the men's actions, but he cheered them on along with every other soldier in the tavern as they proceeded to beat the crap out of each other.

"They're going to get court marshaled if they keep that up," Bucky said from the stool beside the Captain, taking a swig of his beer before placing it back on the counter. "How about you, Captain America? Finally get used to the costume yet?"

"It's a uniform, not a costume. It's not like I have wings on it or anything," Rogers replied with a smile as he leaned back against the counter and looked around at all of the partying soldiers, taking in their joy and happiness at their latest victory. "We really did it, didn't we? We managed to push back the Nazi forces stationed here. I never thought I'd see the day when we scored such a huge victory over them."

"Well, winning is easy when you have a hero on your side," Bucky replied with a nod of his head, smirking at the Captain before taking another swig. Rogers cast him a funny look that made Bucky roll his eyes and point to a propaganda poster of the Captain nailed to the wall. "All of the Allies think that you're the thing that's going to win us this war. That you're the hero we needed to finally beat the Axis powers. 'Course, they don't know you like I do."

"I'm no hero Bucky, I'm a soldier. Just like every one of you," Rogers said with a shake of his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Sure. A soldier that beat back an entire battalion of Nazi troops all by himself. With a shield. And a pistol," Bucky smirked while taking another drink, reading the look on Rogers' face when he finished off his beer. "Come on Cap, what's so wrong with being a hero? The people cheer for you, the girls want to be with you, and bad guys run when they see your star-spangled underwear flying. What's not to love?"

"That the soldiers will value my life above theirs. That they might get themselves killed trying to save me," Rogers voiced in a whisper, causing the humor to leave Bucky's face when he saw the look Rogers wore. "I don't like the idea of people trying to keep me safe just because I'm a hero. We're all heroes here, all of us that fight against evil. I'm no greater than any of them, so I shouldn't get special treatment."

Bucky smiled at his friend before patting him on the back, ordering another round for the Captain before ordering for himself. "That's Steve for you. Shield of vibranium, heart of gold. And always putting others before himself. Thinking that he's nothing special. Just a kid from Brooklyn."

"That's all I am Bucky."

"That's what you think now. But one day you'll realize that the world needs Captain America more than it needs any of us."

"And if that day comes, then it's clear that the world has lost the values I fight for," Rogers firmly replied, getting another sigh from his friend.

"That's definitely Steve for you. True, blue and thick as a brick," Bucky remarked before tapping Rogers on the shoulder, turning his friend's gaze towards him once more. Yet Bucky's uniform had vanished and his left arm was now metal. "So Steve, don't you think you've rested long enough? Because the world still needs you. And you know that better than anyone else."

Steve looked ahead and drank down the rest of his beer, sighing while he rose up and glanced down at the now empty barstool beside him. He then cast a quick glance to see that the tavern was completely empty, telling the Captain it was the last call.

"Time to stand up."

/ \
//A\
/// \\

Rogers' eyes cracked open for the first time in what felt like decades, blinking rapidly while the bright light that shone into them blinded him immediately. But even without the aid of his sight, he could still hear excited voices speaking around him, voices that he knew but sounded slightly different than what he remembered.

"Give yourself a few moments to recover, Captain. You...you've been asleep a long time," a soft voice, one that reminded him of the nurses, said from beside him.

"I'm tired of hearing that when I wake up," he grumbled as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, blinking the blurriness from his eyes to see that indeed a nurse was standing beside him...and that three mares he knew well were standing behind her. Yet, they were far different than the ones he remembered sitting with on the way to battle Sombra.

"Yer finally awake," Applebloom spoke first with kindness filling up her voice, yet the Captain noticed how she seemed stronger than before and the cowboy hat on her head looked more beaten up.

"I know you said that you slept for seventy years or something like that before, but I honestly didn't believe that anypony could sleep so long," Scootaloo said from beside Bloom with a smirk, drawing the Captain's attention to the burned side of her face, and her missing eye. "But you proved me wrong, Cap. Nopony can sleep longer than you."

Rogers then looked past the both of them to the white mare who stood behind them, noticing that she had grown her mane out and that she looked far more beautiful than he remembered. She glanced to the side slightly before walking up to Rogers, taking in a deep breath before wrapping her hooves around his shoulders.

"I'm glad you're back." Rogers patted her on the back with a smile before she let go of him, reaching over her shoulder and removing a large, vibranium disc from her back. "Here you go," she softly said as she handed the shield to the Captain, who took it in his hands gingerly while his eyes glanced over it. "I've taken care of it after all these years, just in case the day came that you woke back up.

"So...how long was I in a coma for?" Rogers finally asked the three, who each looked away before the nurse decided to answer.

"Ten years, Captain. And during that time we spent most of our time and resources toward piecing your ripped apart body back together," the nurse informed him as she brought up a picture of what he had looked like. Rogers glanced over the picture of his charred body with a small shrug.

"Well, that's not too bad. Surprised that it took you ten years though."

"Doesn't look bad? Cap, we weren't sure if ya were gonna make it," Applebloom told him as the Captain kicked the covers off of the bed and rose to his feet, placing the shield onto the magnet on his back before glancing down at his upper body.

"I've had worse. And this isn't too bad a design for my suit," he commented on the redesign of his attire, liking the stronger colors and stripe placement. "I take it that you fixed my suit, Belle?" The mare nodded while the Captain stretched, hating the stiffness that always followed a long sleep. "So...what else happened in the time that I was asleep?"

=====0=====

Rogers was amazed that they could fit so many ponies into the throne room of Canterlot, but either they had done renovations while he was asleep or the room was larger than he had remembered. Because hundreds of ponies were crammed into the tight space, each of them desperate to see the Captain once more.

"Surprised so many of them remember me," Rogers said with a small laugh after a wave, which caused the crowd to cheer wildly for the Captain. "Because the last time I went to sleep, only the old remembered me."

"I highly doubt that, Captain," Scootaloo chuckled as ponies pushed, shoved and downright hit each other to get close to the Captain. Yet one pony chose instead to sail above the others, smiling as she skidded to a stop right in front of the Captain.

"Reporting for duty, sir," Lightning Dust said with one of her mock salutes, but the Captain found he just couldn't bring himself to be angry with her. "Must say, you do look a lot nicer after that nap. You must really need your beauty sleep then."

"Glad to see that some things haven't changed while I was gone," Rogers smiled before dozens of ponies were hurled out of the way, allowing a gray mare with a purple mane to walk up to the stage. Rogers saluted her and she saluted back before speaking.

"I'm so glad to see that you're alright," Maud said in a tone that was just as dry as Rogers remembered. "When I found out that you had woken up, I practically cried with joy." Rogers squinted his eyes to see that Maud's eyes looked a slight bit wetter than they had before.

"Thank you for your concern, Maud." To Rogers' surprise, the whole room went quiet a moment later as something entered through the doors. Rogers prepared for whatever was to come as the crowd parted, allowing a now small centaur with only one horn to walk up to the stage. For a long moment, Rogers and Tirek stared at each other, before Tirek bowed his head.

"Hello again, Captain America. It has been...a long time," Tirek said with a voice that had lost the harshness and anger that the Captain remembered. "I know that I have no right to come before you, especially after all I and my companions did, but...I just wished to thank you. For what you did. For when I was at my weakest, you did not triumph or strike me down. You gave me a chance...a chance to be better than I was. A chance to finally see the world as my brother saw it. You taught me something that day that I could not have learned while strong. You taught me...mercy. And for that, I am eternally indebted to you."

Tirek then turned and started to head back towards the exit. That was until he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Tirek turned to see that Rogers was standing right behind him, gazing down at him with a look that nopony in the room could read. And then, with a small smile, Rogers held out his hand to Tirek. The centaur didn't know what to say, so instead he just shook the Captain's hand.

"And that has always been the greatest mystery to us. How you managed to turn Tirek to our side," Sweetie said to the Captain as they all watched Tirek leave. "Turns out he was the one that was moving the sun and moon, using the last of the princesses' power to help us instead of trying to kill everypony. How did you do it?"

"Maybe it was because for the first time in his life, he saw what it meant to be like the ponies he ruled over. To be weak in the face of a strength that you believe to be unbeatable. To be helpless. But unlike the other four, he took the chance he was given. He might have remained the monster he was...or take the chance to be something more. And I'm glad to see," Rogers said with a smile that grew even wider. "That even the worst of us have the ability to stand greater than before."

The Crusaders smiled at his words as the ponies around them began to swarm the Captain once more, but he held out a hand and they backed away with curious glances on their faces. "I appreciate seeing all of you again, but there is a lot I need to catch up on...but not in this world. Because I've been asleep for ten years, ten years that my world didn't have me."

=====0=====

Rogers nodded as he gazed over Neo Canterlot, approving of the mix of crystal buildings and new designs that he didn't remember the last time he was there. He also found that a lot of the carriages now flew by use of magic, opening entirely new avenues for the ponies. But what he found most interesting of all was a large statue in the center of the city made of crystal and gold, a statue that showed three mares with the unicorn holding a shield high.

"I knew you could do it," he praised the three as they all stood up the balcony, overlooking the entire city and all of the happy inhabitants. Sweetie Belle had just finished explaining what had happened after he had been blasted with the solar magic, including their triumph...and the realization that the three of them had come to. "I knew that you didn't need me there to defeat Sombra. That you were all heroes."

"You were right, Steve. We did have what it took to be heroes within us," Scootaloo admitted as she gazed down at the ponies. "But it wasn't just the three of us. Every pony played their part in stopping Sombra. And heck, even we three almost lost to him. The only reason we won...was because we finally worked as a team."

"Even the best of heroes can fail sometimes. That's why it doesn't hurt to have your friends with you," Rogers answered, his mind wandering to the Avengers and to Earth, wondering what had changed in the time that he had been away. "But in the end you showed Sombra that the power of teamwork and friendship will always overcome a mad tyrant with the world in his hooves."

"And it doesn't hurt to have a friend that won't give up on you, even after you've given up on yourself," Belle said before turning to the Captain and bowing. "Thank you Steve. Thank you for everything that you've done for me. From whipping my self-loathing self into shape...for showing me that we all have what it takes to be heroes." Rogers smiled down at her before placing his hands on her shoulders with a nod, before doing the same to Applebloom and Scootaloo. Then he gazed off into the horizon once more, staring off into a land that none of them could see but him.

"Ya want to go home now, don't ya?" Applebloom asked after a minute. Steve nodded with eyes that showed a longing for his home.

"Yes. I'd like to get back and see what has changed in my world...if my world is even still around," Rogers said with a smile as he stared off into the horizon. "Knowing my luck, I'll get back and evil will have been ruling over it for years now. Such is the life of a soldier."

"Or a hero," Belle corrected for him, getting a smile from the Captain before Applebloom stepped forward and handed a stone to him, one that he recognized well.

"That's a dimensional stone. They're mystical stones that are said to be able to travel between worlds," she explained as Rogers nodded and placed the stone at his feet. "Ah looked them up when we figured ya would want to return to yer world after ya woke up. But ah see that ya already know how it works." Rogers nodded in reply as circles began to form around his feet, leaving him to smile up at the ponies once more.

"We also...made you this," Sweetie Belle added before she walked up and handed him a small piece of felt. Rogers glanced down at it to see that it was a strange shape made of purple, pink and red colors. Yet what truly drew his eye was the small foal with a cape flowing from his back, and a shield with a star in the center clutched in his hooves. "It's to show that you're a Crusader. That you're one of us. And so that you'll remember that our crusade never ends."

"Not until the world no longer needs people, or ponies, like us to defend it," Rogers replied with a warm smile of his own. "And when our crusade finally ends, I bet that we'll all have some interesting stories to tell around the pub. First drinks are on me. "

"So this is really...goodbye?" Scootaloo asked him, doing her best not to cry as light began to shine from the stone. "You're not even going to stay around and see all of the ponies across the world that want to thank you for what you did?"

"Like I said, I need to get back to my world. To see what's changed. To get back to work," Steve replied before beaming proudly at each of the three. "But before I go, I want you all to know that I couldn't be prouder of each of you. You overcame your pain to become a team of heroes that saved the world from a dark evil. You fought against oppression even when the rest of the world gave in or joined with it, never allowing the evil to win. You all were beaten down by darkness...only to get back up and avenge those who fell. I am proud to call each of you Avengers...and my friends."

"And we're proud to have fought beside you, to have learned from you what it means to be heroes...and what it means to truly sacrifice yourself for others," Sweetie replied with tears streaming down her face as she lifted a hoof and saluted to him, Scootaloo and Applebloom doing the same. Light began to circle around the Captain as the stone glowed with power, but the Captain still had time to return the salute to the mares.

"Will you come back someday?" Scootaloo asked him. "Because there's a lot you're going to miss here. The rebuilding of Ponyville, the destruction of all the Five's bases and prisons...things a little more...happy."

"I'll be back whenever you need me to," he replied. "But I leave knowing that you can handle this world even without me here. You're a trio of heroes, after all. And I know that your sisters would be proud. Proud that you replaced them...and me."

"Ah'm already working on a shield that will be ten times stronger than yers," Applebloom informed the Captain, who smiled at her optimism. "It won't be long before we have our very own Captain Equestria running around here."

"As far as I'm concerned, the three of you are already Captain Equestria. All you three need are shields to complete the image." Rogers then glanced at Belle, who simply smiled at him with tears streaming down her face. Yet even as the Captain looked at her and her friends, for a brief moment he saw three more mares standing behind them. And a smile crossed his face.

"Farewell, Captain...our Captain," Belle choked out one last time, Rogers nodding to all of them one last time before he vanished into the reality warping light generated by the stone. The three continued to salute until the lights completely died away, allowing Scootaloo to sigh as she dropped her arm.

"Didn't even get the chance to invite him," she grumbled as she tossed a fancy card to the ground. "Wait ten years to throw that victory party and he leaves before we can even invite him."

"Ya know that he had to get back to his home. The life of a hero is never ending," Applebloom reminded Scootaloo, who shrugged her shoulders before Sweetie Belle wrapped her hooves around both of their shoulders.

"And that's why we need to get back to work ourselves. Because just as the sun rises, so too will the shadow it casts," Sweetie Belle reminded her friends as they gazed over their city and world--the world that they fought to protect together. "So what do you say? You two want to go Crusading?"

/ \
//A\
/// \\

As the light died down around the Captain, he found that he couldn't help but worry about what had happened in his absence. Yet as he took in the first glimpses of the world, he found that he was standing in the middle of Times Square, which looked practically unchanged from what he remembered. People around him gasped when they saw the Captain and began to take pictures, but after a few minutes he looked up to see a S.H.I.E.L.D. craft descending towards him.

The craft flew him immediately to the Helicarrier, which he was amazed to see still flying in the sky, practically unchanged. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped off the craft and entered into the carrier, glancing around at the agents that nodded or waved to him as he headed to the command room.

"What's the matter, bub? You look like you were expecting a fight or something?" a yellow and blue clad Avenger asked as he walked by the Captain, who only nodded to the man in reply before pressing his hand on a console next to two large doors. The light beeped green and the doors slid open, allowing the Captain onto the command deck.

"Rogers? That you?" Nick Fury asked as he turned from a hologram to face the Captain, who had walked up to where Fury stood and quickly shook his hand.

"The mission is complete, sir. I helped to save the world of those who sent us that distress call," Rogers reported back, getting a nod from Fury as he turned back around and focused again on his hologram. "Sir...what has happened in the time that I've been away? Who did we lose?"

"Lose? Rogers, we haven't lost anyone. In fact, I was about to tell you how amazed I am that you managed to save an entire world in a single day," Fury replied with a rare smile before reading the look on the Captain's face. "Cap, you've only been gone a day. Is something the matter...and why does your costume look different?"

Rogers didn't reply as a small smile crossed his face, the final piece of the puzzle fitting into place at last. 'I guess that Equestria is truly in your hooves now. Good luck my friends. I know that you can keep them safe.' He then shook his head and regained his composure.

"It's nothing, Fury. Just...thinking of friends." Fury's eyes narrowed for a brief moment as he suspected that there was something that the Captain wasn't telling him, but let it go with a sigh as a smile crossed Rogers' face. "Do I finally get to take my vacation or do you have another mission for me?...I don't know why I asked that. You always have another mission."

"Indeed I do, Rogers. Got this one the same day that you left," Fury replied as he brought up an image on his hologram of a small town that was in the base of a valley, with a strange shape cut out of the twin cliffs. "We've received intel of strange sphere that has popped up over a small, Oregon town. Witnesses have seen demonic creatures, seismic anomalies and some sort of triangle monster that plagues peoples dreams. How's that sound, Rogers? You can go there on vacation and save the town at the same time. Sounds perfect, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does Fury," Rogers agreed before glancing down at his gloved hand, staring at the patch that had been given to him that shone of different colors. He then slid it into one of the pouches on his belt before taking the holo document that Fury held out to him. Rogers then saluted Fury before turning to leave the room, opening the document and glancing over it as he walked to the airships.

"This looks to be a difficult mission. But the never ending Crusade continues. Mission looks tough, though. Good thing I'm so well rested...that's actually not that bad. Should write that one down," Rogers mused before he took the symbol of the Crusaders in his hand, remembering what it stood for. Sacrifice. Refusal to surrender. And...team work.

"You know what? Think this time I'll take Wade along. What's the worst that could happen?"

Author's Note

And with freedom finally restored, we leave this story behind and move onto our next one. For in the next story, the life of retirement/hiding isn't so bad when you've got a great best friend, a peaceful life in Ponyville and nopony knows the truth. But when a new monster shows up, one the likes of which Equestria has never seen, you have no choice but to come back. For in the next story the gloves are off.

And the claws are out.

See you soon.

For Freedom!

Applebloom struggled with all of her might against the horde of changelings that had pinned her down, managing to throw them off of her with a surge of enhanced strength. She panted heavily before bucking a changeling in the jaw. Her legs took the creature's jaw off with the boosted power, giving Bloom a chance to see what was happening around her.

Captain America was being bombarded from all angles, with only his stubborn spirit keeping him from collapsing. Chrysalis above them was simply smiling at the carnage, victory written on her face as the Captain struggled with blow after blow. And finally there were the ponies, all of whom were still running around with terror in their eyes as the changelings fired at them with reckless abandon.

'Have...to figure out a way to stop them. Can't...fall here. Not while mah sister still needs me!' With the last of her fading strength, Applebloom dragged herself over to where the crystal floated, noting that the changelings seemed far more focused on bringing the Captain down than to pay her any mind. With burning muscles and screaming nerves, Applebloom slowly pulled herself across the metal floor, careful to avoid as many hooves as she could. Yet after nearly being trampled to death in order to reach the crystal, she finally managed to be next to her sister.

"Applejack...it's me. Can ya hear me?" Applebloom asked the mare within the crystal as AB was forced to use the machine ensnaring her sister to pull herself up. The orange mare said nothing in reply as Applebloom held a hoof to the crystal, tears starting to form in her eyes as she stared at the figure within. "It's...really you right? Not one of the changelings in disguise? Please...if ya can...answer me."

The crystal gave no answer. Yet the reflection of Applebloom in the crystal saved her life, for it also revealed a changeling that was about to impale the mare from behind. Applebloom ducked down just in time to avoid the horn of the changeling, which imbedded itself in the crystal instead of the pony. Applebloom snarled as she wound up a punch to knock the changeling's head off, but before she could throw it a surge of electricity shot forth from the machine below and into the changeling. Applebloom watched with wide eyes as the lightning struck the changeling dead in the armor, causing it to writhe before the surge of electricity killed it.

"Their armor..." she whispered to herself when she relazied what the electricity had been drawn to, an idea forming in her mind as she glanced at the machine. Her brain began to fire on all cylinders while she began to repurpose the machine in her mind, but a cold realization overcame her as she gazed up at her sister. "Ah can use the electricity from this machine to fry the changelings. But if ah do...what will happen to you?" she whispered to her sister.

The crystal pony said nothing in reply, but once again Applebloom could see a reflection within. It was the reflection of Captain America, using his body as a shield to protect the ponies/changelings from the blast of magic that Chrysalis rained down on them. Her eyes widened with horror as, despite the horrible injuries he had sustained, he continued to protect both friend and foe alike. Yet without the shield, he was forced to resort to using himself as one.

"Is that what yer trying to tell me? To save him?" she asked the crystal Applejack. The reflection grew even clearer in response and the cries of the Captain's pain rang in her ears. Tears began to pour from AB's eyes as she was forced to make the hardest decision of her life. But then she steeled her resolve and tore off the panel of the machine, knowing what she had to do.

\/
/\

Rogers roared in pain as another changeling fired a burning spell into his leg, collapsing him just in time for Rogers to receive a right hoof to the face that knocked him flat. Yet despite the searing pain and the laughter of Chrysalis, the cries of the endangered ponies forced him to rise once more.

"You do not learn, do you Captain?" Chrysalis taunted while Rogers glared up at her through a torn mask and bloodied eyes. "But that is a trait all you heroes share. You're incredibly stubborn, to the point of stupidity. After all, one that was smart would know that it would be far wiser to stay down, instead of getting up only to be hit once more. Didn't your mother teach you at least that much?"

Rogers response was to spit out a bit of blood before a thin smile creased his face. "Lady, you know nothing about my mother. Because that woman, God rest her soul, taught me a far different lesson than what you learned about staying down," Rogers replied, his smile turning into a snarl as he forced himself up once more, strength flashing in his eyes again. "I wasn't taught to stay down. I was taught-"

What his mother had taught him Chrysalis would never know, because at that moment a giant flash of lightning went off within the factory. Chrysalis had just enough time to register the flash before arcs of lightning shot forth from the machine that held Applejack aloft, arcs that tore through dozens of the ponies and punched holes through their chests. Chrysalis was just about to cry out before the ponies all shape-shifted back to their changeling form, not one of the dead being a pony.

"No...NO! That isn't possible! How did you-?!" Chrysalis bellowed with fury as she tore her gaze from the Captain and towards the mare in the suit, who smiled up at her with a cold grin. "You...you killed all of them," Chrysalis realized with horror, glancing around at all of her charred soldiers.

"Eeyup. Turns out that the armor that yer soldiers wore conducts electricity something nasty," Applebloom smirked with fire burning in her eyes before motioning for Chrysalis to bring it. "But now that we've squashed the drones, ah think it's time we finally swat the queen that's been giving us so much trouble."

Chrysalis' response was to bellow with an unholy fury before lunging at the mare that had killed her soldiers. Applebloom replied to the challenge by hurling a supercharged hoof towards the queen of the bugs, but instead of shell her hoof collided with solid vibranium. Applebloom let out a string of curse words that would have shocked her sister if she was able to hear.

"Seems that the reports were right. This is an incredible shield," Chrysalis chuckled as she hefted the disc once. "I didn't even feel that blow, which I know would have hurt otherwise. Come on brat, let's see how well you do against your ally's tech."

Applebloom spat to the side before she threw out a low left shot, which Chrysalis barely managed to deflect with the shield. Applebloom gritted her teeth in pain as her blow bounced off the shield. The pain didn't phase her for long, because she followed up the left with a right hook that caught Chrysalis off guard. The Queen snarled with rage as her head was snapped to the side, sending her skidding onto the ground while she lost her grip on the shield.

"Come on! Now's y'all's chance to get out of here!" Applebloom cried out to the ponies, motioning for all of them to head for the exit. The ponies heeded her advice without a moment's hesitation, racing towards the exit in a stampede. Applebloom waited until the last of them had headed out before she raced to the crystal, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw her sister was unharmed.

"Don't ya worry Applejack, ah'll get you out of there in a moment," Applebloom promised as she began to mess with the machine once more. Yet before she could make any progress, a blast of magic caught her in the back and slammed her head into the metal. Applebloom groaned in pain as she forced herself back up, shaking the pain from her eyes before she was slammed once more into the metal.

"You...are going to pay," Chrysalis seethed with venom as she slammed her hoof into Applebloom's skull, bouncing the mare's head off of the metal plating. Bloom let out a groan as blood poured from her nose, barely able to register that Chrysalis grabbed her by the throat and held her up. "You are going to pay for the damage you brought to my factory. For the lives of my changelings. For starting the Crusade! For-!"

"FREEDOM!" Chrysalis turned around just in time to receive a shield to the chin that hurled her into the air. Captain America then lifted his shield before throwing himself into the air after Chrysalis, driving his shield into her while yelling-

"STARS! AND! STRIPES!" Each word was followed with another blow from the shield, and on the third blow the Captain struck with such force that Chrysalis was practically launched into the ceiling. Captain America then crouched down next to Bloom and offered her a hand, one that she shakily took before being yanked to her feet.

"That was smart work there, soldier, thinking to get the hostages out of the way while you had the chance," the Captain praised Applebloom before another unholy scream drew both of their attentions back to the Queen of the Changelings. "Now what do you say we squash this bug once and for all?"

"Are...ya sure...yer up for it?" Applebloom panted wearily, her eyes gazing over the multiple burn marks and stab wounds that covered the Captain's body.

"I've never been more sure of anything...watch out!" Roger's tackled Applebloom to the side as Chrysalis hurled blobs of magma at them, roaring with fury while she lifted more of the searing liquid with her magic. "We need a way to either shut down her magic or get her in close. My shield can handle the heat of the magma, but it can't stop it from pouring onto us. Can you do something?"

Applebloom shook her head to clear out the pain while she began to glance around. Her weary eyes began to perk up when she noticed multiple parts and pieces around that all began to come together in her mind. She then glanced back at the machine imprisoning her sister one last time, the final pieces of her plan falling into place.

"Buy me as much time as ya can. Ah can deal with her magic soon enough." Her word was good enough for Rogers, who forced himself to charge at the changeling queen despite the burning agony that coursed through every vein. Chrysalis bellowed with fury at the Captain as she began to fire spell after spell at him, never paying any mind to what Applebloom was up to.

"Ah'm sorry Sis," she apologized to the mare in the crystal as she began to yank wires free from the machine. "But ah have to stop Chrysalis here and now. And ah have a feeling, that if ya were able to talk to me, ya would tell me to stop her instead of save ya."

With a roar of pain, Rogers slid underneath of a tidal wave of lava, able to feel the searing heat of the liquid through his suit despite not being physically hit by the stuff. But in order to avoid the next wave of burning liquid, Captain America had to throw himself off of the island and onto one of the conveyer belts, where he shakily rose to his feet as Chrysalis landed on the other end of the line.

"It's the end of the line for you, Captain America!" Chrysalis howled as she tore the chunks of metal on the belt and hurled them down at the Captain. He deflected the first wave before rolling out of the way of the second, slipping the shield off of his arm and winding up a throw. Upon spying Chrysalis' horn begin to glow, the Cap slid the shield back onto his left arm with narrowed eyes. "That's right Captain. You know full well that if you throw your shield at me, I'll simply take it from you once more."

Chrysalis laughed maniacally as she took to the sky, levitating anything that she could get her magic on to hurl at the Captain. "And since you can't throw your shield, you have no way to strike me from all the way up here!" she cried with sheer menace as she ripped one of the massive cauldrons off of its line and dropped it down in front of the Cap. Rogers was forced to sprint back up the conveyer belt as gallons of molten magma consumed the belt behind him. Pouring the last of his strength into his legs, Rogers kicked off of the conveyer belt and grabbed hold of a catwalk above him.

"Impressive Captain. I'm amazed you have the strength left to perform such a feat," Chrysalis taunted venomously while watching the Captain pull himself onto the catwalk. "But it seems...even that inhuman strength of yours has a limit. Not to mention with all the blood you have lost, you can't possibly have much more in the tank. You're time is almost up."

"I'll admit Chrysalis, I haven't been pushed this hard in a while, even with the serum in me" Rogers admitted as he stared down the queen, the flames of courage still burning bright in his eyes. "But this isn't the worst situation I've found myself in. Am I tired? Of course. Have I lost blood? Room's spinning as we speak. But Red Skull did this to me with an army backing him. And do you know how that turned out for him? He went down, just like you will. You just don't realize it yet."

Chrysalis bellowed with hate as she tore a conveyer belt completely off of the line, screaming with wrath while she lifted the metal structure over her head. "I will not be bested by a hero once again, especially one that cannot use magic!" she screamed with fury as she prepared to throw the belt...only to take a blast of concentrated energy right to her side. The queen howled with pain as she spiraled down into the metal floor beneath her, slamming onto her side as the metal belt crashed onto another line.

"Did ya forget about me, Chrysalis? Ah'm insulted," Applebloom said with a large grin on her face and an even large weapon in her hooves. "Sorry about the delay Cap, just had to put the final touches on this bad boy. Say hello to the force gun."

"Hello, force gun, glad you could join us," Rogers chuckled weakly before Chrysalis shot into the air once more, her bloodshot eyes glaring murder at the mare.

"I'll kill you for that!" Chrysalis bellowed with unbridled hatred as she hurled herself towards Applebloom, who gritted her teeth as her gun started to charge up. But Rogers realized with a glance that her gun wouldn't charge in time to save her. So the Captain did what he always did in a dire situation: He hurled his mighty shield.

Chrysalis' horn was just about to fire before the vibranium shield slammed into the side of her head, turning it at a different angle so the spell missed Applebloom completely. Before she had a chance to recover, the Captain tackled her out of the air, using what little strength he had left to drag her back down onto the conveyer belt.

"How?!" Chrysalis bellowed as she struggled to push the human off of her, but even with the loss of blood and painful injuries, Rogers grip was unbreakable while he held the queen down. "How are you fighting back?! I had you beaten! You had lost!"

"And right there is the answer. Because you underestimated us...the same way I underestimated you," Rogers admitted to her. "But you can't underestimate us heroes, because even if we only have a one percent chance of victory...we can make it one hundred!"

While Rogers said this, Applebloom glanced up to see that a cauldron was resting right above the pair of them. Realizing what to do, Applebloom took aim at the chain dangling the cauldron in the air and fired. A scowl crossed her face when she saw that all her gun did was sway the chain, which remained intact. Then she glanced beside her and spied the Captain's shield.

Rogers growled when Chrysalis dug her fangs into his shoulder, retaliating with multiple punches to her skull. Chrysalis freed her teeth and aimed her horn at the Captain, but the two ceased fighting when they heard the sound of metal shattering and both looked up to see a massive cauldron filled with magma falling towards them. Rogers, who had been in life and death situations far more than Chrysalis, was the first to react and he poured all of his remaining strength into a headbutt that snapped the queen's head back.

Captain America then hurled himself to the side, leaving Chrysalis to look up through blurry eyes just in time to see the cauldron crash down on top of her. Rogers rolled to a stop while the cauldron crushed Chrysalis, squishing her instantly and spraying green blood all of the Captain's suit.

"Like...I said. You go down like the rest," Rogers panted out before the platform he was standing on lurched beneath him, making him realize that the extra weight of the cauldron was sinking the metal floor he was standing on. Pushing himself past the exhaustion, he grabbed hold of the nearest hand hold and slowly pulled himself up. But just when his stamina was about to run out, Applebloom extended a long piece of pipe towards him. "Nice shot soldier," Rogers panted when he pulled himself up onto the catwalk with Applebloom.

"Thanks..." she muttered in reply as she hoofed the shield to the Captain. The both of them took a moment to rest before an explosion went off, turning both heads back towards the factory in time to see that most of the belts and machinery were beginning to explode. "We need to get out of here. Before we join Chrysalis."

"Wait...what about...your sister?" Rogers managed to pant out as Applebloom wrapped his arm around her and began to drag the both of them towards the exit. Applebloom turned her gaze away from the Captain and when he glanced over at the crystal, he saw why. For floating inside the crystal was no longer a pony, but a changeling instead.

"It was a trap, just like Belle said," Bloom whispered weakly. "Mah sister really is dead."

"Maybe so, but she'd be proud of you for today," Rogers weakly comforted her with a smile. "You saved a lot of lives, you put an end to this factory and you managed to stop Chrysalis. That's something worth smiling about in my book." Applebloom looked at the Captain for a moment before a thin smile crossed her face.

"Ah guess we did do good."

"Yes we did. Now let's hope we can get out of here before the place comes down on us. Because we can't die yet."

Desecrated Memories

Rogers smacked the front of his shield off of the face of a gargoyle that had gotten too close, snapping its head back and leaving its midsection open for Rogers to drive his two boots right into the stomach. The gargoyle roared as it plummeted down into the city below, yet Rogers' victory was a short one since two more gargoyles landed on top of the vehicle.

"How much closer are we to landing?!" Rogers called up to the cockpit as he bounced a claw strike off of the shield, before driving the edge of it into the nose of the beast. Beside him Applebloom drove her hoof into the other gargoyle's gut, but with a growl of pain she staggered back since her hoof failed to phase the stone beast. It chuckled while it reached out towards her, but twin engine fire to the face from Scootaloo's wings turned the laughter to screams of pain as it fell back.

"We're still a few minutes out!" Sweetie called from the front, her eyes narrowing as the sky was becoming more and more filled with stone beings that began to bombard their aerial craft. She did her best avoid the falling stone sentinels, yet a quick glance in her rearview mirror showed that the other craft behind her weren't as lucky. "Scootaloo, the rest of the air support won't make it if this keeps up! Get out there and help them!"

Scootaloo saluted to Sweetie before turning to leap out of the moving vehicle. Rogers tossed her his shield before she leapt out and in return Scootaloo gave him a smile of gratitude before rocketing into the sky battle. Rogers then stuck his head out of the moving vehicle to see that despite the hundreds of gargoyles in the sky around them, his vehicle seemed to be the only one that was being avoided.

'Sombra must want to face me personally. Either that or these gargoyles are too afraid of me to come closer.' That idea was challenged a moment later when a stone sentinel spied the Captain and hurtled down towards him, wrapping his claws around Captain America's shoulders. The creature tried to take to the sky with the Cap, yet with a grip like iron, Cap managed to grab hold of the aircraft.

"Belle! Bloom! Little help?!" A blast of magical energy slammed into the face of the goyle, causing it to howl as its grip weakened. Taking the opening, Rogers brought both feet up and slammed his boots into the nose of the creature. The force of the blow snapped the stone nose right off of the goyle's face and the monster retreated with howls of pain.

Bloom raced over to Rogers' side and grabbed hold of both of his arms, dragging him back into the ship. He flashed her a grateful smile while he took a moment to regain his breath, but he was only allowed that moment to recover. The next moment the ship shook as two more gargoyles landed on top of it, digging their claws into the propulsion system and they started to tear it to shreds.

"Focus on flying, Sweetie Belle! Bloom and I will deal with these!" He gripped the edge of the craft before kicking off with his legs to vault himself onto the top of the aircraft. The gargoyles' eyes widened with shock as the Captain landed on the roof with them, Applebloom joining him a moment later when she pulled herself up. Both sides then charged at each other while trying to keep their balance on top of the moving vehicle.

Captain America tackled the closest goyle shoulder first, stunning the beast long enough for him to leap over its head and land upon its back. His next move was to wrap his arms around its throat and its eyes, tightening his grip when he heard it bellow in rage and begin to swing its arms wildly. America pulled with all of his might to turn the gargoyle's head to the side, which in turned angled its body towards the other gargoyle that Bloom was just narrowly avoiding.

"You should really pay attention to where you're going!" Rogers advised the gargoyle before releasing his grip and kicking off of its back, giving the creature just a moment to register that it was free before it crashed into its companion. The two toppled over each other into a pile, before sliding off to the side when Belle angled the ship.

"We need to get back inside, Applebloom," Rogers instructed over the winds and snow that sought to drown him out, eyes narrowing as a crystal spire came into view through the snowstorm. "We're almost there." Following the Captain's advice, the both of them retreated back into the safety of the craft, where they were joined by Scootaloo a few moments later.

"I took out as many of the gargoyles as I could, but we lost a good number of aircraft on the way here," she reported with a look of anger, tossing the shield back to the Captain before glancing out the side. "Almost there, huh? So what's your plan for deal with Sombra, Cap?"

"The same plan I've had for every villain we've come across. Work as a team to exploit their weakness and bring them down so they can never harm another again." Scootaloo and Applebloom both smiled at the Captain's plan, but a faint gasp from the front turned their attention to their pilot.

"Faust help us." The three had just a moment to register Belle's words before Captain America stuck his head out of the side to see two rays of light shooting into the sky. One of them was the purest of whites while the other was the blackest of blues. Yet even as his eyes widened at the sphere of power that was growing at the base of the two lights, he retained enough of his composure to issue an order.

"MOVE!"

The sky itself seemed to split apart as a beam of light erupted from the top of the spire, with Belle just barely managing to move the craft out of the way in time to avoid being completely disintegrated. Yet as Rogers heard the sound of metal being tore asunder, he knew that they had been hit and the screaming sirens and the fact that the ship started to tilt to the side proved his point.

"What in the Faust was that?!" Scootaloo screamed over the sirens, but Rogers didn't answer her while he glanced out the side once more to find themselves over the crystal city.

"What we are here to stop! Scootaloo, get Applebloom! Belle, with me!" Rogers didn't wait a moment longer as he raced to the cockpit and snatched the mare out of her seat. Calculations and distances were being measured in his head as he then rushed to the open side of the craft, counting the distance in his head while the doomed craft got closer and closer to the tower.

"Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," Belle asked with slight hints of fear in her voice. The smile Rogers gave her in reply caused the mare to close her eyes and pray, while Rogers crouched down. The moment they were close enough the Captain kicked off with all of his might, launching the pair out of the craft to the side of the spire. He tucked Belle close to him while extending his shield at the same time, gritting his teeth while bracing for impact.

Crystal shattered under the force of the Captain's impact with the spire, the hardened material being no match for the shield, and a moment later both pony and human tumbled across the floor. Rogers quickly shot back up to his feet, gazing around the library that he had crashed into for any sign of opposition. When he found the room cleared he then knelt down beside Belle and helped her back up, checking her over for injuries before glancing out of the hole he had made.

"That's where they got to," he muttered when he spied Scootaloo flying away with Bloom grasped firmly in her forehooves, three gargoyles with blazing maws chasing after them. "Seems that we're on our own for the time being, Belle. Pick yourself up and get ready to fight, because we've got quite the climb before reaching Sombra."

"Did you just hurl us out a moving aircraft and tumble through a building made of crystal?" she asked with a fuzzy mind before the Captain yanked her along. Captain America kicked open the doors to the library with his shield already wound back, glad he did so as three gargoyles turned to face him the moment the doors flew from their hinges. The Captain had a brief second to glance around the circular room with the pair of staircases before one of the gargoyles cried out,

"It's the Captain! Kill-!"

A vibranium disc to the jaw prevented the rest of that sentence from being spoken. Rogers then vaulted himself over a crystal railing to the side of one of the stairs and dropped down onto the second gargoyle. Both boots to the face dropped the creature over and after snatching his bouncing shield out of the air, he then kept the beast down with a strike of the shield to the head.

Captain America then snapped his attention to the final gargoyle, which had figured that the best course of action was to hurl itself at the Captain. Rogers had just brought his shield up to defend himself before a bluish magic surrounded the goyle and redirected it to the nearest wall. Unlike the shield, the stone head of the gargoyle was no match for the crystal wall and it shattered upon impact.

"Thanks, but I had him," Rogers said to Belle, who ceased her magic and dropped what remained of the creature to the floor.

"You really want to do this now?" Sweetie Belle asked with an eye roll before motioning for the Captain to follow her. "Come on, if anything I remember about this place is still right, then the way to the top should be over this way."

Sweetie's way to the top involved leading the both of them through multiple rooms that were filled with gargoyles and ponies in armor, forcing the pair to fight their way through each room of the castle. Yet their reward was a circular device in the center of a room that had been guarded by ten gargoyles, bathing in a soft light that seemed to go straight up.

"Huh, so Sombra installed an elevator? He really did get lazy," Belle remarked before stepping onto the platform, which immediately began to raise with her upon it. Rogers snatched the side and pulled himself up, landing next to Belle as the device picked up speed.

"Stay behind me, Belle. If he has any tricks waiting for us up top, its best if they get introduced to the old gal first instead of us," Rogers instructed as he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of a trap, but when his eyes glanced down at Sweetie he saw she was biting her lower lip. "Nervous?"

"Of course I'm nervous. This will decide everything," she whispered with eyes clouded by fear. "If we beat Sombra here, then we've freed our home. But if we don't...if you die...then the Crusade is over. And Sombra will win." Rogers' eyes softened as he knelt down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sweetie, I know that you're afraid. It's okay to be scared. Even I'm scared right now and I've done this God knows how many times before," Rogers revealed to her. "But I promise, on my life, that I won't let anything happen to you or the ponies that we are here to protect. Sombra has claimed his last life."

"Your life?" she whispered in reply when the Captain lifted his head upwards with narrowed eyes. "But your life is the one that we're..." She never got to finish her sentence as the elevator came to a stop, revealing to the pair the top of the spire. From where they stood in the center of the open room, they could see all of the Crystal Empire, from the city streets where ponies and monsters battled it out, to the skies where the remaining aircraft battled against gargoyles. But Rogers didn't focus on any of that. Instead, his eyes were glued to the black stallion in the red cape that was staring off the side down at the battle below.

"Sombra." With a smile carved into his face that was far colder than the blowing snow around them, the dark stallion turned around with gleeful eyes to face the heroes. Rogers watched as the king's eyes quickly glanced over Sweetie Belle and her horn with a look of amusement before turning them to Rogers, where they began to glow with excitement and joy.

"Captain America. We meet again," the king smiled with a bow, his words causing Sweetie to glance up at the Captain who simply narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me you've forgotten. The very first day you got here. Right before little miss worthless there teleported you away from the prison. I was that dark pony you saw that day."

"Had I known that was you, I would have beaten you down then and there," Rogers made sure to inform Sombra, who chuckled with a shake of his head while his eyes flashed mischief.

"I have no doubt you would have tried, hero. And that battle is one that has kept me up at night, going over every possibility of how it would go. I have to say that I haven't been this excited in a while," Sombra cackled, his body shivering with nervous excitement. But then he coughed slightly and regained a more regal posture, though his eyes still held danger within them. "But first, there is something that I have been meaning to do. And that is to thank you, Captain America. Thank you for coming to Equestria."

Rogers' eyes narrowed even further at Sombra's words, but the dark king paid that no mind as he continued on. "Allow me to explain a bit about my group, whom you called the Five, before I continue on. They were the dumbest bunch of villains that had ever gathered around the same table, present company excluded. Do you know why? Come on, ask me why?"

"Why then, you sick son of a-?"

"Thank you, Belle. It's because they didn't know how to fight heroes. Can you believe that? Villains that don't know how to fight heroes," Sombra chuckled with a shake of his head. "I had come up with the perfect plan to take the world. I combined the strengths of each of us five and attacked on a day when not only everypony was resting, but when one of the Ambassadors of Harmony, one that your friend knew well, was away. The attack went off without a hitch and within ten minutes, we had captured five of the Ambassadors in Ponyville while I came to the Crystal Empire to deal with the heroes here. And wouldn't you know it? The plan worked! We won. Cadence and her husband were dead and the other princesses and their friends were ours."

"But this is where things go stupid. Because do you know what the other members of the Five wished to do? They wanted to keep Twilight and her friends ALIVE! Can you believe the sheer stupidity in that? Tirek wanted to keep them alive so he could constantly drain their powers. Fair enough, but the others wished to do so just to brag! Of all the stupid..." Sombra then composed himself once more by clearing his throat before continuing.

"Yes, leave the heroes alive. Alive so they could one day fight back against us. Fortunately for my allies, I was there to inform them of how stupid a decision that was and in the face of my brilliance, even their feeble minds managed to realize it was a bad idea. So I volunteered to kill Twilight and the other Ambassadors myself, which I did so with pleasure. The first to go was your sister, but I assume you already knew that?"

"No. I didn't. I'll be sure to remember to show my gratitude for you telling me, when I impale you on your own horn!" Sweetie snarled back. Sombra chuckled at her response before his face seemed to fall and he gazed back at the battle below.

"But only then, a few weeks later, did I realize that my brilliant idea to kill the heroes had a fatal flaw in it. See, I wished to not only have the Crystal Empire, but all of Equestria also under one hoof alone, and that hoof was mine! But that infernal Chrysalis had actually managed to join the other four members of us together in an alliance, so that they wouldn't tear themselves apart like I believed they would do! And as powerful as I am, even I couldn't hope to fight the four of them myself," Sombra groaned with regret. "She even put measures in place so that if one of us tried to pick them off one by one, they'd all know and attack the traitor as a group. I was forced to be a team with them."

"So I fell into a boredom, one that was barely alleviated at all when we discovered that the Crusaders had been formed, or when Sunset Shimmer showed up to try and save her home. That lasted all of two days. And I've been bored ever since...that is, until a few months ago." Sombra then turned to the Captain, but this time there was a look upon his face that unnerved the Captain. A look of pure malice.

"You showed up. You showed up and rocked our world with your skill. I am not afraid to admit that I thought you were another flash in the pan hero at first, one that would fall at the first sign of adversity. But then you beat Ahuizotl and freed some ponies. Pretty impressive. Then you killed Starlight and brought down the Starfall. You had my attention. But best of all, you managed to best and kill both Chrysalis and bring down Tirek, the two of the four that stood in my way the longest! You proved that you were what I had been praying for all this time! You are a true hero, the only thing that could have bested the Five when I could not. And that is why I thank you, Captain America. Because you have removed all obstacles that stood between me and conquest!"

"Not every obstacle," Rogers reminded Sombra as he took up a fighting stance and narrowed his eyes at the unicorn, who let his demented smile cross his face once more. "You're right in saying that I helped to bring down the other members of the Five, which you might see as a benefit. But just like all of them, I'm going to bring you down too!"

"Captain, weren't you listening? I killed Rarity. I killed Cadence and Shining Armor. I killed this land's greatest heroes. I am the hero killer," Sombra reminded the Captain as the smile spread from his face with a dark stare replacing it. "What makes you think I can't kill you?"

"Because you've never fought a man like me."

"Wait a minute," Sweetie muttered aloud, preventing the two from starting their fight. "Two ponies are missing. You said the Ambassadors, Cadence and Shining...but what about Celestia and Luna? What happened to them?" Sombra threw his head back and began to laugh at Sweetie's words, making her wonder what was so funny before something landed behind Sombra. Both Sweetie and the Captain's eyes widened as horror crept into their souls at what they saw.

The creature behind Sombra had two wings that were separate colors, one white and one bluish. The wings mirrored its body, half of which were white while the other half were a bluish color. But it was the heads that the two were drawn to, two heads on two separate necks that were colored like the dual coat and jutted out of the body on the side that matched their color. But despite eyes that glowed green or the mutilation that had been done to the form, Belle knew who, or now what, she was looking at all the same.

"It...can't be..."

"Yes, what happened to them?" Sombra repeated as the creature bellowed with the fury of two voices, two voices Belle remembered well. "I wonder indeed?"

Nothing Special

The murmurs of the crowd of ponies that had gathered in the Great Hall of Canterlot sounded less like ponies talking and more like the buzzing of a hornets nest. Yet, while both Applebloom and Scootaloo shared concerned faces, Sweetie Belle's was stern and strong as she gently finished polishing the shield.

"Well, seems that everypony is here," Applebloom finally spoke up as she gazed out from the stage at the room. "And it seems like everypony has the same look of hopelessness that we do. Ah had been hoping that news about Captain America hadn't spread so fast, but...Sweetie Belle, ah don't know what yer planning to tell these ponies, but ah don't think it will help."

"It will, Applebloom. You're going to have to trust me on this," Belle said as she rose from her seat and began to walk towards the front of the stage, but Scootaloo placed a hoof on her shoulder to stop her. Belle glanced back at her friend, expecting her to try and dissuade her, but all Scootaloo did instead was smile and nod her head. Now that she knew her friends had confidence in her, the belle approached the front of the stage and banged her hoof into the shield to gain everyponies' attention.

"Hello, everypony," she began after all talk had ceased, refusing to allow herself to become nervous under the stares of hundreds of her allies. "You all may be wondering...no, you all know why I'm here to talk to you. I'm here to talk about Captain America...and what we must do now that he's recovering from the battle with the Frankenpony." The shocked murmurs broke out again, forcing the belle to bang upon the shield once more.

"Yes, the rumors that you have all been hearing are true. Captain America will no longer be able to help us in the upcoming fight against Sombra's weapon of destruction," she admitted to the crowd, who became as silent as the dead at her words. "I know that may sound terrible, but listen to me when I say-"

"Sound terrible?! This is the worse possible thing that could have happened!" Belle let out a small sigh at the outburst, well aware that it was going to happen before she had started speaking. "The Captain was our only hope! He was the only one who could have helped us to beat these monsters! And now you're telling us that he's gone, just as Sombra's death machine approaches!"

"There's no hope!" another pony screamed, huddling into a ball on the floor. "Sombra's going to kill us all! How can we hope to defeat that thing without our hero?! We're doomed!"

"Even if he was still fine, what would be the point of having him here?" one more voice called out, louder than all the others. "Captain America fought against Sombra's monster and was defeated! What hope could he have to beat Sombra even if he was-"

"Wrong."

The chilling tone in Sweetie's voice silenced the panic and confusion in a heartbeat. Nopony dared to speak when they turned their gaze up towards Sweetie once more, who held a look upon her face that kept the room silent. She swept her gaze over all of them, daring them to say one more thing about the Captain before she cleared her throat and continued.

"I know that you are all scared. I know that you feel hopeless without the Captain here. But allow me to make a fact painfully clear for all of you. Sombra did not defeat Captain America at the Crystal Empire. Captain America...Steve...he beat him." She saw the confusion in their eyes, heard the murmurs upon their lips, and even felt the eyes of her friends on her while they waited to hear what she had to say.

"At the Crystal Empire, Sombra had beaten me. He also had a weapon of mass destruction, the Frankenpony, pointed at both me...and all of you as you evacuated the Empire." The crowds' eyes slowly shrunk at the news, none of them having any idea. "And then he gave Steve a choice. Leave me to die and save all of you...or save me and let you all die. And Steve's shield couldn't protect both parties. So I prepared to die, knowing that Steve would never doom a thousand to save one."

A tear then streaked down Sweetie's eye as she recalled what happened next, forcing her to take a moment to recover. "But apparently the Captain would not damn one to save a thousand either. Because he tossed his shield to me so that I could defend myself...and then took every ounce of Celestia's magic head on...and used himself as a shield."

All of the ponies let out a gasp at the news, none of them having heard about that part of the battle. "That is what I mean when I say the Captain didn't let Sombra win...didn't let evil win. Evil gave him a choice, to save one or save a thousand. But Steve didn't care about evil's rules. He did what he always did. He saved us all." Sweetie then looked down at the shield, which reflected the face of the mare back at her.

"And for days, I wondered, 'why'? Why would the Captain choose to save me and allow himself to be so horribly hurt in the process? He knew that we all saw him as a hero; knew that we all looked to him to save our world. So why would he go out of his way to save a mare that wasn't a hero? Why would he leave us to fight the final battle ourselves instead of just letting me die? Why would he save a pony who was nothing special?" A small smile then creased Sweetie Belle's lips as more tears fell onto the shield, which she knew was more than just something the Captain had given her to keep her safe.

"And that's because Steve was nothing special. In the end, he was just a human with a shield." She heard the crowd and her friends gasp at her words, but another stern gaze from her eyes prevented any from speaking. "Yes, he had a serum within him that made him strong. But think about the things he went up against while he was here. An insect queen that had the power to shapeshift. A tyrant that could steal cutie marks and make their powers hers. A god-like centaur that could steal all of the magic from the land and leave us powerless. The very same beings that killed the Ambassadors of Harmony and brought down all of the princesses. That's what he fought."

"And in the end, he still prevailed. He managed to do what we couldn't dream of doing. He did what six ponies chosen by the rainbow power couldn't do. He did what four alicorns that could move the very heavens and all of the Royal Guard couldn't do. And he was just a man with a shield. He was nothing special." Sweetie then looked down at her reflection once more, but this time when her reflection stared back she saw not a mare that should have died...but instead what Rogers had seen in her.

"And those were the Captain's last words to me before he saved us all. That he was nothing special. And I wondered why he would tell me that as his last words...but now, gazing upon all of you, I think I know. He was nothing special, and yet he was still the hero that helped to bring down the Starfall. He was still the hero that helped to take back the cities and towns that were lost..."

"Not because he was destined to. Not because he had the magical strength to move the sun or because some mystical relic had chosen him. He did it because he couldn't stand by and watch while injustice threatened to destroy what we had left. Despite being so outclassed...he chose to fight."

"Back when we were younger, I remember that every time Equestria was threatened we looked to the Elements or the rulers of Equestria to protect us...to save us from the evil. Because they were heroes. But we didn't dare to fight. Not because we didn't have magic or that we weren't strong enough...but because none of us were the chosen heroes. We weren't anything special."

"And I think...no, I know that's what Rogers was trying to show me. That you don't have to be some special, chosen defender of the world to be a hero. That as long as you have the heart and the resolve, you can fight as well! That all of us have the potential to be heroes like him. That is why he chose to save all of us, not willing to let a single one of us die. Because he believed in us. He believed that we could all be the heroes that are needed to save our world!"

"So I know that you are all scared. I know that you may feel like this battle is hopeless. But now I ask all of you, what would Steve do if he was in our situation? Would he give in just because the foe looked unbeatable? Would he stop if his hero had fallen to the monster? No. He would do what he always did. He would get back up. And he would fight!"

Bloom and Scootaloo watched with wide eyes as the room that had been filled with terrified eyes just a few minutes ago, was now burning with will and resolve that they had not seen since they were little fillies.

"Steve showed us what it means to be heroes; showed us that we all have what it takes to be that which we needed for so long! Showed us that we can be like he was, despite being nothing special! So I ask all of you, what will you do?! Will you give into the evil?! Will you surrender to its overwhelming strength and power?! Will you give into the hopelessness?! Or will you do what Steve would had done?! Will you get up?! Will you continue to fight against the hopelessness and the darkness, because it is what's right?!" she screamed before she thrust the shield into the air, where it caught the light of the rising sun and burned with the sun while mirroring the burning in the ponies' eyes. "Will you be heroes?!"

The roar that the crowd responded with nearly deafened the three mares, yet despite the noise, all Belle had upon her face was a smile that burned with passion and willpower. "That's what I want to hear!" She then glanced back at Applebloom and Scootaloo, who both looked at her with disbelief and amazement in their eyes. "Come on guys. I got them riled up, but I can't do it alone. I need your help too."

Applebloom and Scootaloo both stepped forward, slightly nervous as they felt every eye upon the both of them while they waited to here the plan.

"Alright ponies, listen up. We've got maybe four days at most before Sombra gets here. That means we have four days to prepare," Scootaloo began as she took command after a moment of silence, a plan beginning to form in her head. "Sombra may have his gargoyles and giant titan of destruction, but we have something he doesn't. We have Bloom."

Applebloom pointed a hoof at herself as Scootaloo smiled. "That's right. She managed to build not only these wings of mine and the exosuit that she wears, but she's also the one that built the false horn for Sweetie Belle. If she could build them for us, who's to say that she can't build enhancements for all of you? Think you're up for it, Bloom?"

"In four days huh...ah'm gonna need a lot of help if we're to do this," she figured as a wicked grin that sent shivers up her friends' spines spread across her lips. "Everypony that has a talent in building or crafting, come with me to the Canterlot laboratory! We've got four days to build these things!"

"Those of you who aren't working with Bloom, get to setting up a defense or finding weapons that we might be able to use to crack that Crystal fiend!" Scootaloo ordered. The ponies let out a cry for war before they all began to race to their different jobs, leaving Bloom and Scootaloo to glance at their friend who wore on her face that they hadn't seen in so long.

"Where did ya learn to speak like that?" Applebloom asked, getting Belle to snap out of her thoughts as she glanced at her two closest friends. "Ah mean...that sounded like something the Captain or one of our sisters would have said. It was...incredible."

"I'm...not sure myself. Last night when I finally realized what the Captain had been trying to tell me, I started to think of a way to tell the ponies in a way that would motivate them. I was having issues for a while, but then inspiration just...came to me." Sweetie Belle then shook her head and took on a more serious expression. "But we don't have time to talk about this. Bloom, don't you have some upgrades to be building? And Scootaloo, you are the leader of our military forces, are you not?"

Sweetie's two best friends smirked as they both "saluted" her before racing off into the castle, leaving Belle alone in the empty room with the shield. She gazed down at it once more to see the strange, white reflection that she had caught in it the other night. She gazed up at the ceiling to see only the roof, but a thin smile spread before she nodded.

'Watch over me sister and all my friends. Because we will free the world you died for. I promise on this shield that we will not fall again. We will stand up.' With that thought she placed the shield onto her back and sprinted out of the room, preparing herself for the battle with Sombra...and what she needed to do to ensure that he wouldn't win.

/ \
//A\
/// \\

The cool morning air dragged its fingers across the face of the young Pegasus as she gazed out from the edge of the mounted city off into the horizon. She squinted her eyes slightly as the sun slowly began to rise over the horizon, slightly wondering how it was still moving despite none of the beings that could move it still being alive. She decided that it didn't matter that much, and instead chose to turn her head at the sound of another pony approaching.

"You're up early," Scootaloo said to the mare with the vibranium shield as the pony joined her, allowing Scootaloo to nod approvingly at the suit that Belle was wearing. The suit held the colors of the Equestrian flag before the Five had burned all of them, while also having a white star in the center of the reds and whites. "And you even put on your fancy clothes. Got a date with somepony?"

"As if you're one to talk. I'm amazed that you managed to leave Applebloom alone long enough to come out here to stare at the sun," Belle shot back with a raised eyebrow and smirk before a more serious expression crossed her face. "I heard that she barely managed to finish the last suit for our forces. How is she...?"

"She's getting as much sleep as she can. And since I don't want to disturb her at all, I am forced to stand out here and wonder how the sun is rising," Scootaloo smirked as the two turned their gazes towards the horizon, knowing that the sun was not the only thing coming from that direction. "This is it, isn't it? Everything we've fought for...all the pain and triumph...it all comes to an end here. Against Sombra...here," she sighed as she took a bit from her suit's pocket and placed it in Belle's hoof.

"What's this for?"

"For the bet we made when we were younger. I bet that Tirek would be the last villain standing, you bet Sombra. Seems you were right once again." Belle raised an eyebrow with a smirk while she pocketed the bit, leaving Scootaloo to glance at the shield. "So you plan on bringing it into battle despite having no idea how to use it?"

"Steve trusted me with his shield during his final act. And this way, it feels like a little bit of him is coming with us," Sweetie Belle said with a smile as she glanced back at the shield. "Besides, it just feels right having it with me. Just like it feels right having you and Bloom by my side for this final battle...if she ever wakes up. Because you know as well as I do what she's like when she gets tired."

Scootaloo opened her mouth to answer before the both of them felt the ground shake beneath their hooves. Scootaloo whipped out a pair of binoculars in a flash and stared off into the horizon with them, eyes narrowing at what she saw. A monstrosity made of crystal and dark magic was advancing towards them, crushing everything in its path on its way there. Forests were crushed underfoot, it swatted any flying creatures out of the air, and she could feel the evil emanating from the spire on top of its body.

"Belle...gather the troops. I'm going to wake up Bloom," Scootaloo instructed as she hoofed the binoculars to her friend before running off. Belle gazed through them straight at the crystal spire, knowing that within was where the last evil resided. And that one way or another, the battle for Equestria ended that day.

'But we won't go down easily this time, Sombra. This time, we stand as one.'

Fight As One

Sombra swayed his head in movement to the footsteps of the crystal titan, enjoying the almost rhythmic stepping of his weapon of victory. He was also grateful for anything to provide a distraction, since he was bored out of his skull waiting for the empire-turned-weapon to reach Canterlot. Yet, he knew that victory was certain. What he didn't know was if the ponies would resist or not when he arrived.

'Whether they do or not matters little. For when I get there, there will be bodies,' Sombra promised as he opened his eyes and gazed around at the brilliance of his command center, from which he could gaze out of the titan's eyes upon the land that was being crushed beneath its--and by extension his--feet. Yet, in the back of his mind, he slightly regretted how it would be easy to crush the Crusade and the rest of Equestria.

'It is too bad that I had to kill the Captain. But had I not, then my certain victory would not be so certain,' Sombra realized with a shrug of acceptance, knowing that, as always, he had made the right call. 'And unlike the other four fools who thought that they could overcome the Captain, I knew better. That is why I am the last one standing.'

"I do hope that they resist, though. I have been wishing to try out this crystal monster for a long time," he spoke to the empty room as he glanced down through the clear, crystal floors at a machine of his own design. It was like the one that he had loaned Tirek a while back, but far more powerful. 'And once I have the entire Crusade, I will suck them dry of their magic and fuel this perfect monster until I see fit to destroy it.'

His bragging to himself was interrupted when the secret door to the chamber opened, and the only gargoyle assistant that he hadn't destroyed slowly pushed it open. "Uh, boss? We're approaching Canterlot." Sombra peeked out the titan's eyes to see that indeed the city upon the mountain was coming into view, drawing forth the cruelest of smiles from the Dark King.

"Ah yes, we are," he repeated before glancing back at his assistant. "Gather all of the gargoyles and tell them to launch their attacks now. I want any defenses they have crushed before the titan arrives. After all, the crystal looks so beautiful and I'd hate anything to happen to it."

"But boss, if all of us are out there fighting...then who will be here to protect you?" Sombra cast the gargoyle a look that made him slam the door and run for his life, getting a sigh from the Dark King as he shook his head.

"Idiot. Believing that I actually need any protection from those fools in the city," Sombra growled while he gazed out the eyes, watching as the city got closer and closer. "The only one that could have possibly stopped me is dead. The rest of them are just collateral. Now then, time to finally claim my world."

/ \
//A\
/// \\

The Crusaders watched from their positions while what seemed like darkness itself began to pour from the crystal titan. Yet, the ponies had been fighting the gargoyles long enough to know when one of their most hated enemies were coming for them, so with a cry for battle the ponies each began to take up their weapons.

Hundreds of ponies grabbed crossbows, magical cannons and whatever form of weaponry they could get their hooves on. Yet one common factor that bound everypony together was the enhancements that each of them wore upon their wings, horns or bodies, increasing their strength even further. A special unit manned the catapults that had been created to push the titan back, but as the monstrous being of crystal grew closer and closer they began to fear it wouldn't be enough.

"And so the guest of honor finally arrives," Scootaloo muttered under her breath while she stood before dozens of their best fliers, who were led by Lightning Dust. "Alright ponies, I shouldn't have to tell you what's going on, but for those of you that have been stuck under a rock for the last week, listen up. That crystal titan wants to destroy our home and all of us. We don't want that to happen. So go out there and make sure those gargoyles and the titan don't get here. Understood?" Every pony saluted her before spreading their metal-enhanced wings, firing up their rockets to maximum power before launching themselves into the sky.

"They won't hold out forever," Belle said as both she and Applebloom walked up beside Scootaloo, each of them wearing the same enhanced armor that nearly every one of the Crusaders wore. "And even if we manage to beat the gargoyles back, this battle won't be over until Sombra himself is stopped. Because as long as he's still going...then our home will never truly be safe."

"So what are ya planning?" Applebloom asked the mare, who gazed off straight towards the colossal titan's head where she could almost feel the evil seeping from it. "That thing has got to be the most heavily defended thing in Equestria. We can't just fly straight in and attack it. There are no openings, and ah guarantee that those eyes are protected by Sombra himself."

"And even if we could get to him...could we even beat him? "Scootaloo asked Belle, whose face hardened slightly at the next question to come. "He beat you, he beat the two of us, and the only person that he didn't beat is burned alive and being suspended in a tube of Faust knows what. If we actually manage to make it to him...do you believe that we could win?"

"Of course we can. Because when we fought him before, we were nothing more than scared foals that had no choice. But now," Belle stated while she slipped the shield from her back and rested it on her forearm, covering nearly a quarter of her body. "We are what he fears most...actually, we've always been what he's feared, we just didn't realize it. We're heroes. So of course we'll win."

"Wow, your speeches have gotten good as of late. That almost made me forget what we were fighting," Scootaloo said with a laugh as she wrapped her hooves around the both of her friends and pulled them close. "Alright then, if you think we can win, then I know we can win. What I don't know is how we're going to get in there without getting shot out of the sky."

"Well, my magic won't be any help. Sombra's proved before that he can counter my magic, and I guarantee that he has that place completely immune to teleportation spells," Sweetie Belle deduced with a shrug of her shoulders. "If we're going to get in there, it will have to be by force. And that isn't my department." Both Scootaloo and Belle looked back at Applebloom, who already had a smile on her face.

"All we need is one good shot with one of these catapults," she informed her friends while she motioned to the war machines that lined the entire city border, each armed with large chunks of crystal. "Celestia and Luna had a contingency plan in case Sombra ever attacked them with a crystal weapon. These rocks are designed to shatter any crystal they come into contact with. Guess they weren't prepared the day our nation fell. Ah, however, took the liberty of preparing every single one of these rocks they had. Just in case."

"Awesome. All we need to do now is wait for that crystal titan to come within range," Scootaloo said while they turned their gaze back to the titan...to find that it was suddenly much closer than it had been. "Oh that bastard, how did he sneak up on us?!"

"That thing can run?!" Sweetie Belle drowned out her friend's cry with one of her own when they spied the crystal titan running across the land towards them. She then grabbed a radio off of her suit and screamed into it. "Activate the city's defense shield now!" The moment the words left her lips a radiant barrier of solar and lunar magic descended around the city, casting its protective magic around all that were within. The titan let out a bellow while it charged head first into the barrier, rocking the whole city to its core with a single impact.

"Our shield won't be able to take too many more hits like that! Return fire!" Belle screamed down at the ponies manning the catapults, who all let out a war cry before firing all of their own crystals at once at the crystal titan. The leaders of the Crusaders watched with baited breath as the salvo of crystals hurtled towards the titan, who began to unleash beams of black magic from its eyes to incinerate the crystals when they got closer. Despite its best efforts, a few crystals made it through and struck the creature's body. The three mares let out a cry when they saw massive cracks form along the points of impact...before the crystals began to stich themselves back together.

"No way...he actually managed to create a self repairing crystal," Applebloom whispered in both awe and despair while the crystal titan repaired its own wounds in under twenty seconds. The revelation caused the three Crusaders to share the same look of concern. "Now what? Even if we crack that thing open, we'd have just under a minute to get inside."

"The timing would be incredibly tight," Scootaloo muttered as she began to plan out how quickly she would have to fly them there while also taking into account the chance that they might be driven off course by any of Sombra's hundreds of gargoyles. "In order to make this, we would need one of our ponies to fire a rock right into the crystal titan's side at least ten seconds before we got there. But that kind of shot would be impossible to make with its defense systems and-"

"I can make it." The three mares turned around to find the sister of Pinkie standing behind them, her expression as blank as ever but her eyes blazed with confidence. "Rocks and crystals are my specialty. If any pony can make that kind of shot, it's me." The three Crusaders hesitated for just a moment before they all nodded to her. Maud nodded back and raced to the nearest armed catapult, hurling the pony that was manning it out of the way before she took control.

"Alright you two...grab hold of my hooves and hang on for dear life," Scootaloo commanded her two friends as she activated her wings and floated just above them, waiting until they had grasped her hooves firmly before she began to rise into the sky. She then glanced at Maud, who nodded at her in reply. Scootaloo then took in one deep breath before activating the rockets on the back of her wings.

"And just in case we die in a horrible fireball before we get there, I want you two to know that I love you both," she said to them before rocketing the three forward in a flash of blinding speed. Her eyes were narrowed into slits as she burst through the shield around Canterlot and began to hurtle into the battle, whipping her body every which way to avoid the claws of the gargoyles or the assaults of magic that were being blasted by the titan.

'Alright Maud, we're almost there!' Scootaloo glanced back at the mare, praying that she would fire at the right moment. A gargoyle seemed to burst forth from the crystal titan and nearly tackled the mare out of the air, forcing Scootaloo to nearly rip her wings off as she dived out of the way.

"Radio's no good! Sombra must be jamming them!" Belle called our from below, telling the orange mare that it was all on Maud. She narrowed her eyes while the three raced up towards the crystal titan's left arm with all of her speed, glancing around to see dozens of gargoyles converging on them. They needed Maud to shoot and they needed her to do it--

A massive chunk of crystal hurtled by their heads, narrowing avoiding all of the gargoyles and somehow managing to slip under the dark magic that burst forth from the titan's eyes that tried to destroy it. The mares watched with dropped jaws when the crystal struck the titan dead in the arm, giving them the opening they needed.

'Come on! Make it!' Scootaloo roared within her mind as she burst towards the crack with all of her speed, watching as the crystal slowly began to mend the injury. She weaved to the side while the crystal chunk fell past them, her eyes widening when she realized that they weren't going to make it in time. And then she had an idea.

"Sweetie! Hurl the shield!" she ordered down to her friend, who gazed back up at her with uncertain eyes.

"But I've never done it before! How do you expect me to-?!"

"Just do it!" With a scream Sweetie threw the shield with all of her might, sending the vibranium disc flying past Scootaloo and towards the crack in the arm. She held her breath for a brief moment as the shield reached crack...and wedge itself right between the healing wound, preventing it from fully closing. Scootaloo then poured all of her might into her wings, but with horror she realized she wouldn't get there before the shield was expelled. That was until a pony that moved like lightning grabbed hold of the three and hurled them for all she was worth.

"Go get Sombra! We'll handle it here!" Dust called out to them before being tackled by numerous gargoyles. The three hurtled towards the crack, about to reach it before two gargoyles stood in their path. Scootaloo began to wonder whether or not she could fight them when two sniper shots tore the heads off the gargoyles.

"Nice shot!" Scootaloo called out before hurling the three of them through the crack, grabbing the shield as they entered into the creature. "And nice throw, by the way. Saved our lives."

"How did I do that?" Sweetie Belle whispered in disbelief while Scootaloo tossed the shield back to her, letting out a sigh of relief as the crack closed up behind them.

"Well, Steve always said that it involved a little bit of luck throwing his shield. And he also said that if the old gal likes you, then it sometimes flies a little better," Scootaloo recalled with a smirk, as she glanced down to find them standing on a small catwalk. "At the time I thought he was just being snarky, but maybe there's some truth to that. So Bloom, now where to we go?"

Upon receiving no response from Applebloom, the two mares looked over at their friend to find her staring around the room with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Bloom's eyes shot from the crystal gears and machinery that helped the colossal creature to move, to the support structure that was made solely from a red crystal that extended far up the titan's arm.

"This...is incredible," she whispered before the arm lurched and the three had to grab onto the catwalk to avoid being tossed into the fingers below. "This titan, this creature, isn't run on just magic alone. There's also a ton of machinery that I've never seen before! There is no way he could have finished construction on something like this in a short period of time. How long has he been building this thing?"

"If I had to guess, ever since he and his cronies took over the Empire," Scootaloo wagered as she took to the air again and grabbed hold of both of he friends. "And we need to keep moving. Because I don't want to think of what would happen to us if we're in here when this thing decides to strike the Canterlot shield again."

Scootaloo flew up the arm of the titan as fast as she could, constantly weaving out of the way of massive gears or machinery that would have chopped them to pieces if it hit. Yet after only a few minutes of flying, she finally burst free of all the pieces and parts to find a door awaiting them at the top. After sharing a glance of concern with her friends, she moved Applebloom close enough to the handle so that she could push it open.

"This...looks like the crystal spire that Steve and I fought through before..." Sweetie Belle recalled, recognizing where they were while she gazed around the hallways and crystal stairs. "And if I had to wager, Sombra's somewhere in here too. All we have to do now is find him."

"Shouldn't be too hard. Just look for the ego," Scootaloo snarked before the three took off down the hallways, opening every door that they ran past in hopes that they would find the tyrant within. Yet despite the minutes that passed by, none of the doors in the hallway or even on the floors above revealed the location of the Dark King to the mares. That was until, Applebloom came to a dead stop at a blank wall.

"That's not right," she said to her friends when they had caught up with her again. "Ah remember coming here when ah was a foal and there was definitely a door there...one that led to one of the prettiest rooms in the Empire. But then...stand back everypony." With one, exosuit-fueled kick, the mare crumbled the wall of crystal that stood before her, revealing that indeed there was a room behind it. The three raced inside to find themselves standing upon a clear, crystal floor that held a whole room filled with strange machinery bellow them. But none of the three cared about that. For standing across from them, near the eyes of the titan, stood the stallion that had taken so much from them.

"Sombra," all three whispered at once with enough venom in their voices to make a sinister smile spread across the face of the Dark King.

"Ah, the sisters of the Ambassadors. I was wondering whether or not you would die at my hoof or at the hands of the titan," Sombra smiled as his horn began to crackle with the magic of a being of the Darkness. "But I must say, that I am so glad that you made it the former."

"Trust me when I say, Sombra, that if we are to die today, we're making damn sure that you're coming with us," Scootaloo promised as she narrowed her eyes, yet all the Dark King did was shake his head at her and snicker.

"Please, those were the same words the princesses said to me. And Sweetie saw what happened to them. You will all die today. You cannot defeat me. Nopony left in all of this world can ever since I killed the Captain. Though I am glad to see that you have brought me his shield. I had been wondering where it had gotten to."

"We will prevail! For everypony that you've hurt...for all the friends and family that you stole from us...today you finally fall!" Sweetie roared up at Sombra, who cackled at her words.

"That is what all heroes say before they are slain. It's exactly what your sisters said ten years ago when all this began, but by all means, Crusaders," Sombra began as his eyes flooded with dark magic that turned them as black as his heart. The room began to shake as Sombra cast off his cape to reveal green magic running through his veins, lifting him into the air as power and lightning crackled around him.

The three mares each stood tall against him, with Scootaloo flapping her wings, Applebloom pawing the ground and Sweetie Belle shining her horn brightly as she slid the shield onto her forearm. And then with a scream to the heavens, the three charged at the cackling king of darkness.

"You are welcome to try."

Author's Note

Question. Do you guys want the final battle as a two parter or one giant part? Just wondering.