Steve wheezed from the ground, even as a pair of hooves and a pair of hands struggled to get him off of it. He ached all over, with a burning pain in his chest nearly sending him crashing back down to the ground.
He straightened, wobbled in place for a moment and somehow managed to regain his balance. His eyes focused on nothing else other than what lay in the distance, advancing towards his position slowly. He gazed beyond the hundreds of yards between himself and the encroaching armies of The Mad Titan, startling shuffle out from behind their leader. He could see the Outriders slowly snarling over each other in waves, make out the golden clad Chitauri warriors with guns bigger than themselves, beasts ranging from the height of a small house to the average skyscraper pounded their way out of the ships in an angry huff and Leviathans floated far above them. He could see the children of him working forward above all of the subordinates--Four generals each wicked in looks and intentions.
A trio of ear-peircing roars shook the air itself, stirred dust up from the ground with its deafening volume. A storm wall circulated behind the already massive army, thundering each time a streak of yellow lightning flashed through the air. Bursting forth from the wall in an eerily graceful manner, a beast of unimaginable size flew forward and glided up as if to take to the skies. Instead, the giant Kaiju landed on its two giant feet with enough weight to seemingly shake the entire planet. It's three golden tails whipped about behind it, while its three horned heads loomed menacingly five hundred feet into the air. Surging forth from the cloudy wall, multi-limbed beasts that were as tall as some two hundred feet or less, flanked the three-headed devil with the intent to aid it in destroying all in it's path. Even with the dragon's wings unfurled menacingly in the dusty sunset,even with the army of MUTOs at its sides, even with the countless numbers of enemies approaching, the true evils stood at the forefront of their armies with a confident smirk abroad their misshapen faces.
Steve locked eyes with Thanos and then Darkseid, and felt the hopelessness only triple within him. His unbreakable shield was half destroyed, his most powerful allies were incapacitated and the cause of it all was probably mere minutes away from reposessing the most powerful weapon in the universe. A weapon so powerful that with just a snap of his fingers--one snap--he would kill everything, and start all over again.
"Well...never fought a dragon before."
Steve looked to his left side and remembered who he was fighting alongside. If anyone had ever told him he would be fighting to save the universe with a talking pegasus named Rainbow Dash and a strong spirited kid with a robot arm more advanced than Bucky's...he wouldn't know what to think. And yet here there were, five years of respect, friendship and bonding all leading up to what was probably going to be the last fight of their lives. He wasn't even sure if Yang Xiao Long, who was usually a very confident if not headstrong woman, was actually sincerely joking. Maybe it was just her trying to combat the sinking feeling in her gut--the fear of imminent death just literally beyond the horizon. Whatever the reason, Steve grimaced a little. "I don't think it's gonna be a long fight, "
"Who knows, " Yang's robotic fingers clenched into a fist, but they shook. The damage to the metallic arm looked bad, given how much it crackled and sparked. "Maybe I can at least tickle it."
Rainbow Dash, who's left wing was bent at a wrong angle, shuddered in place as she prepared to fight again. "I've seen a lot of dragons. I don't think any of them as old looking as that have ticklish spots."
Captain America flinched when a bright blue blur streaked up to them, scooting a halt in front of him and grimacing. Sonic looked a bit more than scratched up and bruised, but thankfully nothing serious. "Bruce and Clint are stuck under the debris. I don't know how far they'll get with the stones, even if they manage to get out."
Steve knew how Batman and Hawkeye operated, what their training did for them. Hopefully, it would be far enough to buy him some stalling time. Rogers nodded self consciously and swallowed. "Alright. Get Dash and Long outta here. I'm gonna hold him off, "
"Like hell, " Yang narrowed her eyes at him, her stance clearly telling that she wasn't going to budge. "We're not going anywhere!"
Steve sighed. "Yang, This isn--"
Dash joined in the stern staring contest, straightening up despite the pain it caused her wounded wing. She briefly glanced at the approaching armies in silence, swallowed and opened her mouth. "...I know you don't want us to die. I get it. " She shook her head slowly and firmly. "But...b-but he killed all my friends. If he's gonna kill me too...then I'm at least gonna go out fighting for them."
"Or take him down with me, " Yang responded. Anxious or not--she would do what she could avenge Weiss. To avenge Blake. To avenge Ruby.
When Steve looked to Sonic for some kind of support, the hedgehog only shrugged as he unsheathed a glowing object. The last of Chaos emeralds following the Decimation, the last thing Tails gave him. The power instantly flowed through him, giving his blue fur tiny flecks of yellow as well. "Sorry, Cap. Gotta side with the ladies here."
Steve opened his mouth to say something to them, anything that could deter them from making this choice, when the sound of a yellow and black mustang roared behind them. The speeding car instantly transformed into a familiar bipedal alien and a lone samurai landed on the ground after escaping the sentiment vehicle. Bumblebee and Samurai Jack exchanged glances with each other, then nodded. "An honorable ending awaits us all, Captain."
Captain America stared at all of the heroes beside him, ready to follow him into death incarnate. He breathed warily as he studied each and every one of their faces, before his eyes settled down to what remained of his shield. He traveled along the jagged edge where it broke in half, then stopped at the holster straps keeping the shield attached to his arm. He felt them loose around his arm, as uncertain as his emotions.
Steve tightened the straps hard enough to constrict his arm, gritting his teeth.
In seconds, he led them all forward. From a distance, the odds seemed to be the literal definition of impossible. An entire trained, heavily armed army with pure evil as its leader against a small group of severely injured heroes with nothing left to lose. Steve knew it was a futile effort to lead himself and others into this, but they would make the fight last however long they could. They had to do it, somehow.
Steve's fists tightened as he began to dissolve his walk into a light jog. "Long, Dash, Sonic...take out as many fodders as you can."
Rainbow nodded in his peripheral. "C-Copy."
"Bee, Jack, on me." Steve said as his focus his gaze on the patient Thanos and Darkseid. "Let's get this son of a--"
"Cap, do you read me?"
Steve's heart stopped.
The world stopped.
He stood for several tense seconds of silence, his mind trying and failing to process what he heard in his ear. The voice he heard was one he usually recalled only in memory and nightmares, of one of many he couldn't save that fateful day. But the voice that spoke to him wasn't distant or hazy, but clear as day through his crackling ear piece. A pause allowed Steve to realise that his remaining team had stopped as well. Reluctantly, he turned around to face them and took in each of their expressions. Untouched shock molded their faces, from Dash's snout to Bumblebee's metallic features. They didn't say anything for a long time, just stared at each other in surprise. Finally, just when Dash shakily began to speak, the voice crackled to life again.
"It's me, Sam."
Steve felt like his knees were going to buckle. Another voice popped up as well, one that made Bee's fingers tremble.
"Hold your position, B-127."
"On your left, guys."
The six of them slowly turned at the behest of a sizzling noise directly at their left. Hovering in the middle of thin air, a circular ring of crackling energy slowly grew. The circle blossomed wider and wider until it was large enough to fit three Hulks inside its giant width and blinding sunlight streamed in from within the massive circle. They all shielded their eyes from the intense light, but still forced themselves to look into it regardless. Four figures were approaching them slowly through the massive entrance, one particularly larger than even Bumblebee and the other three just around human heights. But it was impossible to make out who their silhouettes belonged to, especially with the blinding light behind them. Eventually however, Steve's eyes adjusted enough to make out who they were when they finally entered the battle field. For the fifth time today, his heart stopped in his chest.
KIng T'challa stopped his advance when he was close enough to them, flanked by Shuri and Okoye on either side of him. Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, stopped just behind the three of them and took notice of those already on the battlefield. Bumblebee's optics went as wide as they could manage, and those below him weren't any different. In contrast to their shocked looks, the once dead heroes looked upon them with calm relief and a readiness to fight in their eyes. Their locked gazes they held with each other didn't last long as a couple of wooshing shapes flew out of the portal and into the sky. Steve finally cracked a grin of pure happiness at seeing Sam smirking from above, circling them all in the air via his wingsuit. His smile only grew once he recognized the beaming expressions and costumes of Supergirl, Green Lantern and Kirby--as pink and adorable as ever A sharp gasp brought his attention back down.
At some point, Ruby, Weiss and Blake also made their entrance onto the battlefield behind Optimus and the Wakandan Trio, immediately catching Yang's attention. Another portal opened a little ways away, and five very familiar ponies ambled out to instantly make eye contact with Rainbow Dash. As if in a dream too good to be true, Rainbow Dash gawked at her eagerly smiling friends without a single thought as what to say. She could see that, somewhere behind the five ponies, an army of Equestrian soldiers were assembling behind them and ready to rush out if the portal. Another portal opened up above theirs and allowed for Wanda Maximoff, Sora and Mr.X to hop out of it and land safely on the ground, along with an energetic Johnny Cage. As more began to funnel out of that portal, dozens of other portals began to open around the remaining heroes, filling their eyes with the sight of arriving reinforcements. The Resistance fighters appeared from a portal led by Rey and Finn, while Aquaman led forth a surge of Atlanteans for this war.
Sunset helped Caesar up, who struggled to his hands and feet. Shaking the dust and debris out of his shaggy body, the ape nodded at Sunset and slowly picked up the stark-designed spear given to him in preparation for another tussle with the Mad Titans but was surprised to find the sight of their lives waiting for him. A massive portal opening in mid-air not far from them, releasing the entire ape army to surround him quickly. The Chimp leader and The human pony could only stand in awe as Caesar's once dead allies were now protectively surrounding him, hooting and howling at the alien threats in the distance. Sunset was preoccupied with the sight of a long lost friend, Ben 10, locking eyes with her from afar. Valkyrie appeared from a portal aloft a horse with wings of pure white, accompanied by an elderly man in white attire and a staff. "Sure you don't want me to walk you to the battle?" She smirked.
"I may be old, but I am far from feeble, " Gandalf laughed as he briefly looked back at the combined armies of Asgard and Middle Earth, following behind a particular Elf and Dwarf duo. "And even farther from alone."
Discord exploded to life above their heads with a whooping laugh. Godzilla, not too far off to the side of the portals, growled in pain as he tried and failed to get up. He flinched and snarled weakly as a pair of hands gripped at his shoulders and gently helped him back up to his feet. Imagine the surprise of the King of The Titans when he turned to see a friendly rival that had been nothing but scattered dust for the past five years, having arrived via a gigantic otherworldly hole in the air. Godzilla huffed in immense surprise as Kong released him once he was upright again, huffing in return before they looked to the massive portal behind them. Chitters and caws erupted in the sky as an all too familiar kaiju Pterodactyl and Moth goddess flew out to circle the air above them. A colossal robot matching the height of Kong and Godzilla also left the portal, easily piloted by two Jaegar commanders and ready for the battle ahead. Godzilla's surprise had long since faded to immense relief at the allies that literally surrounded him.
Naruto and Superman awoke as well from their brief fight with Thanos, with the former helping up the latter to his feet. Superman stared in absolute shock at the arriving armies from the portals, but also something else. Naruto bore witness to the sight of Avatar Korra and a small band of Pokemon, then the gracefully landing forms of Goku and Vegeta. The Saiyans stood to their feet swiftly, with the former cocking a sly grin in the direction of the Kryptonian. "Sorry we're late to the party, "
Kent spat out a bit of blood and smiled back. "I'd say you're all just in time.
Batman led his small group through the rubble, what remained of The Avengers facility. His aged body made it harder to maneuver around narrow passages, but he managed to get himself and Clint, Nebula, 2014 Gamora, Deadpool and Darkwing Duck far enough to reach a giant concrete slab. Bruce hoped they could get to Banner and the others in time to help before their level flooded, and began to look for alternative routes before the slab in front of them slowly moved. Before they had time to prepare themselves for another possible Outrider attack, the slab was chucked away into the air--allowing a blinding light to flow into the room. Batman shielded his eyes from the intensity, yet still tried to look beyond it to whoever lifted the slab. Banner was still down below so--
"Bruce. I like the beard."
Batman stared at the smiling, ever radiant form of Diana Prince as she made her way towards him. The billionaire in disguise was at loss for words--his once dead fiancee now closing the large distance between them after so many awful years of dust. He didn't even care about Samus, Domino, Cable, The entire assembly of Power Rangers and Negan with his vibranium baseball bat also behind her. He finally managed to smile through his dust-ridden beard, nearly on the verge of tears. " Diana, "
Wonder Woman stopped before him, sharing the same smile. "I missed you too."
Deadpool suddenly shouldered past the both of them with the squeal of a thousand dying hogs, wrapping his arms around Domino and squeezing. She gagged and gasped for mercy, very lucky that her spine didn't snap in half from the intensity of the red bafoon's hug. Despite the painful predicament, she couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes. "Yeah, sure...G-good to see...y-you too!" She immediately swallowed all the air she could when he set her down.
Wade turned towards Cable with open arms and a baby coo while starting towards him. The near elderly cyborg growled. "You want that knife in your dick again?"
"You know what--you're right, I don't want that."
"Good choice."
Negan leaned back as he strolled up to the others, vat resting idly against his shoulder as he grinned his bearded grin. "Hey there, Duck, "
Darkwing barely paid him any attention. "Yeah, Yeah--Gosalyn and Launchpad, are they--"
"Chill-aaax, Ducky boy. They're safe and sound and all around!" The man laughed a little, while also sweeping the area with his gaze. "Now, where's ol' Ricky boy at?"
Darkwing shrugged. "Probably about to drown with Banner and the others. We better get moving if we wanna..." He trailed off as he noticed something in the corner of his vision, in a growing puddle of water from the sewer pipes once connected to the facility. A head emerged slowly from the murky water like a crocodile, it's skin as shite as snow and accented by soaking limp orange hair and a red lipped smile that went up past the eyes. The duck crusader did a double take. "Puh--puh--puhpen--PENNYWISE?!"
"ThE dAaAaAancing clOwn!" The nine foot tall clown stood to his full height at the sound of his name, outfit soaked to the bone without him even noticing. He made a show of bowing halfway to the ground and smiling widely, eyes going in completely different directions. "At'chA sErvIcE!"
Darwing shook his head in disappointment. "Oh suuuuure, now you show up."
Pennywise giggled his signature laugh, drooling openly.
Tony Stark awoke suddenly when a feminine figure landed next to him. The first thing he saw were his signature boots next to him, only they were blue and silver instead, and now someone's hand was reaching out to him. The man took the hand and rose to his feet, bringing him not only next to the towering figure of Venom, but also the only person who could ever wear the blue and silver armor he designed. "Pep?"
The mask lifted to reveal her smiling face, to his utter shock. "Looks like your plan worked out, Tony."
Venom smirked. "That is an understatement."
Tony looked beyond them to see the fruit of the team's labors, the sight of so many deceased individuals coming back from the literal dead. Wolverine welcoming back the entire X-men group, a massive fleet of heavily armed sports cars led by Hobbs and Dom, a squad of cutesy Disney Princesses led by Wreck-It Ralph and a heavily tattooed Demi-god riding on the back of a fifty-foot tall coconut crab. There were more beyond that, so many more than the ones he could see from this vantage point, but he wasn't satisfied. He only needed to know if one particular person had been brought back, and he couldn't see them until he looked right one more time. A portal hailing from the planet Titan--the battleground of that fateful day--now pouring out with the likes of a hovering Doctor Strange, a nervous Mantis, a knife-wielding Drax, a prepared starlord and...
One swinging Spider-man.
Tony laughed in disbelief. He was back. The very reason he started work on Lang's risky time travel idea was alive and well, turning do smile at another approaching figure. Barbara Gordon, dressed to the nines in her bat attire, swooped in to hug Parker so hard it looked like it was bending his metal suit. Tony nodded in relief as they broke away with blushing faces, happier than he had ever been in his life. He looked to see Thor getting up as well, in time to witness a portal to his right pouring out Simba and his massive army of lions. He laughed in throat as he spotted Valkyrie leading their remaining Asgardian armies alongside Themyscira's, at the many wizards The Sorcerer Supreme brought along, the determined faces of Bugs Bunny with his many toons, The Watchmen, the entire roster of aged Young Justice members and Winnie The Pooh with a minigun ready to fire. Snake stood strong with Team Fortress' current members, them being Scout, Spy, Medic, and Sniper.
Thor smiled wider as a familiar blue wisp circled him twice before taking a blue human from in front of him, bearing a striking resemblance to Will Smith. Truly, Thor never had a friend like him.
Doctor Strange didn't smile, but he nodded as he counted the in numerous portals that had been created--bringing in so many faces to help fight for the fate of the universe. He raised an eyebrow when Spongebob and Zim, wielding razor-sharp spatulas, charged past them with the most insane war cries ever. He blinked as the entire legion of overwatch,who he didnt even think would show up, appeared in their many numbers--led by the spunky Tracer. He turned to a figure next to him stoically. "Potter, is that everyone?"
Harry Potter pushed his glasses back onto his face and shrugged. "It's hard to keep track." He whispered to Wong. "He wanted more?"
Before Wong could even shrug, a portal shrieked in the far corner of the portal wall. Through it blasted out the entire warrior army of Pandora and the entire Viking army of Berk, led by their respective leaders. Hiccup kept toothless from colliding with Jake Sully's strange winged beast and angled his dragon over their side of the army. Toothless roared in warning to the dark armies in the distance, to the disturbed three-headed dragon. Below them, the last remains of the Avengers Headquarters was blown apart by the suddenly three hundred foot tall Ant-man, catching Wasp's attention below. She smiled as he lowered his hand to the army and allowed Rick Grimes, Professor Hulk, War Machine, Rocket Raccoon, Harley Quinn, Jim Lake, The Royals of Akkiridion five, Varvatos Vex, Blade, The Fantastic Four and a shirtless Donald Glover with a pistol to hop off his hand. When they were safely on the ground, Ant-man moved to the side to join Godzilla and the newly restored heroes, leaving to Voltron as he approached.
Steve Rogers nodded to David Dunn as he approached from the left, flanked by The Beast, Michael Myers, Freddy Kreuger and Jason Vorhees. He nodded at those who came from the right, Mickey Mouse with his keyblade, Shrek with a very thick club, Jack Frost, Emma Swan, and Freddy Fazbear. He looked to the armies of darkness ahead of him, no longer with exhaustion--but with a rising fire of hate and anticipation. He could feel that hatred behind him, as those who had been killed five years ago and those who lived to tell the tale wanted nothing more than revenge on those Mad Titans and any who stood with them. Rainbow Dash and Yang, Sonic and Bumblebee, Samurai Jack--all waited next to him and for him. Steve realized that everyone was waiting for him, waiting for him to begin the fight for the universe. It even seemed Thanos and Darkseid were waiting.
Tony Stark smirked at him beneath his helmet. "Call it, Cap." He said the words he uttered so many years ago, at the first battle in 2012.
So Captain America stepped forward with one foot. The thousands behind him crouched into battle position, readied their blasters, growled in their throats, pounded their chests and waited.
"AVENGERS!"
Steve extended his hand forward, causing the ancient hammer of Thor to fly into his open hand. The whole world went silent as the handle slammed into his palm with a crack of thunder. Steve straightened up and leveled his cold glare to the threat.
"...Assemble."
Thor roared.
T'Challa roared.
Godzilla roared.
Everyone roared in anger and charged forward without a moment's hesitation.
Author's Note
Well, I tried to stuff as many characters as I could into this thing, but I'm certain I've missed a whole bunch of 'em. Just assume missed characters are in the background. Ugh, my fingers.
