"There are four worlds in the right area with the kind of juice to power the dampeners." Doctor Richards had procured a holographic projector from somewhere, and had recreated the multiverse map that the magicians had shown earlier.
"Specifically, these four." He pressed a button and four small balls of red light turned white. The four worlds in question formed a very rough square around the shattered remains of Earth Pe.
"Hold. Is that not Eternia?" The surprised voice of Doctor Fate exclaimed, peering intently at one of the four points.
Legend looked over at the magician. "You know that world?"
"I have never visited, if that is what you mean. However, it is the world that sits in the exact centre of the multiverse. The legends about that world are endless – they say the spells hiding it from extradimensional visitors are older than the stars inside it."
Richards looked confused. "But… we know where it is. You just said – it's in the centre of the multiverse."
"Magic of this kind and scale needs more than a theoretical knowledge of your location unless you are a truly exceptional mage." Fate told him. "I could get us there, but I would not be able to guarantee how many pieces we would be in."
"Well, where magic has failed us, we'll use science." Richards declared. "Gimme a few minutes to rig up an inter-space sonar."
Doctor Pym was also looking up at the lights. "Unless I'm reading this wrong, I think that world here –" he pointed to another light "– is 616, my home."
"Good." Batman's gravely tones ground out. "You and Richards can be on the team to that world – you'll have the home field advantage."
"For whatever that's worth." Pym muttered. In the background, Richards nodded, already beginning to piece together another device.
"We're splitting up?" Superman said, slightly surprised.
"We have to." Alexandria replied. "Events are too time-critical to do this any other way."
"Okay, so who's going where?"
Batman and Alexandria looked at each other for a moment.
"Someone needs to stay here." Alexandria said after a moment. "The local villains can hardly be trusted not to take advantage of your absence."
Batman smirked. "How considerate of you."
"Even apart from common decency, you'll fight better if you're not distracted by worries about home."
'Rebecca' was the face she had cultivated to be calm and reassuring. 'Alexandria' just got the job done.
Legend, perhaps sensing that her patience was starting to fray, placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "We also need to split up our heavy hitters." He said. "Having Superman and Alexandria on the same team would be redundant, for example."
A few eyebrows rose among the Justice League at the implication that Superman and Alexandria were even roughly equals, but the general point was accepted with several nods.
"Celestia." Zatanna, who had been very quiet so far, suddenly spoke up. "I noticed a sun symbol on her flanks. Can she produce sunlight?"
"One way or another." Alexandria said, rather cryptically. "Why?"
"Then she should be on the team with Superman." The magician declared.
"Uh, yeah, speakin' o' which…" Plastic Man mumbled. "Where actually is the princess pony?" A rubber tiara formed on his head to illustrate his point.
Superman's eyes focused on something in the distance, and he grimaced. "She's in the gardens outside."
Plastic Man blinked. "What, like, eating the grass or something?"
"She is crying." Martian Manhunter said neutrally.
An awkward silence settled on the group.
Eventually, Batman sighed. "Wonder Woman, go talk to her."
"Why me?" The Amazon in question narrowed her eyes, the implication thick in the air that the reason had better not be 'because you're a girl'.
"Because you and she are both millennium-old Greek-themed princesses with penchants for golden jewellery. Plenty of common ground."
Wonder Woman glared at Batman for a moment longer, but got up and left the room anyway.
"Looks like double-double-U and the Pretty Princess are going to be staying behind then." Plastic Man said, forming his hands into red-and-black hand-puppets in the rough shape of Wonder Woman and Celestia.
"And for that, you're staying too."
"Aw, come on! What did I do?!"
"Someone needs to man the monitors."
Alexandria noted to herself that the use of monitor duty as punishment apparently transcended dimensional barriers.
Wonder Woman found Princess Celestia sitting on the lawn to the right of the Hall of Justice.
She had clearly been busy – a great crystal structure now occupied most of the open space, slightly taller than the hall. Overall, it mostly resembled a tree – though it was far more beautiful than any tree on Earth. Veins of colour – of sapphire, emerald, and ruby – spread throughout the tree, the light sparkling off of them in a way that almost made it seem alive.
Wonder Woman stared, amazed despite herself, at the interplay between the colours. For a moment, she thought she saw a flower, then a map, then a song, all within the same area of the tree.
It was only when the lines briefly formed a list of names that she realised she was looking at a gravestone.
"I'm sorry."
Princess Celestia's voice was soft, and slightly hoarse from crying. "I know I should have asked first. I'll probably have to move it soon anyway – there won't be enough space for it here. Is it alright if it stays here just a little longer?"
Wonder Woman sat down next to Celestia, staring up at what she had wrought. "Of course."
In many ways, Wonder Woman's princess title was a meaningless one. Her mother had ruled for many centuries, and was expected to rule for many more. She might lead her Amazon sisters into battle, but she didn't help rule them. How could she, when she was occupied fully with her role as Ambassador of Peace to the outside world?
Still, she knew that no royal, not even a princess, should ever sound so weak and helpless.
"I thought… that I would make a monument for them, something of unimaginable beauty to proclaim to all existence of who they were and what they meant to me…" Celestia's voice cracked, and Wonder Woman looked down to see fresh tears in her eyes. "But I've only just started, and I realised that I could never finish it!"
Celestia had removed her jewellery at some point, and as the pony began to cry anew the thought occurred to Wonder Woman that she looked much smaller without it.
If she was comforting an Amazon, Wonder Woman would have offered to wreak bloody vengeance on the evildoer who had wronged an innocent so.
But she was not comforting an Amazon, and over the years she had learned that those who had not spent their lives training for battle required a much gentler touch.
Sighing, Wonder Woman removed her own tiara and bracelets. She wrapped her arms around Celestia's barrel, and let the pony cry out onto her shoulder.
Eventually, the teams were settled.
Flash and Martian Manhunter would accompany Richards and Pym to Earth-616.
Batman, Joseph Joestar and Kumagawa would head to the first unidentified world.
Superman, Zatanna, and Legend would head to Eternia.
Alexandria, Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange would head to the second unidentified world.
Wonder Woman, Plastic Man, Celestia and Armsmaster would stay in the Hall of Justice just in case the local villains tried anything. …and also to give the princess some time to grieve.
Access, who was now wearing a metal helmet with what appeared to be a gas pressure gauge on the front, would move everyone into position. He would also theoretically be ready to extract people or move people around as the situation demanded, though nobody had a good way to signal him for help.
"Everybody ready?" Access asked, giving his new headgear a dubious glance.
Legend glanced around the room. "I though we were going to distribute the heavy hitters? Batman's team doesn't have any."
Kumagawa closed his eyes and tilted his head, empty smile still on his face. {Pluses shouldn't worry about Minuses.} He said, and did not elaborate.
"Alright." Legend didn't argue the point, but that was partially because the memory of the vital role Kumagawa had played against Tiamat was fresh in his mind. "But Alexandria's team is comprised entirely of them. Couldn't we switch, say, Fate with JoJo?"
"There's a reason the teams are like this." Batman said. "Trust me."
Alexandria narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't."
Batman smirked. "We're ready."
A flash of golden light lit up the room…