68. Ruination in Red
NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH
The warehouse had once been an abandoned space, an empty void, no shelves, no goods to store. It had been commandeered and repurposed. Television screens lined the walls. A popcorn machine popped away at making buttery deliciousness in one corner. Leather couches decorated the center. The floor was done in rich red carpeting. If anyone were to enter the warehouse without permission, this would all disappear, replaced by the illusion of the empty gray walls. Discord and Impossible Man had planned ahead.
"Can I see the footage of our first contender again?" Discord asked.
"Act one: a portal to Asgard in the midst of World War II!" Impossible Man played upon one of the screens a clip of their prospect bringing several monstrous creatures through a rift in reality. "Act two: the trouble with the Tesseract!" The prospect disintegrated whilst touching a blue, cube-shaped gem. "Interlude: Baron Strucker's wish come true!" A scene of Captain America and an elderly man fighting to touch another cube-shaped object, this one seemingly made of white light.
"What's this?" Discord asked.
"A Cosmic Cube," Impossible Man explained. "A wish-granter! Rogers and Strucker hit it at the same time. They both thought it didn't work. Well, what Steve-O wanted most was his friend Bucky back, and so he got him back as the Winter Soldier. What Strucker wanted most was a foothold for HYDRA, so our prospect came back to life!" He changed the scene. "Act three: Code Red! This one should speak for itself."
Discord watched the footage with interest. "Connections?"
"On the good guys' team, Captain America." Steve's face filled the screen. "These two have been at it since Steve took up the shield! On the bad guys' team, we have racial tension with Victor von Doom…" Doom's face filled the screen. "And I get the feeling that when this guy figures out we brought back the OLD ace in HYDRA's hand, he's not going to be too happy!" The screen switched out to the purple-masked visage of Baron Zemo.
Discord rolled the Resurrection Stone between his fingers. "It's absolutely perfect," he commented. "Wanna give it an intro?"
"Of course!" Impossible Man replied.
The entire warehouse went dark. "FRRRRROM THE DISBANED CODE RED," Impossible Man announced. "HE HOLDS A GRUDGE THAT TRANSCENDS TIME. FROM WORLD WAR II TO THE PRESENT DAY, HE HASN'T LOST A STEP."
Discord took this moment to activate the stone, and a flash of light began to form; Impossible Man projected a spotlight down upon it as a humanoid figure materialized. The spotlight shone down on a tall man, clothed in a blue uniform bearing the sigil of HYDRA on the arm. His face was unmistakable: dessicated down to skin stretched over the bone beneath, shining bright crimson.
"LLLLLADIES AND GENTLEMEN," Impossible Man concluded, "FROM DISCORD AND IMPOSSIBLE MAN PRODUCTIONS, WE GIVE YOU…RED SKULL!"
As the residents of Avengers Mansion gathered around the breakfast table, Clint slapped a newspaper down onto the tabletop. "Well, the good news is, Rainbow Dash got her publicity," he groaned. "The bad news is, it came from THAT."
"Lemme see!" Rainbow Dash snatched the paper, reading the headline. "WHAT? WHAT IS THIS?"
"What is it, darling?" Rarity asked, concerned.
"Daily Bugle?" Tony asked Clint.
"Daily Bugle," Clint sighed.
"'WITCH WOMEN Appear from Nowhere; Terrorize Superhumans'?" Rainbow Dash read from the Bugle. "'If they can bring down someone like Graviton, what does that mean for the rest of us'? Who even wrote this? They're making us look like some kind of threat!" She slammed down the paper. Everyone could see the black-and-white photograph of the six Equestrians enveloped in the light of the Elements of Harmony in Times Square.
"J. Jonah Jameson," Carol stated. "He's in charge of the Bugle, and he's a complete sensationalist. The truth and what he thinks will sell a story are two completely different things."
"I wouldn't let it bother me if I were you," Steve advised. "It won't do any good to let what he thinks bring you down."
"Besides, now that he knows you exist, you're probably going to be appearing as monsters in his headlines every day," Tony added before Steve shoved him lightly to shut him up.
"Great," Twilight sighed. "Just great."
At first, Red Skull, formerly Johann Schmidt, seemed utterly interested in staring at his hands. He was ultimately not sure where he was at all.
"It is as though Hell itself no longer wants me," he said, slightly stunned.
"Well, how do you feel?" Discord asked him. He'd taken on his human appearance.
"Free, to start with," Red Skull told him. "Was this your doing?"
"In fact, it was," Discord said. "But I couldn't have done it without Impy here. He helped me figure out you were exactly the person I needed." He gestured to Impossible Man, who bowed, and on cue, a round of applause burst from empty air.
"What IS that creature?" Red Skull snarled.
"Look who's talking, redhead," Impossible Man retorted, and a laugh track sounded.
"Listen," Discord told Red Skull, drawing attention back to himself. "You and I want the same thing: to give the Avengers a little taste of heck."
"I would give them more than a taste," Red Skull corrected.
"Fine by me," Discord said. "I was just setting a minimum. I brought you back here for a reason, and that reason is to get your revenge. As destructively as you possibly can. No, really, go crazy. Take down a few buildings. After all, don't you also need to establish HYDRA's dominance over this city?"
Red Skull eyed Discord suspiciously. "Why do you care so much about my particular motives?"
"Can't I just do something out of the kindness of my heart?" Discord asked. "Maybe I'm a big fan of you and I want to see you do your thing!"
Impossible Man had to keep himself from laughing at that one.
"The point is, you're back, and you have your chance to get revenge and show the city that HYDRA is boss," Discord went on. "Are you in or are you out?"
"On what terms?" Red Skull asked.
"No terms," Discord said. "You can go as crazy as you want. I'll even give you whatever weapons you want in order to make your point."
"Can you give me the Tesseract?"
"Eeeeeexcept that one," Discord groaned. "You see, I COULD get you the Tesseract."
"Impossible."
"Not for me. HOW-ever, it's currently in exactly the place where I want it to be, and I would prefer if it didn't move. So what would your SECOND choice be as an instrument of destruction? Wait. Hang on…" Discord began to hum to himself, occasionally singing. "Hmmm hmm hmm hmmm hmmm, instruments of destructiooooon, hmmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmmmm…" He snapped his fingers. "You always did appreciate a good giant robot."
"As a tool, I found robotics useful," Red Skull agreed.
"If I gave you as many robots as your little heart desired," Discord asked, "what would you do with them?"
"Show this world who deserves to reign," he said, "and who deserves to serve. And in the case of Captain America…who deserves to die."
"VERY good." Discord snapped his fingers.
The roof of the warehouse stretched far above the trio. Great mechs, forged to look like red suits of armor, filled the warehouse, replacing the cozy leather couches. The chest of the largest of them all parted to reveal a cockpit from which one could steer it and direct the other mechs.
Red Skull gave Discord one last look. "You are far too easily able to give me what I want. Why should I trust you?"
"Because you don't look a gift alicorn in the mouth," Discord said sternly. "Besides, if I can make these weapons appear, what do you think I could do to you if you didn't do what I wanted?"
Red Skull flinched. Then, steeling himself, he ascended into the cockpit of the leading mech.
"What would you have done to him if he refused?" Impossible Man whispered.
"Made him dance the tarantella while wearing a fuzzy pink hat," Discord replied, dead serious.
When Loki entered the prison room, Crouch in tow, he shifted out of the guise of Eva Ice to his true form. "Fury claimed this room was meant to hold me," he told Crouch, "but obviously, it didn't. No, in fact, he created it to hold the green behemoth. He never could trust anyone he couldn't keep under his thumb." He gestured toward a large, cylindrical cell inset in the room, one constructed of thick glass.
"That could describe you too," Crouch pointed out.
"The concept becomes incredibly different," Loki said, "if you claim to be a champion of the people as he did. Or as Odin did. There are lies…and there are LIES." Crouch could feel anger radiating from Loki. "Are my lies truly so horrible, when put in that perspective?"
"No. At least, I don't think so. Besides, I should think the god of mischief is allowed more lies than the All-Father."
"You understand." Loki grinned. "In any case, after our…cannon fodder does the work Discord brought him back to do, we'll keep him here. Keeping him alive ultimately makes Osborn look better in the long run, and that's what we want. If this cell can hold a Hulk, it can surely hold one little extremist soldier. I told Osborn I want it duplicated twice. The next two Discord is sending will be slightly more…volatile. Tell me, Crouch, is there anyone you've ever wanted to see behind unbreakable glass?"
"Only a hundred. You?"
"A hundred? And here I was thinking you were actually popular. My list is approximately close to a couple thousand, but as far as what Discord's giving us…there's one traitor in particular I can't WAIT to see from the outside of this glass." He laughed. "Perhaps he'll try to break it and knock himself out. Don't get me wrong, I do find a good bit of slapstick amusing when it isn't happening to me."
"When it isn't happening to you?"
Loki twitched. "Don't ask."
Crouch held up a hand. When both he and Loki were silent, they could hear the whispers. "Whisper, whisper, whisper," Loki called out. "Are we keeping secrets in the dark? How quaint."
Several crates had been piled up in the corner of the prison room. From behind them, Namor and Doom revealed themselves. "We were merely discussing business," Doom stated.
"Your business is my business," Loki said. "Why don't you tell me all about it?"
"Because it isn't your concern," Doom replied.
"That hurts, Victor."
"What, the thought that you don't have control over everything that goes on under the roof of your base? In any case, Loki, we were discussing nothing consequential. Mere gossip."
"Is that true, Namor?" Loki asked.
Loki could see blood rising to Namor's face. Embarrassment, perhaps. "Yes," the Atlantean said after a long pause. "I must go now." He stormed away, leaving the prison room.
"He is admirable," Doom said, watching him leave. "Quite admirable. A good choice, Loki."
Envy surged through the god. "Is he TRULY? I had thought himself one of the weaker of us."
"You underestimate his strength. In many ways, he reminds me of myself."
"DOES he."
Though Doom's mask hid it, Crouch and Loki could sense his smirk. "Does that make you angry, Loki?"
"No," Loki stated. "As a matter of fact, it doesn't. I was just surprised that you didn't find him secondary to Mr. Crouch. Personally, he's my favorite of our associates, and I hadn't even planned on his arrival." He turned to Crouch. "But you have enjoyed working with us, haven't you?"
"Yes…" Crouch wasn't sure where Loki was going.
Loki used the fingertips of his left hand to gently turn Crouch's face so the two locked eyes. "I am…so FORTUNATE to have found you," he said, leaning in quite close.
Crouch figured out what was going to happen only a split second before it did. Loki's lips pressed against Crouch's own. Though Crouch was startled, he didn't much feel like breaking the connection. He let Loki's lips taste him, and when he felt the god's tongue slightly licking at his mouth, he parted his own lips, giving Loki exactly what he wanted.
Loki pulled away from the kiss gently. "Fortunate indeed," he reiterated.
Doom could only stare at the pair angrily before turning and storming out without a word.
"You only did that to make him angry," Crouch deduced, though he was still rather dazed – he felt slightly weak in the knees.
"You catch on quickly," Loki commended. "One of the many reasons that may not have ONLY been about angering Victor. Don't misread me. You are QUITE a man as far as mortals go."
"But not as much as Vic – as Doom is."
"Perhaps that is a judgment to be made later, after we figure out whatever it is that's so secret that he and Namor have to meet in the shadows."
"Do you think he's planning to backstab you, or just to hook up with Namor behind your back when he knows feel like THAT?"
"It's Victor von Doom," Loki reminded Crouch. "He's fully capable of doing both."
Yellowjacket hadn't exactly been invited when Jan and Pinkie Pie went out for ice cream. Yet he was right there with them anyway, dressed in tight black jeans and a yellow V-neck sweater. His copper hair glinted in the sunlight.
"So what disaster do you think we're going to end up with today?" he asked, walking in front of the two women, striding backwards so he could face them. "More fire demons?"
"Hank, please," Jan snapped. "We're trying to have a little fun in our down time."
"Awwww, c'mon, Jan!" Yellowjacket whined. "You're always the one raring for a battle! Don't you want one today?"
"Maybe," Jan replied, "and maybe I just want to eat some ice cream." She suddenly realized she was missing something. "My purse - !"
"Left it back at the shop?" Yellowjacket concluded. "I got this!" He charged away.
Pinkie Pie couldn't help but notice the somber expression on her companion's face. "What's wrong, Jan?"
"Nothing."
"Is it nothing nothing or is it something nothing? Because a lot of the time, when I ask my friends what's wrong and they say, 'nothing,' it means something nothing!"
Jan sighed. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all!"
"It's Hank. Or…Yellowjacket, I guess. He doesn't think of himself as Hank anymore." Jan shuffled a foot against the ground. "He used to be different. He was a pacifist, and he was always wrapped up in his work. He was actually pretty boring. I always thought I'd like it a lot better if he would lighten up a bit and get better about the whole fighting thing. We even had a huge fight about it because he wanted to leave us. There was kind of an incident where this robot he invented to keep the peace ended up…well, that's a long story. He sort of…reinvented himself as Yellowjacket. Physically and mentally. He's exactly what I wanted now…and I kind of hate it. Pretty pathetic, huh?"
"Not really," Pinkie Pie said. "You just miss the way he was when you were friends before! Even when our friends change to what we think we want, that makes them not themselves anymore!"
"Friends," Jan repeated. "We were kind of…a little more than that. But now I don't know anymore."
"Do you like him at all?"
"Of COURSE I like him. I just miss the old Hank, and…I'm not sure how I can love EITHER of them, if the old one keeps running away and the new one keeps acting like a jerk. But I still can't hate Yellowjacket. I guess I've got some stuff to figure out."
"He is a jerk sometimes," Pinkie Pie pointed out, "but he's really trying hard to be your friend!"
"I know. Is he bothering you at all?"
"I'm actually having a GREAT time with both of you!" Pinkie Pie said with a great smile. "But if you're not happy, we can go home! I just don't want you to be sad today!"
Jan smiled. "Actually, that right there makes me a little happier already. Thanks for listening."
"We should go somewhere awesome! Maybe it'll take your mind off it!"
"Yeah!" Jan agreed. She heard the approach of footsteps. "Here he comes," she whispered. "If he asks, we weren't talking about him, okay?"
"It'll be our secret!" Pinkie whispered. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"
Yellowjacket returned, launching Jan's pink purse at her; she fumbled to catch it one-handed. "Found it," he said with a smirk.
"Thanks," Jan replied. "Hey, you wanna head over to – "
Jan's suggestion of the next adventure was interrupted by the great red mech. It decloaked, appearing seemingly from thin air, and began to fire lasers embedded in its arms at the streets. Piercing screams rose from the area.
"Well, right on cue," Jan said. "There's our fight. Weird. I don't recognize THAT."
"Let's take it DOWN!" Yellowjacket cried, running at the mech.
"WAIT!" Pinkie Pie cried. "Everypony's gonna see your face and know it's you! You stay here, and I'll fight the giant robot thingy!" In a flash, both her pistols appeared in her hands, and she turned and ran toward the great armored mech.
Pinkie became aware of a buzzing near her ear. Wasp was there, shrunk to her combat form, dressed in black and yellow. "This is why I'm ALWAYS dressed for battle," Wasp laughed. "I'm gonna fly into it and take out its circuits! You blast the outside with everything you've got!"
"LET'S ROCK!" Pinkie cried, and she and Wasp split up. Wasp found her way into a crack in the mech's plating, seeking out cords, anything that looked important enough to sever with a bio-sting. In the meantime, Pinkie charged the mech head-on.
The robot sensed her presence, slamming a metal hand down hard onto the pavement. Passerby gasped, thinking they'd witnessed the young woman being smashed by the giant hand. Then came the high-pitched cry of "I'M OVER HEEEE-EERE!"
The robot's sensors turned to locate Pinkie on top of a nearby skyscraper.
"How did she get up THERE?" one observer asked another on the streets below.
The robot turned its arm toward Pinkie, loading up a cannon to fire a great red laser at her across the top of the building. She disappeared just as the laser fired. "DOWN HERE!" she cried; she was suddenly standing on an awning over a building door. The robot swiped at her only to hear "OVER HERE!" from atop yet another building.
It attempted to take another swipe. The left arm didn't respond. Wasp had cut its circuits. It raised its right arm, powering up the laser; the gun died mid-charge thanks to another blow from Wasp. The entire mech twitched and shuddered. Wasp emerged from it, flying up to meet Pinkie Pie. "It's all you!" she cried.
Pinkie leapt off the roof, somersaulting in the air, before transforming into full Mahou Shoujo form and releasing a blast from the launcher into the robot's face. The metal was blown apart. Pinkie landed safely on the opposite roof (somehow; the onlookers couldn't quite grasp how she was able to defy what seemed like basic laws of physics), then looked down and yelled, "EVERYPONY RUUUUUN!"
Wasp landed on the ground, growing to full size. "IT'S GOING DOWN!" she cried. "GET OUT!"
Everyone ran as Pinkie and Wasp had dictated. The mech fell into the street, crushing a few empty cars and slightly cracking the pavement but otherwise causing no damage.
Pinkie Pie had made it back to the ground by this time, reverted from her Mahou Shoujo state. She and Wasp slapped a high five, and the two yelled, "YEAH!"
They ran back to where Yellowjacket had waited, holding onto Jan's purse. "Ice cream was melting," he said, "so I ate it all. Hope you don't mind. Anyway, NICE job on that thing."
"Thank you, thank you!" Wasp laughed as Pinkie bowed deeply; Wasp imitated the gesture.
"Couldn't have done it without my friend!" Pinkie squealed.
A chorus of screams from far away. Then another. And another.
"That doesn't sound good," Yellowjacket pointed out.
They decloaked en masse, moving through the city, crushing cars and tearing chunks out of buildings. Red suits of armor just like the mech Pinkie and Wasp had defeated.
"I…think we might wanna call for backup on this one," Wasp said nervously.
Pinkie Pie was already on it. She grabbed Jan's purse, ripping the Avengers ID card out of it. "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!" she shrieked, terrified. "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"
The assault hadn't gone unnoticed by H.A.M.M.E.R. Osborn took one look through the helicarrier windows at the destruction going on below, then stormed out of the room.
"WHERE are you going?" Johnson asked with concern.
"To implement our new defense initiative," he stated on his way out, "and save the city."
Agent Ice smirked proudly.
Ms. Marvel, Falcon, and Vision took to the skies. Thor, Twilight, Banner, Fluttershy, Hawkeye, Rarity, and Black Panther rushed out to the streets.
Captain America and Applejack ran to the front of the entire group. "From the looks of it, they're scattered," Captain America said.
"We'll have to split up," Applejack added.
"Where are they even COMING from?" Twilight asked.
As if to answer her question, a voice boomed out through the city, projected through speakers embedded in the chest of every mech. "CAPTAIN AMERICA!"
"No," Captain America whispered. "No, it can't – "
"YOU HAVE CROSSED ME FOR THE LAST TIME," the voice boomed out. "AND FOR THAT, YOU, YOUR AVENGERS, AND YOUR CITY WILL PAY. DO YOU WISH TO ATTEMPT TO THWART ME YET AGAIN? I AM THIRSTING TO DESTROY YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL."
"Who is it, Cap?" Applejack asked.
"Red Skull," Captain America answered. "My…my oldest enemy."
"Okay, HOW many times have we thought we were done with that guy?" Hawkeye groaned.
"He has to be piloting one of those…giant robots," Captain America figured.
"If we use the Elements on the right one, we HAVE him," Twilight pointed out.
"But we have no way of knowing which," Black Panther pointed out. "Presuming he is not remote controlling them all from a different location."
"I guess we have to systematically go through all of them," Banner said. "They need to be taken down anyway before anyone gets hurt."
"Then we split," Captain America ordered. "Anyone figures out which one's got Red Skull, you radio it over the ID card. Now GO!"
The troop ran out into the streets, separating yet again.
"Hang on a minute," Applejack asked as she ran alongside Captain America. "Where are Rainbow Dash and Iron Man?"
"Iron Man told me he wanted to test Spectrum on the next disaster," Captain America answered.
"What's Spectrum?" Applejack asked.
"His newest armor design…"
Not one but two figures in the famed iron suit burst from a hatch in the roof of Avengers Mansion, rocketing upward into the sky. One suit was immediately recognizable as Iron Man's. The other was a more streamlined version, silver at the base but shimmering prismatically in the sunlight.
"How's it feel?" Iron Man asked Rainbow Dash via radio.
"AWESOOOOOME!" Rainbow Dash squealed.
"Just don't scratch it, okay?" Iron Man told her. "I worked hard on that paint job!"
Both heard the calm voice of J.A.R.V.I.S.: "Sir, the paint on Spectrum was applied by my machinery."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Iron Man dismissed. "Now, let's show that Führer wannabe who's boss."
Iron Man and Rainbow Dash blasted through the air, making a beeline toward a nearby robot. Palms outward, they fired energy blasts at the head of the machine, then swirled around it systematically, burning a helical pattern in its outer shell.
Captain America wasn't having such luck. He launched his shield up at the robot where the gun was attached to the underside of the lower arm, hoping to disconnect the mechanism; the robot twisted its wrist to block the blow. The shield went whizzing back at its owner, and were Captain America's catching reflexes a little slower, he would have been decapitated. The robot charged up its arm laser. Captain America, shield in hand, looked up at it just as the light was at full power. He felt a rope wrap around him suddenly, almost stinging where it came into contact with his skin, then jerk him backward so that he almost flew. The laser hit empty pavement.
Applejack reined in her rope whip, releasing Captain America from it. "Y'okay there?" she asked.
"Not a scratch," Captain America replied happily. "Thanks, partner!"
"Twilight Sparkle!" Thor called out as he launched into the air. "Can you destroy them with magic?"
"I can take down one," Twilight called up, "but it'll take all I've got. I might be too tired to handle more than minor spells after that."
"Then do as you see fit!" Thor told her before he shot straight upward into the sky.
Twilight shifted into witch form, rounding the corner to find one of the mechs. She contemplated how much power she should use. She had no way of knowing if this one was completely robotic or if Captain America's foe was inside. She had no desire to waste her full power on a mere robot.
She was alerted to a great BOOM in the sky. Thor raised Mjolnir, calling upon the lightning, drawing dark clouds. At his bidding, a great fork of lightning struck one of the mechs, causing it to crackle with electricity and sputter. Its circuits went wild. Broken out of Red Skull's control, the mech began to go wild, swinging its arms out at the skyscrapers on all sides and staggering down the street with intent to crush everything in its path. Civilians ran away in terror.
Twilight knew she had to stop the rogue robot, even though this convinced her there was no one inside. She raised her staff into the air, drawing upon her innermost power. The rain of magic came, pelting the robot. Fire. Stone. Wind. Water. Plasma. The robot was overcome; it shattered into limb scraps.
Twilight reverted immediately, slightly out of breath. Her energy was taxed, but at least she'd stopped…"I stopped a monster Thor made," she realized.
Fluttershy charged a mech, katana drawn. When it swiped at her, she leapt over its arm easily, spreading her wings. She evaded its attempt to stomp her and its laser blasts. She struck it with the katana once, twice; it cut deep. Then she was blindsided. The back of the mechanical hand slammed into her, smacking her into the side of a nearby skyscraper. She fell, regaining her bearings at the last second and spreading her wings to glide awkwardly down.
"FLUTTERSHY!" Banner yelled, running toward her.
"I'm okay," Fluttershy croaked, staggering.
Banner turned to the mech, glaring. Fluttershy could see the sheen of green begin to show on his skin as he growled, "You do NOT get to hurt her…"
And with a roar, the Hulk leapt at the robot.
Pinkie Pie was also drained of magical energy, and even the pistols were difficult to sustain in her hands. So she brought out the party cannon, running around and firing it at random. That did little good besides causing clouds of confetti, but that caused the next mech to pursue her to lock onto her steadily and not react at all when Wasp infiltrated its circuits.
The voice boomed out again: "ARE YOU HAVING DIFFICULTY FINDING ME, CAPTAIN AMERICA? YOUR AVENGERS ARE CAUSING MORE DAMAGE THAN I AM!"
"That is NOT true," Captain America growled, though he knew Red Skull couldn't hear him.
The mech that Wasp disabled crashed into an office building nearby, ripping off the side wall.
Captain America was at a loss for words.
"Am I doing this right?" Falcon asked, throwing energy projectiles from his wings at a mech, with no effect.
"Yes," Ms. Marvel answered, swooping in to blast the robot with her golden aura. "These things are TOUGH." The robot fired its laser cannon, and Ms. Marvel summoned a blast of gold to go against it. The laser backfired, and the robot staggered. "Really tough!"
"But he's making it look easy…" Falcon looked over to where a robot crumpled to the ground after Black Panther severed a key circuit.
"He makes EVERYTHING look easy," Ms. Marvel grunted. "VISION! A little help here?"
Vision flew beside her, blasting the robot with his own laser.
Yellowjacket had grown to the size of one of the mechs, and was engaged in a wrestling match of sorts with it. He ran at it to attempt to tackle it to the ground; it reached up to shove him back. He caught its hands in his, and they shoved each other; Yellowjacket was the one sent to the ground, slamming it hard.
"That is IT!" he bellowed, audible to a group of nearby civilians who seemed occupied with filming the entire incident on their camera phones. "I am going to KILL Red Skull when I find him!" He scrambled to his feet and rushed the robot again.
From a rooftop, Rarity and Hawkeye ran parallel to each other, drawing and releasing arrows almost in synchrony and watching as they exploded with little to no effect against their targets.
"Starting to run out of ideas here!" Hawkeye grunted, drawing another arrow from his quiver.
"I've got it under control," Rarity said calmly, stopping in her tracks.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Hawkeye screamed at her.
Rarity phased into Mahou Shoujo form, drawing her bow back calmly. The crystal rain of arrows was let loose, exploding against the robot in a burst of glimmering light. The robot powered down, crumpling.
"Niiiiiice!" Hawkeye complimented as Rarity shifted again.
Another robot trampled its fallen comrade, fixing its sights on Hawkeye and Rarity.
"Uhhhh…" Hawkeye said. "Don't suppose you could do that again, huh?"
Rarity's clothing flickered back and forth between her blue longccoat design and her Mahou Shoujo ruffles. "I'm afraid I can't!" she moaned, unable to keep the more powerful form.
"Well, it's back to the old fashioned way!" Hawkeye strung three arrows to his bow, drawing them back and aiming for the robot's sight. He let the arrows fly.
Another arrow careened out of seemingly nowhere at a perpendicular angle, cutting Hawkeye's arrows in half. The arrow fragments dropped uselessly out of sight.
"HUH?" Hawkeye cried.
"WHAT?" Rarity shrieked.
Three arrows, followed by another set of three, flew from the same direction, pegging the robot in its sight.
Hawkeye and Rarity looked down. Far below, they could see the archer, dressed in a facsimile of Hawkeye's own costuming, perched aboard a dark motorcycle. The bike revved, and the archer zoomed out of sight.
The arrows exploded. The robot's "head" was blown almost clean off. The body toppled. A blur of jet black swooped in, swinging from dark threads round and round, casting sticky black webs at the robot. The robot was hung suspended between the surrounding buildings, completely wrapped up.
Satisfied with his work, Venom swung up toward Rarity and Hawkeye. "Wouldn't want to cause any unnecessary collateral damage, would we?" he laughed before slinging another web and swinging toward the next mech.
Rarity screamed, then swooned; Hawkeye's reflexes were only just sharp enough to catch her.
Twilight staggered into an alley, putting her hand on the wall to steady herself. She'd been attempting smaller spells on the next mech she encountered, but she had pushed the definition of "smaller"; several large castings of Glacius later, the mech was unimpeded and Twilight worn out.
"Pathetic," a familiar voice said from before her. Twilight looked up, facing the end of the alley.
"Amora…?"
Amora strode toward Twilight, and Twilight noted that she was dressed in clothing the cut of which matched her Asgardian wear, but instead of green, was made up of shades of purple and black. She put her hands out to either side, creating glowing green plasma in each. "Let me show you how it's done," she said before charging out into the street.
Twilight followed. She watched Amora blast through the mech Twilight had attempted to freeze; it went down in one shot. The parts nearly scattered, but Venom was there to cast a web that caught them all before any could fall on anything. Amora was then gone, but Twilight could tell from another blast of green and explosion of scrap metal where she was.
Thor landed next to Twilight. "Was that Amora I saw?" he asked.
"I think she's come back to help us," Twilight said happily.
"You do not understand," Thor told Twilight. "She would gladly ally with us to stop a common enemy. But it is always on her own terms. She would not fight this battle for us. She would only fight for what she would gain."
Rainbow Dash and Iron Man took down another mech. "They're dropping like parasprites in front of a marching band!" Rainbow Dash called out.
"…Okay, what the HELL?" Iron Man replied, almost laughing.
"Kind of a 'you had to be there' thing, I guess," Rainbow Dash laughed. "Next one?"
"Next one!" Iron Man agreed.
They rounded a corner to see a sight that thoroughly shocked both of them. "No," Iron Man growled. "NO. THAT IS NOT WHAT I THINK IT IS."
"It looks like…another Iron Man suit," Rainbow Dash observed.
Painted red, white, and blue, the Iron Patriot circled the mech deftly, striking it quickly, burning through its shell.
"Yeah, well, if it is, I'm gonna KILL the guy who ripped me off!" Iron Man raged, rushing the Patriot. He tackled the Patriot around the waist, slamming him into a wall.
A calm voice emitted from it: "Tony Stark. You wouldn't really attack somebody who was trying to help you take down the Red Skull, would you?"
"OSBORN?" Iron Man growled.
Rainbow Dash hovered behind them. "Let him go, Iron Man," she said. "He can help us!"
"Um, he ripped off my stuff, and also, he's Norman Osborn," Iron Man told Rainbow Dash. Osborn had, in the meantime, wrenched free of Iron Man's grasp and taken a path of flight elsewhere.
Pinkie Pie ran in circles, firing the party cannon. "KEEP GOING, WASP!" she shrieked. "WE'VE ALMOST GOT IT!"
From beside her, a male voice said, "Hey. Let me lend you ladies a hand with that."
The man, slim but muscular, dressed in what Pinkie Pie didn't know was a darker palette of the Wolverine's clothing, dashed at the mech. He reached out with long metal talons, protruding from the skin between his fingers, leaping at the mech, scratching through its exoskeleton, ripping apart its circuits. The mech stopped dead in its tracks.
Wasp emerged from it, growing to human size, and the newcomer turned and flashed her a smile. Wasp immediately felt her heart rate quicken and her face heat up. "Who…who are you?" she asked.
"Call me Daken," he said with a smirk. "And trust me…I don't usually finish that fast." Then he rushed away to do battle with the next mech.
"Wow," Wasp sighed, staring after him. Then she shook her head. "Wait, no, NO!"
"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"I…REALLY liked him for about two seconds," Wasp said. "I don't even KNOW him! It almost felt like some kind of weird love spell!" She folded her arms. "I mean, sure, he looks good, but not THAT good."
The Hulk was introduced to the Red Hulk when the latter punched the former in the face to get to the mech. Hiting the ground, the Hulk roared, "YOUUUUU!"
"I've never met you before!" the Red Hulk countered. "Now stay out of my way!"
"NO!" The Hulk leapt to his feet, running at the Red Hulk. "YOU RUINED MY NAME!"
A laser blast from the robot caused the two to leap back, away from each other. As he hit safe ground, the Red Hulk felt a strange sensation, as though he'd been punched in the soul. He turned to find Fluttershy there, katana drawn.
"YOU DON'T GET TO HURT HIM!" she shrieked, slashing at him with the katana. The energy cut through the air, knocking the Red Hulk onto his back. Above them all, the Iron Patriot blasted the mech to bits.
The motorcyclist veered through the streets, loosing arrows that blasted against the vital areas of each mech. When two human forms leapt before the bike, he (quite reluctantly) ground the vehicle to a sudden halt. "What, you want something?" he asked angrily.
"Yeah," Hawkeye snapped. "To know who you think you are."
"You were QUITE rude, shooting Hawkeye's arrows right out of the air like that," Rarity added.
"Well, I'm sorry if you aren't grown-up enough to take it when someone bests you at your own game, and I'm sorry if you're both a couple of crybabies," the motorcyclist responded. "But, for future reference, the name is Bullseye."
The motorcycle revved; Bullseye drove off down a side street.
"Okay, I don't like that guy already," Hawkeye grunted.
"Me either," Rarity said, "but didn't you notice what he was wearing?"
"What?"
"He was dressed like you."
One by one, the mechs were taken down and neatly packaged in black web by the newcomers. Only one remained. "If Red Skull's in any of them," Applejack cried, "it's that one!"
Without a word, Captain America took off running toward the last robot. "WAIT!" Applejack yelled, following him. "Those other guys look like they got this covered!"
"Between Red Skull and me," Captain America hissed, "it's personal."
The pair came upon the last robot. It trained its sight upon them deliberately. Captain America stared up at it, knowing that if Red Skull was indeed inside, he would be filled with hatred and anger at being beaten this way.
"Mind if I give you a hand?" Applejack asked.
"Be my guest," Captain America told her.
In a flash, Applejack transformed into the Mahou Shoujo state. She cracked the rope whip in the air. It wrapped up and around the mech, binding it, keeping it from moving. The robot struggled, but couldn't break the bond.
Captain America drew back his arm to throw his shield.
Another piece of metal clanged against it. Someone else stood before him, having blocked the shield's path with a nearly identical shield. Captain America stumbled backward. "No," he whispered.
"He is not for you," Zemo hissed. "This one is for me, Captain America." Zemo turned away from him to face the great robot.
Captain America launched his shield anyway – at the back of Zemo's neck. Zemo anticipated it. He turned; his hand caught the shield and threw it to the pavement, stomping on it hard. He let his own shield fly at the base of the robot's neck.
Where it struck, a panel opened. The cockpit of the robot was bared. Red Skull frantically fumbled with controls to close it, to activate a weapon, anything. Zemo ascended to face him directly, drawing his sword.
"I suppose you think you have won," Red Skull hissed, "Captain…" He turned his attention to whom actually stood over him. "…Zemo?"
The point of Zemo's sword brushed against Red Skull's throat. "You never deserved what they said of you," he hissed.
"Zemo!" Red Skull nearly whimpered. "You and I were both stewards of HYDRA! You cannot do this!"
"You could NEVER represent HYDRA. You are a joke. And as a threat, amusingly minimal."
"Why are you DOING this? I would have brought a golden age for HYDRA!"
"As usual," Zemo replied, "your sights are set far too low. You never had any vision, Red Skull. And now you will finally get what you deserve."
They both heard the sound of the Iron Patriot hovering behind Zemo. "I want him taken alive," Osborn insisted.
"All the better," Zemo said, though he didn't lower his sword. "He should live to see his failure."
A black web erupted toward Red Skull, binding him. He struggled against the web, but was unable to break free. More webs fixed his mech in place; Applejack's rope dissipated in a shower of sparks. "Leave him," Osborn commanded Zemo, and they both descended.
In the street before Red Skull's machine, they gathered. Osborn, the Iron Patriot. Baron Zemo. Amora the Enchantress. The Red Hulk. Bullseye. Daken. Venom.
Press swarmed around them, as if suddenly summoned. Cameras flashed, and microphones were thrust at the group. "Who are you?" a reporter asked.
Osborn popped the face plate on his helmet revealing his visage to the public eye. Many recognized him and gasped deeply. They swarmed him: "MR. OSBORN!" "MR. OSBORN!"
"Yes, it's me," Osborn told the crowd. "I realize that certain rumors about my being the Green Goblin have been circulating the press. They are, unfortunately, true. However, there have also been rumors that I was dead. That was…less true."
"Why let us think you were dead?" someone cried out.
"I needed time to rehabilitate," Osborn said. "That unfortunate phase in my life is over, and now I aim to serve and protect the city. My teammates are also former criminals who have completed the process of rehabilitation. I believe everyone deserves a second chance, after all."
"What are you planning to do with the Red Skull?" someone else yelled.
"We plan to take him into custody and hold him in an undisclosed location," Osborn answered. "Alive, mind you. Perhaps one day he can see the ways of my teammates and me."
"Who ARE these teammates?" someone else called out.
From afar, the Avengers and Equestrians watched as Daken and Bullseye jostled for the view of the camera and Red Hulk and Venom slunk backward. Zemo and Amora stood right were they were, stoically.
"I don't believe this," Iron Man spat. "Who do they think they are, coming in here and – "
"Saving everybody?" Applejack interrupted. "'Cause they did. They SAVED our city. Maybe it's about time y'all gave them a little more credit."
Iron Man gave a grunt, then blasted off to return to Avengers Mansion. The others followed at their respective paces.
"I always thought people deserved a second chance," Fluttershy said softly to the Hulk as they walked together. "But they HURT you. I…I don't know."
By that night, more information had been gathered on the team the public was referring to as the "new Avengers." Bullseye and Daken had given those names to the public; the names "Red Hulk" and "Venom" were eventually said to the camera as well.
"New Avengers?" Jan cried indignantly as the inhabitants of Avengers Mansion gathered around the television to watch the footage. "NEW AVENGERS? Are they trying to REPLACE us?"
"Maybe…" Steve exchanged glances with Applejack. "Maybe they're just trying to help in their own way."
"Norman Osborn, trying to help," Tony groaned. "And look at the jerks he rounded up."
"Who are they?" Fluttershy asked. "We already know Amora. But who are the rest?"
"Well, Bullseye and Daken each have a criminal record to their name," Tony listed off.
"The Red Hulk…I don't know," Banner confessed. "The concept of the Red Hulk was made by Red Skull, and…my other half thought it was the same one. But Ross is accounted for in jail. I get the feeling it's somebody else using the Red Hulk enhancement, and there's no way to tell who it is."
"That goes double for Venom," Tony added. "The last Venom we knew about was some kind of alien symbiote that got locked onto some dirtbag named Eddie Brock. But that symbiote could have gotten to anybody."
"Then there's Baron Zemo." Steve sighed. "Zemo. Of all people. When Red Skull turned up, I honestly thought for a second that he was the last person I wanted to see. Zemo proved THAT wrong."
"What did he DO?" Twilight asked, stunned.
"I stopped him from trying to infect the world with a deadly virus," Steve explained from where he sat on the couch. "That was DECADES ago. Before…well, you know what happened to me. I saved Zemo's targets, but he was infected with the virus himself. He's been surviving it. And he's almost bested us several times. He's one of the most dangerous men I've ever met. I never thought I'd see the day when he PROTECTED something in this world instead of trying to destroy it." He paused. "I…I HATE that he stopped Red Skull. I should just be happy that Red Skull is in custody and Zemo is…cooperating. But I wish it had been ANYONE but him." He rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, staring down at the floor and contemplating events.
"Zemo steals Steve's glory," Tony recapitulated. "Osborn steals my armor design. I'm about ready to march into that helicarrier and just punch them both out."
Rarity watched the captured footage of Zemo confronting Red Skull. "That's the most absolutely DISGUSTING thing I've ever SEEN!" she moaned.
"Yeah, even I was freaked out by that face at first," Hawkeye replied.
"Face…?" Rarity looked again. "Well, yes, Red Skull has rather a unique face, but I was REFERRING to that…that THING that Zemo is wearing! Somebody get me a fan! I feel faint just looking at it!"
The reporter onscreen continued to speak: "Bystanders are currently questioning the actions of the local heroes known as the Avengers, as civilian footage reveals several instances of the Avengers forcibly attacking our new heroes and trying to obstruct them from apprehending Red Skull."
"Oh, we did NOT do that," Tony groaned. "These news media types, I swear – "
Grainy cellphone footage showed Rarity and Hawkeye leaping out in front of Bullseye's motorcycle. Fluttershy and the Hulk attacking the Red Hulk. Iron Man tackling the Iron Patriot in midair. There was even long-distance footage showing Captain America launching his shield at the back of Zemo's head.
"We…actually did try and stop them from saving the city," Ms. Marvel realized, watching the footage play out.
"As if we could have known!" Rarity moaned. "We had reason to suspect they were doing more harm than good! And did NOPONY catch when Bullseye shot Clint's arrows out of the sky? NOPONY?"
"Osborn also, impressively, took Red Skull into custody nonviolently," the reporter continued. "As for the Avengers, this footage speaks for itself."
The next footage to play was Yellowjacket, gigantic, screaming, "I am going to KILL Red Skull!"
All eyes in the room turned to Yellowjacket.
"Whaaaat?" Yellowjacket moaned. "You're blaming me because the news made me look bad?"
"Well, you could have said something else!" Jan snapped.
"Like we weren't ALL thinking it!" Yellowjacket argued.
"We WEREN'T all thinking it," Fluttershy asserted.
"Aside from the pony peacekeepers, I mean," Yellowjacket corrected.
Steve sighed. "Hank."
"Not my name, Steve. Hank's dead, remember?"
"LISTEN, Hank!" Steve snapped. "I think we need to talk about your behavior on this team. All of it. Ever since you turned Yellowjacket, you – "
"Have been EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT," Yellowjacket snapped. "Ant-Man? He was a wimp! He was weak! And he walked out on you! Nothing like that is holding me back."
"Stop talking about Ant-Man like you're two different people, Hank!" Steve retorted. "There's still something of him in you. There's a part of you that doesn't respond to everything by trying to destroy it, and I really wish I could see more of that right now!"
"So, what?" Yellowjacket asked. "Are you kicking me out of the Avengers?"
"No," Tony interrupted. "We already made the mistake of shutting out a friend once. With Phil. But you need to figure out where you stand. Because no matter what name you go by, you're still Hank Pym."
"I don't have to listen to this." Yellowjacket got up and left the room. "I'll see you tomorrow if you still want me on your team."
"Hank…!" Jan attempted to call after him.
"Whoa, is he okay?" Wilson asked.
"I hope so," Steve said.
"Well, I can make sure so," Twilight said, making to follow Yellowjacket out of the room.
"What are you even gonna say?" Tony asked her.
"I don't know," Twilight said, "but…I feel like I'll figure it out." She took her leave.
Red Skull was, to say the least, indignant with his new quarters: the cylindrical cell upon the helicarrier. The first few hours were already torture – not because he was actually being tortured, but because he was steeped in shame, and boredom was starting to creep in.
The door to the dark room opened, and Red Skull thought for a moment that it was one of the Agents come to bring him food. However, the man who entered carried nothing. Red Skull glowered at him.
Doom stopped before the cell. "You do not know how it pleases me to see this," he confessed, almost laughing.
"I should have known you would have been behind this," Red Skull snarled. "I hope you're happy to finally stand above me, where you don't deserve it, you gypsy SCUM!"
He slammed his fists against the glass. All that did was hurt his hands. Doom was unfazed.
"Not even your words can hurt me from inside your cell, Schmidt," Doom told him. "But I beg to differ. This is where I deserve to stand. And that is where you have always deserved to stand for the crimes you have done."
"Since when are you a champion of justice?" Red Skull hissed.
"I always have been," Doom informed him. "Were this world mine, I would right all wrongs. Wrongs like you."
"If I am to understand correctly," Red Skull pointed out, "you are nowhere near ruling the world. You are just a pawn in Osborn's scheme."
"You understand completely incorrectly," Doom told him. "This is only the first step to what I truly want. But I have what I want for the day. Seeing you behind glass is even better than I had hoped it would be." He turned and walked from the room. "Do not enjoy your stay."
As Doom opened the door to leave, he encountered Zemo moving toward the cell. "Come to lord your superiority over Red Skull, I see," Doom greeted.
"Am I truly that transparent?" Zemo asked, amused.
"I shall inform you that I have longed to see Red Skull in imprisonment for as long as I have known of him," Doom stated. "He personally caused me hardship because of his prejudices. I am well aware, however, that you had the same affiliations he did during the second world war. That you had the same beliefs. I am warning you now: if you dare bring your bigotry against me…I will ensure that you regret it."
"You needn't worry your fragile heart over it," Zemo replied, almost teasingly. "I intend to play nice."
"Do not condescend me. You are NOT to see me as your inferior. After all, were it not for Loki's and my little scheme, you would still be battling hordes of cosmic insects in an abandoned prison block, and after so much time away from the Virus X treatments we've been providing you…your end would not have been a pleasant one."
"Oh, come now, Victor," Zemo began.
"You will address me as Dr. Doom," Doom corrected sternly.
Zemo laughed. "It seems I am on a first name basis with nobody. The fact is that everyone here is my inferior, fellow Aryan or not. This is not MY fault. Though it doesn't help your case that your mother was a rotten Gypsy mongrel…"
Doom replied through gritted teeth, "It is, however, your fault that your own face is rotten all the way through. You are not the model of perfection you claim."
"You mention my face," Zemo countered, "and yet I see you wearing a mask as well."
"My disfigurements did not put off Amora the Enchantress."
Zemo's calm demeanor was suddenly gone. Doom could tell he'd struck a chord; Zemo practically radiated anger. The Baron's hand moved quickly to his sword hilt, but clenched into a fist when he realized how unwise it would be to assault a member of Cabal.
A sudden laugh caused both Zemo and Doom to look to the side of the hallway. Blackheart leaned against the wall, one foot propped up. He was outright giggling at what he witnessed.
"What are YOU doing here?" Doom asked.
"And…how long have you…been here?" Zemo muttered.
"I just came to have my turn at tormenting our prisoner," Blackheart answered, "since that seems to be what we're doing now. But now, I'm just loving your show."
"And what about this is FUNNY to you?" Doom snarled.
"You humans and your disputes over genetics and heritage, that's all," Blackheart said. "You get so caught up in it. What you look like. Who you're born from. What your past was. But it really doesn't make any difference. When they're dropped into Hell, when they have the flesh seared off them, the eyeballs popped out of the sockets…" He gestured with his hands as though making the adjustments he described to a miniature body. "The hair torn out, the fingers mangled one by one, and the genitals taken to a meat grinder…then you can't tell who's an 'Aryan' and who's a Roma anymore. You're all the same under that mortal flesh. And watching you argue about it is HILARIOUS."
Zemo and Doom could only stare, speechless, completely unnerved (and feeling sympathy pains in their eyeballs and nether regions).
"Well, by all means, don't stop on my account," Blackheart went on.
"…Give Red Skull hell," Doom muttered as he moved away.
"At least we can agree on ONE thing," Zemo muttered in return, walking into the prison room.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Impossible Man asked Discord as the two reclined on the couch, watching Doom and Zemo argue on the big screen.
"What were you thinking?" Discord asked.
"Sitcom spinoff where we force the two of them to live in the same room," Impossible Man pitched with a wide smile. "It would be television GOLD."
"It would be highly unethical and play upon their emotions…" Discord thought it over. "Quick! Get me a pen so we can write this down."
Twilight knocked on the door to Yellowjacket's lab. She was greeted with an audible groan, followed by, "Okay, fine, come in."
She entered to find him working on another gun-like device. "Hey."
"So lemme guess." Yellowjacket put down the gun and folded his arms. "You came to try and make me feel better. Or, worse, tell me how bad I screwed up."
"I…" Twilight suddenly had a revelation. "I thought I had something to say to you, and I thought it would just occur to me when I started talking to you. But actually…I realized I don't WANT to talk to you."
"Well, thanks…" Yellowjacket huffed.
"I want to LISTEN to you," Twilight finished.
Yellowjacket regarded her with curiosity.
"I want to know what all this is about," Twilight said. "All I know is that you used to be different, and you 'remade' yourself. I'm really curious about why. Are you okay talking about it?"
Yellowjacket sighed. "Pull up a chair."
Twilight took a spare chair from the lab and sat across from him.
"I used to be known as Hank Pym," he began. "My name in the field was Ant-Man, or sometimes Giant-Man. I joined up with the Avengers when we first fought Graviton. Nick Fury wasn't as interested in me as the others. He never listed me on the Avengers Initiative. I can see why. I was a pacifist. I wanted to focus on rehabilitating criminals instead of just punishing them. And I NEVER wanted to kill them. Joining a group of fighters…that wasn't easy. Especially when Jan was always so gung ho for a fight. We were dating, then. I'm not sure what we're doing now.
"Anyway, I kept trying to find peaceful solutions. It kept on…not working, for the Avengers. I guess there was a part of my mind that was more violent than I thought. I created an AI I called Ultron in order to keep incarcerated criminals from doing harm. In an emergency, I programmed Ultron to know the concept of violence so he could fight alongside with us. But he ended up trying to destroy us all instead. You know Vision? Ultron made him to help him destroy humanity. But Vision was smart enough to see that humans weren't just imperfections that needed to be blasted off the earth. Vision's AI was made from scratch. Now, here's the twist. Ultron's mind was made from my own. Mine was the template for his. So basically, the guy trying to end humanity was me all along.
"I quit the Avengers after that. Because of Ultron, and because pacifism didn't really go over well here. I went independent, and somewhere along the line, I realized…I was a mess. A spineless mess that apparently had the mind for world destruction anyway. So I decided Hank Pym had to die.
"I altered my body to have a new genetic makeup so that I could start over. I even staged my own death. I let everyone think Yellowjacket was a new person. Jan was the first one to figure it out. But for all intents and purposes, Hank died. And now I'm me. And you know what? I thought everyone would be HAPPY. I fight now! I'm not all wishy-washy about how we treat the supervillains! I'm OWNING that I have the capacity to make an Ultron! But you saw how they treated me out there. Complain, complain, complain. What do they even WANT from me?"
It took Twilight a moment to realize he was seriously asking. "Well," Twilight said, "in my experience, a true friend accepts you no matter who you are. Whether or not you were pacifist Hank or fight-happy Yellowjacket, your friends should be all right with you. I'm at least glad everypony knew better than to shut you out after this last incident. You made an honest mistake."
"They're just mad because it's not the one Ant-Man would have made. Well, they wouldn't have liked the mistakes Ant-Man would have made either."
"That shouldn't matter," Twilight insisted. "I mean…I think it was the change that bothered them. That they expected you to be one way, and now you're completely another. But if you're going to have a flaw either way, you should be able to be whichever you want!"
"Yeah!" Yellowjacket concurred.
"If you want, I can talk to the rest of them," Twilight said. "But on the other hand, I'm not sure that will be all that necessary. They want you on their team."
"After I became…me, Jan had to talk Steve and Tony into putting me on the roster."
"But have they tried to kick you out since then?"
"No…"
"They like you," Twilight told him. "Maybe they're not used to Yellowjacket. But they'll GET used to him."
Yellowjacket smiled. "Y'know what? You're right. Thanks, Tw – "
"I'm not done."
Yellowjacket hushed.
"You changed for them," Twilight said, "and everything you've said is about how THEY think about you. You also changed because this Ultron went rogue, but there was no way you could have known that! So maybe there is a part of you that's…a little evil. There's darkness in me too. It doesn't change who you are as a person for the most part. What I'm worried about is that you're not who YOU really want to be. Yellowjacket…if the Avengers didn't matter, and if there was no Ultron, would you rather be Yellowjacket or Hank?"
"But there ARE Avengers and there WAS an Ultron."
"There are friends who, if they're smart, are going to be loyal to you no matter what, so long as you're loyal to them," Twilight said. "And you just SAID that when you became Yellowjacket, you owned that Ultron could come from you. But you still fight for good. You ARE good. Even if you have evil parts. Which I don't even see that much."
"But I wasn't loyal," Yellowjacket admitted in a low tone. "I walked out on them."
"Was THAT what you wanted?"
"I don't know. I didn't feel like I belonged."
"Did they say that?"
"No," Yellowjacket admitted. "I figured it out myself."
"You THOUGHT you didn't belong."
"How can a guy who wants to initiate PEACE TALKS with creeps like Loki fit in with an elite fighting force?"
"My friends and I don't kill our enemies," Twilight told him. "We made a vow about that. Our Eldritch weapons channel energy we use against the beings we fight. We don't hurt them, or at least we try our very hardest not to. It's been that way from the very beginning. Four villains attacked Equestria. We reformed one, banished another…my sister-in-law killed another one, so that doesn't count…" She sighed. "And one of them, we petrified, reformed, petrified again, and are now playing a giant game of chess against. The point is, just because your style of dealing with evil is different DOESN'T mean you can't fit in. Actually, having different approaches can be helpful if you figure out how to use them in a team. That's assuming that's what you want, anyway. I'm just saying if you WANTED to be Hank again, your friends would love you all the same. But if you want to be Yellowjacket, that's just as good. I'm just worried that if you're not true to yourself…you won't be happy."
"Huh," Yellowjacket replied. He was silent for a long while. Then he said, "I'll think about it. Just as a hypothetical. What I REALLY would have wanted if there weren't external factors. There are so many variables in this that I don't even know what I would want if I ignored them. It'll take some time to figure out. And it's not like I'm going to change or anything. I just hate that I don't have an answer to your question."
"And if anypony gives you a hard time," Twilight told him, "just send them back to me."
"I'll remember that," Yellowjacket said with a wink. "Okay, now I seriously need to get back to working on this prototype. And figuring out the answer to that question. You go watch the news some more."
Twilight got up to leave. "Good luck with your project."
"Thanks."
Twilight left Yellowjacket alone in the lab, now facing a question whose answer eluded him frustratingly.
Chapter 68
· Check out this chapter title. Now watch out for the next two. This is one of the rare occasions where I had the chapter titles for this set planned out before writing the actual chapter.
· I loved bringing back Impossible Man's ability to summon random villains out of nowhere. That's one of my favorite powers of his. Now you see why Loki needed him and Discord…
· My AEMH headcanon is that Red Skull survives to the modern day because of Strucker touching the Cosmic Cube at the same time as Cap. Just like Cap brought back Bucky, Strucker brought back who he thought would usher in an age of HYDRA.
· So I wrote this huge bit about Red Skull coming back from the dead when I remembered that in AEMH, that timeline doesn't actually end with him dying. So I changed it to be more ambiguous as to whether they bring him back from the dead or just summon him out of jail. Though I left in the line "It's as if Hell itself doesn't want me" because I like that line.
· J. Jonah Jameson occasionally irks me. I actually had this whole meme about how he was the "ultimate evil in the Marvel universe" before I actually finished SSM and realized he does have a heart. So he's here to play not necessarily a villain, but an antagonist when it comes to the public view of the Avengers and the Mane Six.
· I felt the Tesseract already had a good run. Besides, I want to let the MCU do the Infinity Gauntlet before I touch that in my story. (Given the pace at which I work on this, I'll still be writing EoH by that time.)
· Red Skull used a lot of giant robots in AEMH, so voilà. Giant robots.
· Yes, I did have Discord sing "Instruments of Destruction" from Transformers. That song has slight meme status in the fandom circles where I run.
· Remember when I said the next shiptease for Cabal would actually look shippy? How's Loki kissing Crouch strike ya? Ohhhh man…Hiddles making out with Tennant. I need a minute to revel in how beautiful that image is.
· As you can guess, I tried to make this chapter sort of focus on the whole Yellowjacket ordeal and move toward resolving THAT subplot.
· I actually hate Hank/Jan as a couple. I think they have NO chemistry and do NOT understand each other. But I can't bring myself to write their actual breakup for some reason. Nor can I bring myself to write actual public displays of affection between them. So…yeah, they're in limbo. I'm hoping to find better endgame ships for both of them and be able to break them up for that.
· Yup, I gave Rainbow Dash an Iron Man suit. Just roll with it. No, I don't intend to take it away from her.
· As you might have guessed, our mystery "Wolverine" and "Hawkeye" were Daken and Bullseye. MAJOR props to GA for getting me a handle on their characters by finding me clips and scans. I can only hope I've done them justice. They've grown on me ever since GA told me about them.
· ALMOST let Daken get away without an innuendo. Remembered my mistake.
· I really really really wanted Zemo to beat up Red Skull. You can totally tell which one of them I respect through the roof and which one I kind of think is a joke.
· Though I couldn't get away without taking a shot at Zemo's outfit. He's a total badass, but his choice of wardrobe is UNFORTUNATE.
· Note that Doom and Zemo both have personal grudges against Red Skull. The other two villains that Discord and IM have lined up for the Dark Avengers also have personal grudges with members of Cabal/the Dark Avengers. You may already be able to guess who they are going to be.
· It occurred to me LAST MINUTE that Doom and Zemo would have friction between them because of Doom's heritage and Zemo's supremacy complex. I actually needed a couple drafts of the scene between them to get the right atmosphere. So now we actually have what might be the only SERIOUS RIFT among the H.A.M.M.E.R. structure. And yes…the core of their argument actually is "YOUR MOM." "YOUR FACE!"
· Apparently, Doom and Amora have slept together in comic canon.
· This argument actually let me give Blackheart something else to do. I had felt bad about him just sitting around because he's one of my favorites. Not just in terms of Marvel villains, but ANY villain. I also got to embellish on his character a little bit.
· No, I don't actually plan to stick Zemo and Doom in the same apartment via Discord. That was a throwaway joke I couldn't resist.
· Sorry for just recapping the entire Yellowjacket arc in my exposition dump. I couldn't think of a better way to do this scene.
· I kind of see Yellowjacket as Hank's way of "owning" the part of his brain that made Ultron's concept of "violence" go out of whack…even though TBH I don't actually believe Ultron went rogue because of Hank's mental patterns. I just think Ultron went rogue because he took a concept to a logical extreme. Vision is an anomaly among AI to me because of his ability to see in shades of grey.