Welcome back to Ashes of Midnight. Last time, Scarlet Witch finally let loose the power of the Chaos Magic flowing through her veins as she Cynder, and Spyro stormed Mount Wundagore. Their goal, get rid of Fallen Hulk. And thankfully for everyone, it actually worked. Cynder pulled the darkness out of Fallen Hulk, leaving only Bruce Banner behind, finally back on the good side. But what comes next for the good doctor now that he's free of Malefor's influence? Read on to discover...
(Our scene opens with Cynder entering The Forge, evidently looking for someone)
Cynder: (Sees Iron Man and Doctor Strange) Hey, Tony, Stephen, have you guys seen Bruce anywhere? He's supposed to be resting, but nobody seems to have seen him.
Doctor Strange: I can't say that I have.
Iron Man: Bruce is already missing? That's not a good sign.
(Then just as the three get unsettled, Bruce Banner himself shows up, fully dressed and apparently ready to get to work)
Bruce Banner: Look no further, he's right here.
Cynder: (A tad startled at first) Bruce? What are you doing up?
Bruce Banner: There's work to be done. We've got to beat Malefor.
Cynder: Consider me nervous for you though Bruce.
Bruce Banner: It's appreciated, Cynder. But all of this, it's made me realize something. For years now I've been making excuses to people. Trying to reconcile the great things I've done with the horrible things the other guy has done. I realize now none of that matters, as of recent, I was the worst monster. It's about time I tried to rectify that.
Iron Man: Well, hey, it's good to have you back poking around the workshop, Bruce.
Bruce Banner: Going to guess this is where the yelling starts.
Spyro: (Having just entered the room) Hardly.
(Now Spyro enters the room, and we can see he's not alone. Literally everybody is here: Captain Marvel, Captain America, Blade, Ghost Rider, Magik, Nico Minoru, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Scarlet Witch, all entering the arena)
Nico Minoru: Nobody's playing the blame game this time. Nobody wants to.
Doctor Strange: Indeed, this was meant to welcome you back, Bruce, rather than yell.
Magik: Not to mention figure out what we're going to do if we're going to face Malefor down.
Scarlet Witch: Let's just hope Dr. Banner has some first hand knowledge that'll help us out.
Bruce Banner: Um... Wanda... Spyro.. I...
Spyro: There's no need for apologies now, Bruce. You're back now. You're home.
Iron Man: Let's feel the feels a little later, if we can.
Bruce Banner: Tony's got a point. If we're going to take down Malefor, we'll need everybody on this. And right now, I've got a ton of ideas, but no idea how to get started.
Iron Man: (Looking to Doctor Strange) Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Doc?
Doctor Strange: I do believe I am.
Iron Man: Time for a good old fashioned Avengers All-Nighter! All we need is Thor, Hank, and Janet and this'll really be like old times.
Bruce Banner: We haven't had one of those since we had to brainstorm ways to smash up Ultron Sentries a few years back.
Iron Man: I remember that! Good times.
Doctor Strange: Well, let's not waste any more time. We need to get to work.
Cynder: Once you three have something, give the rest of us a call. (To the rest of the group) Ready your breakfasts and eat hearty. I have a feeling that tonight, we dine in Hell.
Blade: You got it, Chief.
Spyro: Let's do this.
(And with that, everbody leaves Iron Man, Bruce Banner, and Doctor Strange to work, while Cynder catches up on missing sleep. And in her dreams, Ignitus and Lilith visit again)
Cynder: Well, this can't be good news.
Ignitus: It isn't. The Midnight Sun draws nearer than ever.
Lilith: If Malefor isn't stopped soon, he will never be.
Cynder: We've got everybody working on figuring this out. Hopefully with Bruce back, we'll be able to fix up something that'll fix him for good.
Lilith: (Notices the Hunter's Collar is cracked) I'd be worried about that if I were you.
Cynder: (Touches the Collar) I admit, it is worrying.
Lilith: If that thing breaks, who knows what could happen. Admittedly, not me.
Cynder: I have a good feeling we'll be fine.
Ignitus: Let us hope you have something. This might be our last chance to contact you before the Midnight Sun finishes it's approach.
(At that point, a faint ringing can be heard throughout Cynder's dream)
Cynder: In that case, wish me luck. It sounds like things are about to get worse.
Ignitus: (Seeing his and Lilith's spectral forms start to fade) Indeed it is.
Lilith: It seems it is time for you to wake, and not a moment too soon.
Cynder: Then we better get moving if we're going to pull this off. (To Ignitus) I assure you, you'll see me again. All of us, for that matter.
Ignitus: Let us hope you're right.
(And with that, Cynder's dream fades as she awakens and responds to that ringing bell as our tale ends for today)
And that looks like a good place to end for now. This story is going to wrap up pretty soon, I feel confident in that much. I can't give an exact timeline, but probably not too far past the end of the year, if that far at all. Anyways, next time, it looks like our final charge is about to begin. So be sure to tune in for that! Same time... same channel!