POV Thanos
I looked at the crushed enemies.
Thanos: "I have to admit, you were a worthy adversary. But unfortunately, you cannot stop me."
Magneto: "Jean, we cannot stop him. Our only hope is to prevent him from getting the gem."
Jean: "But I can't leave you all here."
Xavier: "You don't have to. Quicksilver. Take the gem and run. Don't look back and never stop running. He must never get the last gem."
Jean: "Professor? Are you sure about this?"
Xavier: "We may die, but we die knowing Thanos has failed."
Thanos: "As amusing as it is to hear you talk about self-sacrifice, I don't have time to wait."
Before I can say anything more, the speedster takes the last gem and vanishes in a blur of light.
Thanos: "You are all fools to think a mere speedster can escape me."
Jean: "You won't be getting out of here. Everyone run."
I get more serious as I see The Phoenix Force take over Jean Grey, and she uses that great power to try and destroy me and her together.
POV Quicksilver
I keep running, but I still sense the explosion from where I came. I ignore it and keep running, but I have to stop when I see something that should be impossible.
Thanos: "You cannot escape me. You aren't fast enough. You can travel faster than light. But you can't save your friends and family. Give me the gem, and I will spare Earth from any further attacks. Or resist, and I will kill every last living being on this planet and make you watch. So what do you choose?"
In his hands are the Professor and Magneto. Both of them are bruised and bloodied.
Xavier: "Don't do it, Pietro. He can't be trusted."
He screams in pain as Thanos squeezes him.
Thanos: "I can wait all day, but they may not live that long. So choose quickly."
I think as fast as I can, but I come to the conclusion that we can't win. I also know we can't destroy the gem.
'Even if I go as fast as I can, I can't get far enough. He can clearly track me. Which means everyone will die if I refuse. But everyone might die if I agree.'
I think as hard as I can and go through hours of conversation in only a second and I decide.
Quicksilver: "You swear you will leave Earth and harm no more people if I give you the gem."
Thanos: "You have my word."
Quicksilver: "Fine."
I hand him the gem, and he smiles.
Thanos: "You chose wisely."
He takes the gem and places it in his gauntlet.
Thanos: "Finally. After all these years. I am complete."
I sense something off about Thanos.
Thanos: "I am inevitable."
Clink
Thanos: "What?"
He turns over the gauntlet, and the gems are still there, but suddenly there is another voice.
???: "HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH! You actually did it! You absoulute imbecile."
Thanos looks shocked, and then he falls to his knees and screams in pain. I back away and watch as Thanos starts to shrink and melt into something else.
Thanos: "You betrayed me! Why?"
???: "I only needed you to gather the gems. My idiot ex-boyfriend killed me and cut my body up into 6 pieces. But as I was trying to come back, and power-hungry fool like you came along and solved my issues. All I had to do was tell you some lies, and you did what I asked like a good slave. That is why I will give you the gift of becoming one with me."
Thanos cries in agony and desperately tries to take off the gauntlet, but he fails. I go to grab the Professor and Magneto and try to escape, but that draws the things' attention.
???: "Ah ah ah! You can't leave just yet. I haven't gotten to play with some mortals in so very long. Oh, how I missed their screams of terror and agony."
I try to make a run for it, but my legs are turned into honey.
???: "Oh, it's so good to be back. Now let's have some good old-fashioned fun. Lady Cosmos is back in town, and it's time to have some fun. What do you say, readers? Should I turn this world into a fun little playground?"
POV Rio
We watch Cosmos take the bodies of Xavier, Magneto, Quicksilver, and Thanos and fuse them into her. I could tell she knew we were watching.
Yularen: "Who is she? And what readers is she referring to?"
Rio: "She is Cosmos, the personification of Malice, Evil, and everything wrong in existence. She can tear apart the fabric of reality itself, and she can't be killed. Not really. So long as Evil exists, she can remanifest. She treated Discord as a mere pet. As for the readers, she likely is referring to the fact that everything is a story and is observed by another."
Yularen: "I don't follow."
Rio: "Everything we know is real, but it is also viewed by another as a book, a show, maybe even a play. Think of it as watching or reading something. You read it, but to you it is a fictional story, but somewhere in the infinite Existence, there is a universe where everything is happening or has already happened. We still have free will. It just means everyone is in their own story. So a being that can perceive the 4th Wall is more acknowledging that someone is watching them. Cosmos is breaking the 4th wall. Or rather, whatever 4th wall she is perceiving. Regardless, it doesn't matter as it won't interfere with our lives."
Lex: "You said she can't be killed. So what do we do?"
Rio: "For now? Nothing. We can't stop her, but she can't get here easily. Eventually, she will find her way into our Universe, but that will take a while even for her. I give it 7 months before she breaks the barrier and makes it here. As for killing her, it really isn't possible. Like Discord, if she is killed, a new Cosmos will take her place. With Discord, you could get a different personality, but Cosmos is the same in almost every iteration. And unlike Discord, she has no weakness. The Elements of Harmony are just shiny baubles to her."
Orochimaru: "She mentioned she was killed by her ex-boyfriend. Can we repeat what happened?"
Rio: "Nope. That killing was more equivalent to sealing her away, and even then, it won't work a second time. Not to mention that it required the combined magic of Discord, Celestia, Luna, Queen Novo, King Aspen, the King of Abyssinia, the Elements of Harmony, and the very will of the Universe. And unlike other villains, she isn't a fool and will not fall for the same thing twice. As for how she was defeated before they technically split her power into two pieces. One was her physical body. The other was her raw, untamed power. That power was tossed into the void between the Omniverses. And yet that still didn't kill her."
Tempest: "Then what do we do?"
Rio: "I have a few ideas. Not sure if it will work, but we'll have to wait and see. For now, we will observe her while I try and work on a spell that can limit her long enough for my backup plan to be used. In the meantime, focus on dealing with Cetana and setting up that tournament."
Lex: "Are you sure it is wise to do the tournament in this situation?"
Rio: "Yes, the people don't need to worry about this. And once Cetana is dealt with, we can hold the tournament as a celebration. And perhaps by then, Cosmos will be dealt with. Any research related to interdimensional and interuniversal travel is banned for the time being. I doubt she could use that, but I won't take the chance."
Padme: "How certain are you that she can be dealt with?"
They all look to me and I give it some serious thought.
Rio: "100% if my backup plan works. Otherwise, 20%. If my backup plan fails, the best I can do is lock her in an infinite loop of us fighting. I would be gone, but the Imperium would be spared."
They seem to get worried.
Thrawn: "What is your backup plan?"
Rio: "I won't say. Cosmos can't see it coming. She can't read my mind, but she can easily do so to everyone here. She can technically do anything. If she were placed in a deathmatch against TOAA and The Presence, she would mop the floor with them and then turn them into playthings. Maybe Ultimate Necrozma, before he was desummoned, could have fought her for a time. But even they would only be able to stall her for a time."
That makes them feel worse.
Rio: "I am telling you all this so you know you can't get involved. If any one of you is taken as a hostage, I will not hesitate and leave you to die. You will be resurrected later, but you stand no chance against her, so don't try it. I am serious."
They all nod, and I can sense they took my words to heart. I sigh and tell everyone to take the rest of the day off. I create a few clones to take over their duties, and I start researching how to deal with her. But deep down, I knew my backup plan was the only likely option.
'Ugh, this will be annoying, but I at least have some options. Why did she have to appear now? Couldn't she just have died in the void?'
I shake my head and get back to work.
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Authors Note:
The big reveal. Cosmos is a little-known villain from MLP. I changed a few things in the story, but otherwise, she is accurate to her original appearance. And yes, she killed. Like a lot of beings. Tortured Discord, and is genuinely pure, unadulterated evil. She will be the final threat. But I have a plan that will have her end decently fast. And there was nothing Rio could have done to stop her from returning. Even if he found and sealed away the gems, she would still return. And he couldn't sell them, like the Helm of Darkness. Until next time, Ciao.