It is a world of Marvels... and right now, they aren't very happy with themselves. Every superhero and supervillain on the planet, and even some that live off of it, are all gathered on the Helicarrier, horrified at what they just did.
"What we did... I can't believe what we did..." moaned Spider-Man.
"I can't... I can't... so many bodies..." stammered Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel hugging the Inhuman shapeshifter, both women with haunted expressions.
Hawkeye laughed nervously. "Betcha you four are enjoying this, though," he said to four of the villains gathered with them.
"EVEN I WOULDN'T DO THIS!!!!" Red Skull protested, tears in his eyes.
"This isn't survival of the fittest," Apocalypse said, pacing back and forth nervously. "This is... this is a nightmare..."
"Death is a gift. This... what we had to do... it is naught but a horror," Thanos said, looking visibly shaken. Carnage, the fourth of the villains being taunted, just sat on the floor, rocking back and forth, a haunted expression on his face.
Over in one corner, a coalition of geniuses were debating what to do. As they talked, they observed the detereorating mental state of their fellows.
"Everyone's falling apart," said Doctor Doom.
"Can you fucking blame them?!?" Beast said, shuddering. "What we all did..."
"There has to be something... Some way we can keep ourselves together..." Reed Richards said.
"The memory of what we all did... what we all had to do... I calculate a 99.999% probability that unless we can stop them, we're going to have mass suicides very soon," MODOK said, a somber expression on his massive face. "I'm fairly certain I will be one of them..."
"I have..." Maria Hill said. "An idea..."
Everyone turned to the SHIELD subdirector. Maria winced. "There was... an alternate version of Pleasant Hill planned, one that didn't involve Kobik. It instead involved drugs to make people... They'd know something bad happened in the past, but the memory would be suppressed in favor of a happy present. The past... would be forgotten..."
"...You're proposing to make this Pleasant Hill variant," Iron Man said, "the new normal? For everything that's left?"
Maria nodded. "To disregard the past, eventually forgetting it entirely. Make everyone... happy..." she said, a haunted look in her eyes.
The geniuses all looked at each other. They tried to think of something to debate about it... but were at a loss.
"...All right," Hank Pym said. "What do we need to do?"
Maria shivered. "...We did a horrible thing. And for this to work... To make the drugs we'll all have to take... We'll have to do one more horrible thing..."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Two years later...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" chirped a cheerful voice. On the television screen, a woman in a pink blouse and blue yoga pants with short black hair waved to the audience, her blue eyes wide and bright, a smile on her face, the white makeup she wore making her smile look bigger. "It's time to get up all you Pleasant girls and boys! It's another fine day here in Pleasant Hill! Unfortunately, we have some thunderstorms scheduled for later this afternoon. Gotta keep the crops saturated, right? But don't worry! Rain can be fun too! Splashing in the puddles, looking for worms... Don't squish them, though! Fun as it is, everything and everyone plays a part in making Pleasant Hill great! Be sure to take an umbrella if you have chores to do today! And be sure to avoid the lightning rods! Lightning's awesome, but it's dangerous! And even though the Thors are thunder gods, during a storm they can't always control where it goes! That's what our super-advanced lightning rods are for! Thanks again, Uncle Tony!" She gestured, a picture of Iron Man in a heroic pose appearing behind her. The cheerful woman grinned again. "And always remember: When you feel you're in trouble, take your Mindbubble!" She produced a pink pill and swallowed it, sighing contentedly. "Mindbubble takes all your cares away! Remember, happiness is a choice! And Mindbubble's the surest way to keep yourselves happy!" A serious look came to her face, the makeup making it look like she was still smiling. "But do you know who doesn't like happiness? Downers. These meanies always want to bring people down, make them unhappy! If you find them out of their designated area, be sure to call an Alliance member as soon as possible!" The smile returned. "But other than that, don't worry! Have fun! Eat healthy, and drink plenty of water! If you're low on Mindbubble, don't worry! We put it in the water supply! And remember, Mama Maria loves you! Have a Pleasant day!"
Bruno Carrelli winced at the overly cheerful sound. He rolled his eyes. "There's someone who could stand to take a little less Mindbubble," he said. The young man yawned, and stretched. He couldn't be mad at her, no matter how obnoxious her wakeup calls were. After all, Mama Maria was the founder of Pleasant Hill. She helped make everything better after... after...
Blood. Blood everywhere. Screaming. Heroes with tears in their eyes, begging everyone for forgiveness...
Bruno quickly went to grab his bottle of Mindbubble and took a pill. Almost immediately, the bad thoughts disappeared, vanishing like smoke over a steak dinner.
...That sounded good, actually. Breakfast steak. He wondered if he had any V-meat left. If not, he could always go shopping. He checked his bottle of Mindbubble again. "Hnh... Only a couple pills..." he said. "Better make sure to get some more later." He stretched, and got up, whistling as he headed for the shower.
He passed another tv screen. On it was an image of his friend, Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, beating up a squadron of Downers and dropping them back into their reserved district. He grinned, pumping his fist triumphantly. He missed her sometimes, but he understood she had a duty as a member of the Alliance. It made her occasional visits all the sweeter.
He got into the shower to clean up. As he did, an unpleasant thought occured to him. Was he developing a tolerance for Mindbubble? He had taken a pill right before bed, he knew that. For the Bad Thoughts to come so quickly in the morning... Maybe he should talk to a doctor. He could get his dosage adjusted. But that carried risks, too.
Oh my. Such unpleasant thoughts...