Moon Knight Episode 6: What If... Taweret had Beaten Ammit Herself (SPOILERS)
Ammit towered over the Pyramids of Giza as her and Khonshu duked it out into the night.
Taweret watched from her new Avatar Layla El-Faouly in bewilderment. What was she of all deities supposed to do to stop this?
Then she remembered, she was the Goddess of Childbirth.
"What are you thinking?" Layla asked, uneased by her deity's sudden silence.
"I know how to stop this, but it isn't going to be pretty."
Ammit was about to take another swing at Khonshu, when suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks; she clutched her lower abdomen with a gasp.
"What are you planning?" Khonshu asked, readying for her next move.
But Ammit wasn't planning anything. She roared out as sharp contractions suddenly racked her body. She dropped to her knees.
"What are you doing?" Khonshu again demanded, not sure if he appreciated this new direction the battle was taking.
Ammit held up a hand. "I will get you! I just need a moment."
But Ammit was not doing okay. Another set of contractions came, and Ammit collapsed onto her back, roaring into the sky, the pain unfathomable.
"I will NOT GO DOWN LIKE THIS!" Ammit roared, trying to hold back her pain.
"Seriously, what is happening!" Khonshu demanded.
Layla arrived on the scene aloft on new and epic wings, and Taweret spoke through her. "She's laying eggs," she said. As if in response, the first egg came, rolling out onto the sand, giant like she was. "It should keep her busy for awhile."
Ammit looked at Layla, death written in her eyes. "You did this to me!"
"That's what's great about crocodiles, they don't need mates to lay eggs." Taweret chirped, "They serve as good practice in my line of work. For you though, they'll just keep coming until you surrender."
"You are no match for me!" Ammit screamed, but it was hard to take this claim seriously while she was writhing indignantly on the sand.
"I'm sorry," Taweret replied, "but I have to contradict you. Labor is a match for everyone."
Ammit screamed as another egg came. Khonshu just watched, not sure what to make of it all.
"MAKE IT STOP!" Ammit screamed as eggs continued to come; the contractions racking her body endless.
"I'm sorry," Taweret said full of empathy, but knowing what had to be done, "But not until you agree not to hurt anyone else."
"NEVER!" Ammit screamed, but the pain was so intense, she could hardly tolerate going another second.
"Okay," Taweret said, sitting Layla down to wait it out.
Ammit roared into the sky, but the labor just kept coming.
As morning came around, news of a giant crocodile lady laying eggs just outside of Cairo draw quite the attention. Pics started trending online, memes - furries were having a field day.
Marc/Steven had joined them and sat by Layla observing the whole thing. Steven couldn't help but feel a little pity. "Sure does sound painful," he observed as Ammit's roars of agony radiated through the desert.
"I won't do it!" Ammit screamed, having already suffered a few hundred eggs by now, "You will never have your way!" But it was all too much. "I surrender!" She cried finally as another violent contraction hit, "I surrender! Just make it stop!"
"Good choice," Taweret said, Layla jumping to her feet. Ammit let out a bloodcurdling scream and the last egg came - Taweret wanted this last moment to be unforgettable. And then all was silent.
Ammit just lay there curled on her side, aware at how foolish she must look as furry tourists swarmed around, snapping pictures to share on Instagram.
Ammit looked over at her pile of eggs, big enough to form their own Pyramid of Giza. If she had had a partner, those eggs could have had babies inside. The justice she had planned on serving to the world would have applied to those poor innocent hatchlings too who had not yet done anything to even understand what good and evil were. What did it mean, she didn't have the energy to think right now.
Finally, Khonshu lowered his staff on her. "Ammit, you are under arrest for crimes against humanity."
As Khonshu managed the proceedings, Layla turned around to speak to Taweret, "How did you know that would work?"
Taweret just shrugged, "Others underestimated me, Hippo of Childbirth and all. But what they don't realize is, labor can bring down even a Goddess."
Layla shuddered. If that could bring down a Goddess, she wasn't sure she wanted to know what that meant for mortals.