//------------------------------//
// Strike 3-The Fundamentals 
// Story: When lightning strikes... 
// by FrostTheWolf 
//------------------------------//


When Lightning Strikes- The Fundamentals




Location: Power Ponies HQ

        Shortly after introducing himself to the Masked Matterhorn and her friends, Lance began to wonder about a few things. Earlier, the Alicorn told him that Solaria was going to mentor him and that he needed to prove himself over the next week by completing various tasks. Now, the Adept wondered what kind of tasks did he have to undertake in order to prove himself? He thought that a few tests would have to be performed in order for them to see how he could perform physically, but something told him that Powers and Performance was not exactly going to cut it for him.

        Taking a moment to sit down when he approached the mess hall, he tapped his little companion Lumen and had her float on down to where he sat down at the table. “Hey Lance. Is something on your mind?”

        The Adept nodded his head. “Yeah, I was just wondering about a few things.”

        “What kind of things?”

        “Well, first, there's this thing about the tasks that they would have me do in order to become part of the team. Do you have any clues about what they might be?”

        The Breezie shook her tiny head and sighed. “Well, it really depends on the Mentor. But even though the mentors and challenges are different, it’s all focused on a series of qualifications the Power Ponies look for in a candidate. The code name that they give these qualifications is called TESLA, which stands for Technique, Education, Skills, Leadership and Action. Action is where you combine what you know from the first four tasks and see if you’re fit to join.”

        ‘Well, that helps.’ Lance thought to himself. “Alright, next question. Are the Power Ponies… well, the only heroes in… Equestria right?”

        “Well, yes and no. Yes, this country is called Equestria; but the Power Ponies aren’t the only heroes. The more successful and talented recruits form teams to handle crime in other cities across Equestria. There’s the Cutie Mark Crusaders in Centrail City, Mane Hero 6 back in Sun Fransokyo, and Team Arrowhead back in Mareling City just to name a few. Each group varies depending on who's a part of it, what skills they have and how they work as a team. All of them are considered as Power Ponies, but it depends on the team. Masked Matterhorn was the one that started it all and it just expanded from there, so the girls you met are the founders of the group.”

        Lumen’s explanation reminded the Adept of SHIELD, but with a few changes that made everything sound diverse. Each group seemed to be connected to one another like strands of silk on a spider web. They were all part of the organization as a whole. “Okay new question. In the room, why did they all call each other by their secret identities instead of their actual names? It just seems a bit strange.”

        “Well, it’s quite common. Masked Matterhorn, like some of the other ponies, don’t really tell you their actual names unless they can trust you. Solaria told you her real name because she trusts me and I told her that she could trust you.”

        ‘And how is that suppose to make any sense?’ 

        Before Lance could say anything back to Lumen, the human noticed another pony in the room that had just gotten themselves some food trot on over to where he was and sat across the table from them. The pony was a grey pegasus who had yellow eyes that looked a little… Derpy, from appearance. Her yellow mane drooped down over her head as she was eating a muffin. Bran most likely. But her outfit was what caught Lance’s attention and the patch that was near one of the shoulders of the vest she wore.

        Maretropolis Police Department: Powers Division

        ‘Uh oh...’ Lance thought to himself. He remembered that the head detective of that department put out a search for him this morning. If this mare recognized him, then the police would be on his tail. 

        “Hello!” The mare cheerfully smiled as she looked at the Adept. This was surprising to him, probably because he thought that she would recognize him. But it didn’t seem to be that way. “What’s your name?”

        “Lance Walker.” He replied, honestly. The Adept was not one to tell a lie. Plus, he thought that if he could play it cool with this mare, then he’ll be able to not get himself arrested and clear things up with the Head Detective later.

        The Pegasus giggled a little upon hearing it. “You have a silly name. I like it.”

        “Well, what’s your name?”

        “Derpy hooves, but everypony I know calls me Ditzy.” The mare smiles as she looks at me. “I’m here because my husband is talking with the Masked Matterhorn.”

        “Oh? Who’s he-?”

        “Ah, there you are Ditzy!” Another voice echoed through the hall as another pony trotted over next to the mare. It was an Earth Pony stallion that wore a trench coat and tie with the cutie mark of an hourglass on his flank. His brown mane curved backwards in a spiky like format that would resembled quills from a Sonic the Hedgehog game. “I was beginning to wonder about where you wandered off to.”

        Taking notice of the Stallion was another thing. But the badge on his coat told Lance another story. This pony was not any ordinary pony. 

        Head Detective Dr. Whooves 

        ‘Oh no… He’ll recognize me!! Prepare to abandon ship-!’

        “I assume that you must be the Adept named Lance that the Masked Matterhorn was talking about.” The Earth Stallion said. The teen nodded, sweating bullets because of him not knowing what he’ll do. But to his surprise, he was caught off guard when the earth pony laughed a little and was smiling.

        “Well, I honestly did not expect to meet a young kid such as yourself. From what The Masked Matterhorn told me, she has high hopes of you being able to become part of the team.”

        “Honey, is this the boy from the case you were telling me about?”

        Lumen blinked a little, confused. “I’m sorry, what?”

        “Ditzy’s my wife.” Detective Hooves clarified for the Adept. “Not to mention my partner on the force.”

        “Ah, well that clears that up.”

        The four of them continued to talk a bit and explain about his encounter last night and the powers he was capable of. That way, the detective had a full report about the order of events on the case. He also told them about how Solaria was going to be his mentor. 

        “Somepony call my name?”

        ‘Well, speak of the devil.’ Lance thought to himself as he turned around towards the door of the mess hall. “Yeah, I was just talking with Detective Hooves about you mentoring me.”

        “Well, guess what? We’re going to get started soon. Follow me.” Obeying his Mentor, Lance got up as his breezie companion flew up and rested herself in his haircut. With the Detective and Ditzy following him, Solaria lead them down to the floor that was the Power Ponies Training barracks. The inside of the room made Lance think of the inside of a high school gymnasium as he entered the room.

        “Lance, please go to the back of the room and face me so we can start with today’s exercise.” The Unicorn asked him. The Adept complied and hurried his way over there. “Now, I’m sure you’re aware of how we do the testing of the new recruits?”

        “Lumen told me that it was based on the TESLA method?”

        “Correct. Technique, Education, Skill, Leadership, and lastly Action. But how that is done is up to me. You might think were doing a lesson on Technique, but were changing things up.” Upon her finishing her sentence, Solaria pulled out what looked like a bag of hardware tools and emptied the bag on a nearby table. “Are you aware of the premise of Dodgeball?”

        “Uh yes?”

        “Good. Because for your Skill lesson, we're focusing on your reflexes and reaction time.” The Unicorn now began to levitate one of the tools above her head as she looked back at Lance. “If you’re not careful, this will hurt. If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.”

        “ … What-?” SMACK!!!

        “OWWW, MOTHER OF GOD-!!”

        “Take a moment to get back up. That was a practice throw. My aim is a bit rusty since I last did this with Dodgeballs.” Solaria chuckled as she levitated another wrench. “The Lesson starts now-.”

        “Can he at least get some bandages on his face first?” Lumen interjected. “You’re making him bleed.”

        “Oh dear Celestia!!” Solaria cursed upon realizing the Adept’s bruise on his face. “Are you okay!?”

        ‘Now she realizes that I’m hurt? Talk about paying attention.’ Lance struggled a little to get back up, wiping some of the small amount of blood that was dripping down his face. “Y-yeah I’m fine. I have super fast healing, so this won’t take too long in order to heal.”

        Solaria was relieved to hear that. She preferred not to have to perform surgery in the middle of a lesson and be responsible for if the Adept ended up in a hospital bed. After about ten minutes, Lance was back to his normal self and he wasn’t bleeding anymore. It took him a little bit to get himself ready, but he was soon prepared to go up against what else his mentor had in store for him. 

        “Alright, I’m ready when you are.” 



Power Pony Workshop

        “Hey AJ? Have you seen the toolbox anywhere? I can’t seem to find it anywhere?”



        The moment the exercise began, Lance had to stay on his toes as Sunset continued to throw various tools at him. It first started with a few mallets, screwdrivers, wrenches and brooms; which sounded easy. But one thing to not do around now was to presume that those would be the only things thrown at you. Especially if it’s your mentor that’s testing you on how quick you are on your feet.

        Sunset’s reason for using tools to throw at Lance was because she wanted to make him feel like he was actually in danger. If you throw a rubber ball at somepony, they would consider it as a game and even find a way to kick the ball back at you. However, if you throw something different that they can’t hit back, they’ll take the challenge seriously… and so far, the Adept was not joking around when he dodged, ducked, dipped, dived… and dodged out of the way of everything thrown at him. It was even impressing the ponies watching on the sidelines.

        “Not bad, not bad at all.” Sunset congratulated Lance as he dodged the last few items tossed in his direction. “But we can improve upon what you know already.”

        “Oh? What do you mean?” 

        “Well, you know how some power ponies like myself have powers right?” The question was responded to by a nod from Lance. “Well, when you think of what I’m capable of, what do you think I can use my powers for?”

        “I would think offensive attacks and powerful moves.”

        “That’s where you’re half right.” The Unicorn corrected her student. “Despite my solar based powers being mostly offensive like you said, I don’t use it for just that. Knowing how to control your powers is one thing, but being diverse with those powers is another thing.” Solaria demonstrated what she meant by using her powers to create a thick wall of fire that made it almost impossible to see through. 

        “I see. But how does this relate to me?”

        “Well, since you are a lightning user, have you considered using it to increase your speed? Zapp uses it all the time to zip through the air in a few milliseconds.”

        “Yes, but I don’t have any wings-.”

        “But you can run.”

        ‘…… Damn, she has a very good point.’

        “Which brings me to the last part of the exercise…” Solaria sad as she tied a small ribbon around her neck. “Your goal is to grab the ribbon off of my neck. This won’t be easy though because I won’t be throwing wrenches at you. Instead… I’ll be using my powers. Additionally, you can only use your powers for speed and not to attack me.”

        ‘Motherf-.’

        “Your training starts now.”

        Lance leaped out of the way as soon as the first heat beam almost struck him around the waist. He had no time to catch a breath as he started to run. Using his electricity, he glided quickly across the hardwood floor. It felt like he was The Flash, but still have to adjust to the change in speed and get familiar with running at this speed first before he could pull off any unique tricks. The teen continued to dodge and weave out of the way of Solaria’s heat beams and try to get closer, only to be met by a wall of fire what he tried to reach for the ribbon. He tried to think of a way to get around… and soon came up with an idea.

        In the game, Gunvolt could jump up and gilde using Flashfield. But with the right equipment, he could accelerate upward a couple of times in exchange for a small portion of Septima Energy. It helped for crossing large gaps and avoiding falling to death on the media tower level in the game, but Lance was unsure if the same tactic could help him right now. But he had to try.

        Using his powers, Lance leaped upward and shot himself very high up in the air. He was close to the ceiling when he flipped around and did the same tactic again to land towards the floor. Solaria was caught off guard by the move and as Lance tried to charge towards her, she pul up another wall of flames. But instead of backing off, the Adept went through the wall of fire. Ignoring the burns as he grabbed the ribbon and softly pulled at it, having it come loose.

        “Well, looks like I passed.” He said, cheerfully as he gave the ribbon based to Solaria. “Did I do well?”

        “You were… very impressive.” The Unicorn told him. “I honestly did not expect you to jump through my wall of flames. You’re not burned, are you?”

        “Uhh, remember? Super fast healing?” Lumen said as she decided to come out of her hiding place in Lance’s hair. When Solaria realized that, she chuckled to herself and apologized for not remembering.

        “Well, since were doing the Skill test, is there something else that we need to practice besides reflexes and reactions?”

        That’s when a noise went off in the room, something like a ringtone that reminded Lance of the theme from Dr. Who as he saw Detective Whooves answer a phone call. As he was talking, the Adept noticed his eyes widen at one point and asking for clarification if the caller on the other end of the line was “Serious”. If this were anything to Lance, it was a sign of body language that something wasn’t right.

        “Have forensics get there ASAP and block off all civilian access to the building. Ditzy and I will be there as soon as we can.”

        “What’s going on?” Lumen asked as the Stallion and his partner got to their hooves. 

        “Theres a murder in a parking lot across the street from the Hoofball stadium and the convention center in downtown.” The Detective told the three of them. “One pony was killed recently, but a young filly saw the whole thing.”

        “A child saw a murder!?” Solaria reacted, horrified by the mere thought of it. This also shocked Lance by the mere thought of it. But then, a new thought came inside his head. This week was for him to get on the team and prove himself. So, why not prove himself by helping them?

        “Would you need some help? An old saying I know from back home would be that Many hands- I mean hooves make light work.”

        “Lance does have a point honey.” Ditzy told her husband. Dr. Whooves took a few minutes to think it through inside his head. Soon, he came to a decision as he looked back at both the Power Pony and the Adept.

        “Alright. You can come along.” The Detective then looked towards Solaria as pointed a hoof at her. “But you better not cause a panic.” The Adept nodded as Lance and Lumen followed the two officers out of the Power Ponies headquarters.



A few minutes Later…

        Many Royal officers were already at the scene as an entire section of the parking garage for carriages and other transports. Several reporters were at the scene, trying to talk to officers about the case for the upcoming news reports and get photos of the incident. This was typically ordinary for journalists and photographers, but what no one expected was that the supposed Azure Striker that was talked about the news only this morning to be at the scene with the head detective of the Powers Division.

        Moments after arriving and going through the crowd that formed, The Adept looked towards the Detective as he found the head officer that was in charge of the investigation. “Hello there-. Uh, sir? W-what is-?”

        “Relax Lieutenant, he’s here to help. Lance, this is Lieutenant Night Runner. He is one of the few ponies on the force I trust the most.”

        Night Runner was a Unicorn Stallion around the same size and shape as the head detective, but had a dark teal coat of fur and a black mane and tail to go with his light brown eyes. “So, you’re the Azure Striker? You look a lot shorter in the flesh than on the security footage of the factory. No offense.”

        “It’s alright. I get that a lot.” Lance replied to the officer’s comment as they made their way to the crime scene. “So, any idea what exactly happened?”

        “Well, we got a call about a disturbance a little while ago about something that sounded like growling. When we showed up, we found the young colt over there hiding behind a cart and… well, you might want to see for yourself.”

        They made their way over to a tarp that covered the body of the deceased. When Lance lifted it up a little, Lumen felt like she was going to throw up because of the Gruesome scene they were looking at. It looked like a young earth pony mare. Cream colored mare, brown mane and tail, cyan eyes. But the body looked like she had been torn apart. Almost like…… 

        If she were eaten alive.

        “Dear god…” The Adept was shocked by the sight. “That’s horrible.” He lifted a hand by the mare’s head and used his hand to close the eyes of the earth pony.

        “Did you identify the victim?” Detective Whooves asked Night Runner.

        “No. We couldn’t due to the amount of damage to the body and also the victim’s cutie mark. We tried talking to the witness, but he’s so scared that he can’t speak.”

        ‘Probably due to shock.’ Lance thought to himself as he looked around a little, excusing himself for a moment. He found the young brown colt along a concrete wall, cuddled up in fear. Lance lowered down to the younglings level and tried to be comforting. But that’s when he noticed something.

        This foal… was the same one he heard on the news earlier today.





        I think it should be called “The Azure Striker”





        The youngling looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of the Adept. “Y-you’re… The Azure Striker!!” He was now trying to push himself up the wall and away from the teen as he got down on one knee.

        “Easy there, I’m not going to hurt you.” Lance assured him. “You’re safe now.”

        “B-but what if that monster comes back?” 

        “Then I would protect you and not let it harm you.” He told the young pony. “I’m Gunvolt. But you can call me Lance. What’s your name, little one?” The young colt swallowed a lump in his throat a little as he looked around nervously. He was still a little scared, but soon tried to be brave.

        “B-button. Button Mash.”

        “Okay Button, can you do me a favor and close your eyes? This’ll only sting a little bit, I promise you.”

        Lance had a theory on what he was going to do next. He remembered a mechanic in the first inFamous game where if Cole MacGrath placed his hand on someone’s forehead, he could see a small vision by feeling the neuroelectric energy in the person’s body. Since Cole and Gunvolt both had electrical powers, Lance thought that the same rules would apply. Carefully, he placed a thumb on the boy’s forehead as the Adept began to see a flashback of what he encountered.



        “That was amazing! Thanks for taking me to this years video games competition mom!”

        “No problem, buddy. Hunh? What’s that?”

        “M...must……… feed.”

        “Mom, that thing is scaring me.”

        “Hunger…… Pain……… FOOOD!!”

        “BUTTON, RUN!!!”

        “MOM-!!”

        *CHOMP!!!*



        When Lance snapped back to reality, he could not believe what he just saw. This boy’s mother was eaten alive and he was forced to watch it in front of him. He felt sorry for the boy. Very sorry. 

        “Are you okay, Gunvolt?” Button asked, a little concerned for the Adept.

        “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Can you wait here for a moment?” 

        The colt nodded as Lance got up on his feet and walked back over to where Doctor Whooves was along with Lumen. Night Runner was also there too, surprised for him to be back here after a short chat with the witness. “You’re back so soon. Did you find out anything?”

        “Quite a lot actually.” The Adept replied. “The child’s name is Button Mash. The victim of this was his mother, Milano. They were coming home from the convention center when they were attacked.”

        “Attacked by what? What weapon or unspeakable act could’ve caused this?”

        “There was no weapon.” 

        The Detective and Lieutenant looked at Lance in shock and confusion as Lance told him. What he said next though was bound to make everypony nearby squirm a little on the inside.

        “The Attacker bit her and consumed her… Alive.”

        “Dear Celestia… That’s awful.”

        “What kind of monster could do such a thing? This sounds too much like a Zompony movie if you ask me.” Lumen said.

        “Theres one possibility.” Lance said. “Detective, did the Masked Matterhorn tell you about how I ended up in that power plant last night?”

        “Yes but-. Wait… how does that relate to this?”

        “Let me explain.” The Adept interjected. “Back home, what I’m wearing would what some consider as a costume for a video game character. But since I’ve been here, I’ve gained the characters powers and I’m using the characters name as my hero name. The attacker was similar to me, but is a female. White hair, mismatched eyes, black clothing, a little smaller than me, but deadly. She’s no longer human now, but called a Ghoul.”

        “A G-ghoul?” Ditzy repeated, a little scared.

        “Yes. In a Television Show back where I’m from called Tokyo Ghoul, Ghouls are a carnivorous version of humans that feast on humans and other ghouls to survive. Flesh is the only thing they could eat, besides water and sometimes coffee. My theory is that a human got brought here as a Ghoul and unfortunately, gained the effects of being one. The hunger of not eating caused her to go insane and in her craze, Milano and her son came across her.”

        “Oh…… my.”

        “Well, what should we do? Won’t that thing keep eating civilians like this!”

        Lance shook his head. “One meal usually keeps a ghoul filled up for three months. Unless if there a binge eater, which I don’t believe so.”

        “Oh? Why not?”

        “If it were a binge eater, you wouldn’t have a witness.” 

        Night Runner, looking at the young colt by the wall, realized what the Adept meant. “So, what should we do?”

        “Right now, we shouldn’t worry about it. Personally, my priority is Button.” Lance said. “Detective, can I keep an eye on Button? I want to make sure he’s safe and out of harm’s way.”

        The Stallion looked at both him and the child before turning back to Lance. “You want to have protective custody over him?”

        “For the time being. We should find out if he has any relatives, so we could contact them while he’s with me.”

        “That’s a good idea,” Ditzy said. “It’ll teach him responsibility, honey.”

        The Detective sighed. “Alright. I’ll get back to you if I find anything. Just make sure he’s safe okay?”

        “Yes Detective.” Lance nodded his head as he and Lumen walked over to the Filly. In the distance though, on one of the higher floors, a young girl was looking at herself in a mirror. Seeing the new body she had while trying to wash the blood from her face and mouth. The girl looked in her hands. Horrified and scared.

        “W-what have I become?”

        Unknowing to her though, someone else was on that rooftop. Another person that was in a hood and his own crafted battle gear. He had watched the unknown girl and her powers that she couldn’t control. He knew what he must do as he removed his specialized revolver from his side.





        It was time to hunt and punish.




End Strike 3