• Published 15th Mar 2012
  • 9,925 Views, 350 Comments

My Little Avengers - koolerkid



Big Mac finds a magic hammer, and leads a team of heroes to protect Equestria.

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Chapter 9

Caramel, part-time farmer and full-time screw-up, looked down dejectedly at the piece of paper before him. “I’m sorry, sir,” said the receptionist on the other side of the desk, sounding very bored and not very sorry.

The paper was Caramel’s application to the Royal Guards. Princess Luna had stepped up recruitment to Equestria’s closest equivalent to a military force in response to the current crisis, and even small towns like Ponyville had a recruitment office now. Stamped across the sheet in bright red ink was a single word: “REJECTED.” Below, in more red ink, was written “Physically unfit for duty.”

Caramel wasn’t terribly surprised, really. What was surprising was how much it hurt. After a lifetime of failure, you’d think he have gotten used to it by now, but the Royal Guards had been his last big shot at making something of himself. Predictably, he’d been rejected.

Caramel had no real skills to speak of. The kindly Apple family let him work on their farm when they needed the extra help, and he did odd jobs around town for sympathetic ponies, but everypony knew Caramel was unreliable. Even his special Cutie Mark talent was useless. With a deep sigh, Caramel took the paper and stuffed it into his saddlebag, turning to go.

“Wait just a moment, son,” came a deep, masculine voice. Caramel turned to see a large stallion with a brown coat and jet-black mane come from a side door. His Cutie Mark was a large, heavy-looking shield, and Caramel realized this pony was probably a Guard. “I’m Captain Bulwark, of the Royal Guards,” the stallion said as he approached, confirming the smaller pony’s suspicions. “I’d like to talk to you for a moment. Would you come into my office?”

Silently, Caramel meekly followed Bulwark into his office, sitting on a cushion as Bulwark went behind his desk. “Now then, Caramel. That is your name, correct?” Caramel nodded silently, nervously wondering what he was doing here. “And you were rejected for being physically unfit?” Another silent nod. “I see. What exactly is your special talent, Mr. Caramel?”

Finally, Caramel spoke. “N-never giving up, sir,” he said quietly, timidly. What a useless talent that was. He’d been so proud when he’d gotten it, but what use was it when you’d fail at everything, no matter how many times you tried? Most special talents made it clear what career a pony should pursue, gave him a sense of direction and purpose. Caramel’s did not. “A-and... you can just call me Caramel. You d-don’t need to call me Mr.”

“I see...” The captain was... smiling? Did Caramel do something funny? Or stupid? He began to worry again. “Relax, son. You’re not in trouble. Quite the opposite, in fact. Tell me something. Why did you decide to try and join the Guards? It’s not a popular career choice, even with the current crisis. Most ponies avoid it unless their special talents are especially well-suited to it.”

Caramel felt extremely uncomfortable, looking away from the captain. “I... I’ve never been much good at... w-well, anything, r-really. I thought, maybe, being in the Guards... if I d-did something important, I might finally be able to help some ponies.”

“Interesting... helping other ponies is important to you, Caramel?”

“Of course!” Caramel said, forgetting his nervousness for a moment. “My whole life I just wanted to help... but it always goes wrong.” He let out a heavy sigh.

Oddly, Bulwark’s smile seemed to have grown larger. He’s a good colt, he thought to himself. Honest, passionate, and helpful. Life’s beaten the confidence outta him, but I think I know how to give it back. “Caramel, there’s somepony I’d like you to meet. I think you’re just the pony we’ve been looking for.”

-----------------

“Professor, this is Caramel, our test subject.” Bulwark introduced Caramel to the light blue unicorn stallion, who looked up from the papers scattered atop his desk. They were in his office in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, a building so fancy and high-class that Caramel was feeling terribly out of place. “Caramel, this is Professor Gene Therapy, an expert in pony biology and the connection of magic to the physical body.”

“How do you do,” the professor greeted, nodding his head at Caramel. Nervously, Caramel nodded back. “I’m quite pleased that somepony accepted my offer to test my little experiment. How much did Bulwark tell you?”

“Not much.” Caramel admitted. “He said it was some kind of project to turn me into some kind of a... super-pony?” Caramel’s voice betrayed his doubts in the concept. “It sounded kind of weird, but... well, the Guards rejected my application. If this is the only way I can help Equestria, I’ll do it.”

“Good!” The professor said cheerfully, coming out from behind his desk. “‘Super-pony’ might be an over-simplified way of stating the concept, but it’s essentially correct. I’ve long theorized the possibility of magical mutation, altering both the physical body and the inner magic of a pony to result in unique abilities. Sadly, my project rarely garnered much interest among my colleagues, and I never obtained much funding for experiments. Until recently, that is.”

“That accident in Canterlot last week,” Caramel guessed. “I-I mean, that’s the kind of thing you’re talking about, right? Magical mutation... that’s what’s happening to all those ponies who got those weird powers, isn’t it?”

“Exactly!” The professor said, grinning broadly. “Follow me!” He headed out the door and down the hallway, Caramel and Bulwark following just a few steps behind. “The Celestia Event, as the newspapers are calling it, proved my theories valid. What’s more, the current crisis Equestria is in means that Her Highness Princess Luna is in search of exceptional ponies. She’s quite interested in my research, and she wants to see if I can replicate her sister’s... incident.” The professor took a left turn and lead the other two down some stairs, into the university’s basement. “You see, Celestia’s uncontrolled explosion caused uncontrolled mutation. I believe that a controlled exposure to a similar spell, or at least a simulation of it since we have no Alicorns on hand, will cause controlled mutation when preformed under laboratory conditions.”

The professor led them into a large laboratory with more high-tech equipment than Caramel had seen in his entire life. Computers, wires, and machines which Caramel had no name for crowded the room. In the center was a large, glass chamber on a raised platform. “This is the lab where the experiment will be preformed. The chamber there will be flooded with an approximate simulation of the magical energy the Princess let off during the attack, carefully modulated to only enhance your natural magic, rather than alter it.”

The professor gestured to the glass chamber grandly as he spoke, and Caramel felt a vague slipping sensation as he found the doctor harder and harder to follow. Sensing his distress, Bulwark stepped in. “What he’s saying, son, is that his machine there is gonna supercharge your natural magic, and toughen up your body so it can handle the strain. That’s why you’re so perfect - first of all, you’re an earth pony. If we did this to a pegasus or a unicorn and they lost control of all that power, we’d have a serious situation on our hands. With an earth pony, your magic is all passive, helping plants grow and making you stronger and tougher. Secondly, not to put too fine a point on it, but your body is weak, and your magic reserves are low to begin with. A pony with average strength and magic’d probably explode if we tried this on them.”

“Bulwark!” The professor admonished. “They’d hardly ‘explode’. You’re frightening him,” Gene sighed. “I won’t say there’s no risk involved. There’s a possibility your body will overreact to the extra magic and try to burn it off quickly. You could become ill, possibly even crippled permanently. There is even a small chance of death.” Caramel swallowed nervously. “However...” the professor continued. “Even if the experiment fails and you don’t undergo the change we want, the likelihood of you being injured at all is about the same as winning the lottery.” Gene gave the nervous colt what was likely meant to be a reassuring smile. “I promise, I’ll do my best to ensure you are not harmed.”

“So what do you say, son?” Bulwark asked the smaller colt. “Now that you know the details and the risks, do you want to go through with it?”

Caramel thought for a few moments. He was terrified, frankly, and not just of what could go wrong. Fiddling with the body of a pony - with his magic, his very soul - seemed more than a little dangerous to him. The thought that a pony could just be altered like that made his skin crawl.

However... if he said no, then he’d never change. He’d go back to Ponyville, still Caramel the failure, who couldn’t bring himself to give up no matter how many times he messed up. Maybe this was exactly what he needed. The professor certainly seemed to know what he was doing, after all.

He couldn’t waste this chance.

“I’ll do it.”

-----------------

It wasn’t quite as easy as that, of course. It never was, for Caramel. Firstly, Professor Gene Therapy wasn’t ready to just fire up the “Rebirth Machine” (as he called it) right away. There were still a great many equations to equate, a number of formula to formulate, and quite a few tests to test. Much of the specifics and technical jargon went right over Caramel’s head, but from what he could gather, a number of variables in the project depended on the test subject, so Gene Therapy had been unable to prepare them in advance. Caramel would have to undergo multiple physicals and wait while the Professor did his... Professor things.

Secondly, there was boot camp.

Project Rebirth, named after the Rebirth Machine, was technically a military operation, and that meant the Royal Guards were in charge. They were quite adamant that an untrained rookie would not be allowed to undergo the transformation into the single most powerful earth pony in Equestria. Caramel found this to be a reasonable demand, and so agreed to undergo a compressed, month-long version of boot camp under Captain Bulwark.

Caramel discovered that despite his normally friendly demeanor and odd sense of humor, Bulwark was a exceedingly tough task master. Still, Caramel didn’t really mind. He was no stranger to hard work, and while this was many times tougher than working on Sweet Apple Acres, the principle was similar. Oh, sure, he messed up. Many times, in fact. Caramel had come to accept this as inevitable. Captain Bulwark assured him, when he wasn’t busy yelling orders, that it didn’t matter how many times you screwed up. The toughest part of boot camp, Bulwark said, was “stickin’ it out”.

Or, in other words, not giving up.

For the first time since he’d first obtained his Cutie Mark, Caramel was proud of his special talent.

-----------------

It was a month later when Caramel stepped into Professor Gene Therapy’s basement laboratory for a second time, though Caramel felt it had been much longer. In fact, he felt like a completely different pony now. He’d never be as strong as, say, Big Mac or Captain Bulwark - not naturally, at least - but he’d definitely put on some muscle. A much bigger change, though, was less visible. Caramel stood up straight, looked ponies in the eyes when he talked, and didn’t stutter any more. He was still naturally shy, polite, and apologetic, but at least he didn’t give the impression of a kicked puppy.

Bulwark looked at him with pride. He’d given Caramel the one thing he’d been missing: confidence. He gave the younger pony a slap on the back. “You did good, son. You earned this.” Caramel smiled at the captain gratefully. It was the first time his hard work had earned him anything, besides a handful of bits, some sympathetic glances, a lot of bruises, and on one memorable occasion, a Cutie Mark, a flower, and a kiss from a cute filly a year older than him.

But there’d be time for reminiscing later. Right now, the Rebirth Machine was warming up, and it was time to get ready.

Professor Gene Therapy and a gang of at least ten unfamiliar assistants hurried about the lab, making things quite crowded as they made last-minute adjustments and preparations. Finally, one of the assistants, a bright green unicorn stallion with a serious expression, came up to Caramel. “This way, please, Mr. Caramel.”

“That’s Private Caramel,” Bulwark interrupted sternly. Caramel felt a bit of pride. Private was a low rank, to be sure, but it was his rank. He’d earned it. That was important.

“Of course.” The assistant said sourly, wearing an expression that clearly said “I don’t get paid enough for this”. “Come with me please, Private Caramel. We’re ready for you.”

Caramel followed him to the glass chamber than was the Rebirth Machine, stepping inside without the hesitation that had plagued him a mere month before. He hadn’t been allowed to wear his new uniform, however much he wanted to, but they’d let him keep his new hat. It was just a small beret with the sun-and-moon emblem of Equestria on it, and few Guards ever wore it (they preferred their helmets), but Caramel liked it. He also had the special shield that had been made just for him, a thought that made him positively giddy. It was a small, round thing, colored in the red and orange of Equestria’s flag, with a much larger version of the sun-and-moon symbol on the center. It strapped onto his right foreleg and fit very snugly, angled just right to avoid hitting him as he moved. It had been specially made by some of the best unicorns in the School to be nigh-unbreakable. He didn’t really need it for the experiment, of course, but he brought it anyway. Wearing it felt... right.

“Alright now, Private Caramel,” Professor Gene Therapy said from outside the chamber. His voice sounded muffled as they closed the door to the chamber, but Caramel could still make out his words without much difficulty. “In just a moment, we’ll be activating the magic emitters underneath the platform. The chamber you’re in will get flooded with a controlled, diluted version of the magical explosion Celestia gave off during the Canterlot attack. We’ll be monitoring your magic levels the entire time from out here; if we notice any anomalous behavior, we’ll shut it down immediately. Assuming everything goes according to plan, however, you should come out of this a brand new pony.”

“I’m already a new pony, Professor,” Caramel said with a smile. “As far as I’m concerned, this is just the finishing touch. Fire it up, I’m ready.”

“Excellent!” Gene looked thrilled. “Glad to see you’re so eager! We’re just about ready on this end. You just relax and we’ll have you trotting out of here better than new.”

As the professor trotted back to his work, Bulwark came up to the chamber. “You okay in there, son?”

“Little nervous, Captain,” Caramel admitted. “I’m eager to get this over with; I’ve been looking forward to it all month.”

“I bet you have,” Bulwark said with a grin. “You come up with a codename yet? I hear the Princess is pretty keen on those for her little team, and we’re hoping to get you in as our first Super-Pony.”

“I’m not sure.” Caramel said with a shrug. “I am doing this for Equestria... I was thinking Private Equestria, since I am a private, but that doesn’t quite have the right ring. What do you think?”

“How about Captain Equestria?” Bulwark asked. “Might not be your official rank but it sure as hay sounds better.”

“Captain Equestria...” Caramel looked down at his shield. It was modeled after the Equestrian flag, he thought. A symbol of his country. Maybe he could be a symbol too. “It does sound better.”

“Alright, Captain, if you could stand back,” the Professor called from a nearby console. “We’re about to begin.”

“Good luck, son,” Bulwark said as he stepped back.

“Here we go,” the Professor said, his horn lighting up as he began manipulating the controls of his machine with magic.

The chamber Caramel was in lit up with a soft, white glow. Earth ponies couldn’t normally sense magic, he knew, not like a unicorn, but the magic in that little chamber was so intense it made his coat itch. Still, it was actually rather soothing, liking standing out in the sun on a warm day. Probably due to the device mimicking Celestia’s magic, Caramel figured.

Caramel didn’t notice the changes at first. He fidgeted a bit, adjusting his hat and shield, trying not to tap his hoof impatiently. After about a minute though, he felt a moment of intense vertigo, and suddenly his body began to grow. He didn’t suddenly become a giant, but as he looked back at his body he saw himself filling out with muscles that would make Big Macintosh jealous, if Big Macintosh ever got jealous. In fact, Caramel thought, looking down at his legs, he was probably the same size as Macintosh now.

It felt good. Great, actually. Amazing, even. Caramel was so used to feeling weak, even after boot camp, that the sense of power that flooded into him now was almost overwhelming. He felt so... strong. He almost felt scared to move, like the floor would break under his hooves.

“Magic levels increasing perfectly... I think it’s working!” The Professor looked like a foal who’d just been let loose in a candy store. “Young Caramel’s body is reacting exactly as predicted, adapting to the increased magical levels right on schedule.” He was practically dancing in place. “Years of research, validated! An unmitigated triumph! Let’s power this down and get our friend out of there, shall we?” The assistants all nodded and started powering down the device - all except one.

The light in the chamber was starting to dim, but Caramel was still having trouble seeing out. That’s why he didn’t notice the green unicorn assistant he’d spoken to earlier sneaking up behind the Professor until it was too late. “Professor, watch out!” Caramel shouted. Bulwark turned, but it was too late. A sickly green flash from the traitor’s horn, and a bolt of energy impacted Professor Gene Therapy in the back.

The effects on the professor were immediate. His shouts of triumph turned to shrieks of pain as his blue coat dulled to gray, his cutie mark vanishing from his flank. He began to deteriorate, his body shriveling up like a raisin. His now-spindly legs collapsed under his own weight, the stallion’s screams giving way to a dry rasping sound before dying out completely. The Professor’s eyes dimmed as his head slumped downward, hitting the floor. The process took all of five seconds.

Caramel caught sight of a familiar snake-shaped sigil on the former assistant’s forehead, just below the horn, as the murderer turned tail and ran. The killer was a servant of Loki.

Caramel was not by nature a violent or angry pony. He tried to be kind and helpful to everypony he met, and never nursed a grudge. But now, an unfamiliar rush of red-hot anger filled his body as he watched the green unicorn flee up the stairs. How could any pony just turn their backs on Equestria and the Princesses like that? How could he just throw in his lot with a pony who wanted to kill and enslave them all? What sort of pony did something like that?

Everything was in slow motion. The fleeing pony was drifting lazily through the air as he leapt up the stairs, assisted by a small levitation charm. Bulwark was charging towards the stairs at a glacial pace; he’d never make it. The assistants were panicking, nopony quite sure what to do.

Caramel’s blood was pounding in his ears, and instinct took over. He leapt forward, smashing through the reinforced glass of the Rebirth Chamber like tissue paper. The moment his hind legs hit the floor, he kicked out with them, leaving small hoof-sized craters in the floor as he covered the length of the room with a single leap. Power surged through his body as he chased the murderer up the stairs, and into the halls of the university above.

Caramel saw the incoming bolts of magic coming long before they hit him. With a reaction time that would make Rainbow Dash jealous, Caramel dodged the deadly green magic as the fleeing unicorn rounded a corner up ahead. Caramel continued to give chase, turning the corner as his quarry took a shortcut and leapt through a window. Without bothering to hesitate, Caramel followed.

“Halt, murderer!” Caramel said, with an authority he’d never dreamed his voice could contain. “You are under arrest for the murder of Professor Gene Therapy. Surrender now and you will be given a fair trial.” Caramel wasn’t entirely certain where those words were coming from, but they sounded official. The point was made either way.

The unicorn snarled at Caramel, but the reborn stallion could easily see his legs shaking with exhaustion. He was an academic, not an athlete; he couldn’t keep this up. “Y-you’ll never take me alive!” He cried, his horn glowing with a sickly green light.

“That can be arranged,” Caramel said solemnly, digging in his hooves and raising his shield. Power flooded up from the earth and up his legs, bringing with it a host of new sensations. He could feel the vibrations from the shaking unicorn’s legs, the unevenness of his breathing. He could feel the ponies walking around Canterlot, could detect a fly about ten feet away landing on a blade of grass. The sheer amount of information was almost overwhelming, but Caramel used the discipline boot camp had taught him to block it all out, focussing all his attention on his enemy.

They stared each other down for several moment, until suddenly the unicorn let loose a loud cry and fired a spell. It wasn’t the killing blast of green that had felled the professor, but a rush of light and sound that blinded and deafened Caramel. His new earth-sense, however, told him his enemy was fleeing, using the spell as a distraction.

Caramel’s instincts had served him well so far, so when a strange idea crossed his mind he didn’t question it. He stomped a hoof on the ground and gave a mental cry of STOP HIM! A shudder of power went through him, and he felt an odd sensation through his ground-sense. It wasn’t until his vision cleared that he realized what he’d done.

The green unicorn was trapped in a tangle of vines and brambles that hadn’t been there before. “H-how?” The unicorn stuttered, struggling madly to escape.

“Earth pony magic...” Caramel whispered, a smile slowly coming over his face. He’d... he’d done it! He’d stopped the traitor! He’d done something right!

So wrapped up he was in his mental celebration, he almost didn’t notice as the unicorn’s horn lit up with another spell.

Almost.

Caramel’s shield snapped up just in time, its’ protective enchantments warring with the deadly green magic for a brief second before rebounding back at it’s caster. Caramel saw the unicorn’s features twist into an expression of abject horror just before the impact. His screams echoed endlessly in Caramel’s ears as his body shriveled away, collapsing under it’s own weight. The plants entangling him withered as well, caught in the blacklash of the spell.

Caramel wasn’t sure how long he stood there, staring at the corpse. The corpse he’d caused. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! He wanted to help ponies, not... not kill them! His entire body was overcome with shakes, and he collapsed to the ground as tears leaked from eyes. “No...” He whispered. “No no no no nononono...”

“Son? You alright?” Caramel dimly recognized Bulwark’s voice. He turned to look at the concerned captain.

“I killed him,” Caramel whispered. “I didn’t mean to but I killed him. He tried to hit me with that spell... I blocked it... didn’t think it would bounce off... I was just supposed to catch him! This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!

“Easy there, son,” the captain laid a hoof on Caramel’s shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. It was self-defense, right?” Caramel nodded dumbly. “Than you’ve got nothing to be sad about. That sad waste of flesh there,” he nodded at the corpse. “Was a traitor and a murderer. He’s not worth getting upset about. From what I can see, you did good.”

“Really?” Caramel felt the captain’s words soothe away his panic, and he blinked away his tears as he climbed back to his hooves.

“Really. Now come on, son. We’ve got to report this all to the Princess. Your country needs you... Captain Equestria.”

-----------------

Princess Luna looked rather impressed as Captain Bulwark completed his story. “So the experiment was a success, then? Despite the... ah... interference?”

“We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect result,” the captain replied. “Which is a darn good thing since the professor had committed most of the formula to memory rather than write it down like a normal pony. Without those equations the egghea- er, scientists in the school tell me that they can’t repeat the experiment. And without his special talent, they probably won’t ever be able to figure them out again.”

Luna sighed. “A pity... if your stories of what young Caramel is capable of are true, we could certainly use more like him.” Her face hardened. “Especially now. Loki’s actions have caused the death of one of my subjects. This will not stand.”

“I understand, your highness,” Bulwark said. “Umm... may I ask a question, your highness?”

“Of course,” Luna replied, her anger suddenly dissipating. “What is it?”

“You’re gonna have Caramel join that team of yours, aren’t you?”

“Yes, of course,” Luna said, a slight look of puzzlement crossing her face. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all!” Bulwark chuckled. “He’ll be thrilled! Eager to please, that one. Just one little request I wanna make, on his behalf.”

“And that would be?”

Bulwark took a deep breath. “I suggested that he be called Captain Equestria - you know, for a code name. I heard you were big on those. But, see... he’s not a captain, just a private. It’s the kind of thing that matters to him, you know?”

A small smile crossed Luna’s face. “I see. In light of his heroic bravery in stopping the dangerous pony who murdered a valuable asset to the Royal family, I believe young Private Caramel is due for a promotion. Please tell Captain Caramel to come see me at noon tomorrow, would you? He should meet the rest of his team.”

“Of course, Princess,” a grinning Bulwark said with a bow as he left the room. “I’m sure he’d be more than happy to oblige.”