MLDC Next Generation: Teen Titans

by Michael_Ravencroft

Secret Origins Part 1: An Echo of Thunder

Echo was a sweet girl, kind and caring, and very quiet. She had always been that way, but as quiet as she was, the young girl was also very intuitive, studying those around her. Currently, young Echo was visiting her cousin, Whirlwind. The young girl watched as her older cousin demonstrated some of her skater moves on her personal half-pipe. Echo watched wide eyed as Whirlwind soared into the sky flipping and landing fluidly without missing a beat. She was wearing a purple sports bra and black spandex shorts, she didn’t want to be hindered in her movements. And, as Whirlwind had explained to Echo once, skating like that gave the older girl a sense of being able to fly.

Whirlwind finished one of her tricks and landed with little to no effort on the platform, albeit with a showoff-y flare for her little cousin. The olive skinned girl wiped her brow free of sweat as the bangs of her frosty-blue hair were pushed away.

“That’s was cool Whirlwind,” exclaimed Echo.

Whirlwind looked down at Echo with her intense blue eyes, smiling at her from the platform.

“Thanks Echo, you know I could teach you how if you want?” Whirlwind offered.

“Eh…I’d like that, but I don’t want Daddy worrying about me, y’know?”

“Heh, I do, my Dad almost had a cow when I beefed it on this one trick.”

“I remember that, you broke your leg.” Echo shuddered at the memory of seeing her cousin in a hospital.

“It was only a hairline fracture, nothing major. I got better and was back on the board no in time.”

Whirlwind jumped off the platform and landed with the skill and grace of a cat, as if demonstrating her point to Echo. She then walked over to the younger girl and ruffled her hair playfully, earning her a giggle from Echo.

“Yeah, I also remember how much Hot Head was worried about you after that happened.”

Whirlwind sat on the grass next to Echo, sighing at the memory. “Yeah, he was wasn’t he?”

Echo hugged her legs as she glanced over to Whirlwind. “Do you think you’ll ever…you know…”

“Honestly, Echo, I don’t know, but you really shouldn’t be worrying about stuff like that. Besides, why don’t you tell me about how your martial arts tournament went? Sorry I couldn’t be there to cheer for you…”

Echo shook her head. “It’s alright, Api and Pixel were there to cheer for me, so was Daddy.” A forlorn look suddenly fell over the purple and pink haired girl.

“Hey what’s the matter?” Whirlwind asked in concern.

“Do you think…my Mommy would’ve been proud of me?”

Whirlwind knew what she meant. Echo’s mother hadn’t been around for a long time. She vaguely remembered Echo’s mother, and surprisingly so too did her mother, Whirlwind, and father, Thunderlane, but for some reason her Uncle Rumble seemed to remember her. But after Echo was born, she vanished without a trace, it was almost like she never existed, but that was absurd. No one just up and vanishes like that. Echo didn’t seem to hate her mother for not staying, and the same went for her father. But Whirlwind couldn’t help feel some resentment for the woman whenever she saw the look Echo was giving her. Echo loved her father dearly, but still, she had no memories of her, not even a photo.

How could she just up and leave them like that, and right after she was born?! What kind of mother does that?! Echo’s a freakin’ saint, if that mother of hers ever shows up she better hope I’m not there, or else I’d deck her!

“I think your mother would be very proud of you Echo. I mean, it takes a lot of skill and discipline to be a two time champion.”

Echo blushed at the reminder of her wins. The young girl loved sports, thanks to her cousin, and found her knack in martial arts, mixed and traditional like karate and tae kwon do. She had entered her first tournament at seven years old, and now again at ten. It was still hard to believe that underneath this quiet and shy girl, was a fighter, and a tomboy, although one could argue that Whirlwind was the one responsible for that.

“Thanks Whirlwind.”

“Anytime Cuz.”

“Echo!”

Both girls turned and saw Echo’s father. Rumble was standing at the sliding door, he smiled at the two girls, happy to see his daughter and his niece getting along with each other. That’s not to say they didn’t, Rumble just wasn’t sure that Echo would hit it off with Whirlwind when they first met a long time ago. Thankfully his fears were for naught, as both Echo and Whirlwind were the best of friends, as close as two cousins could be.

“Yeah Daddy?”

“Sorry, pumpkin, but we need to head home now,” said Rumble.

“Awwww, can’t I stay with Whirlwind tonight? Please Daddy?” Echo pleaded.

“No Echo, school starts tomorrow and we need to get your stuff ready. That and it looks like it’s going to storm soon, and the news says it might get bad and I don’t’ want to get caught in it on the drive back if we can avoid it.”

Echo sighed reluctantly and nodded a “yes” to her father. With an apologetic smile, Rumble went back inside to wait for Echo while she said goodbye.

“Guess I gotta go, Whirlwind.”

“Hey don’t sweat it; I’ll see you around, okay?”

Whirlwind held out her fist, Echo smiled and brought up her fist, bumping them together.

“‘Kay.”

LATER THAT NIGHT…

Just as Echo’s father said, a storm did break out. The sky darkened quickly and unleashed a deluge of rain. Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder roared, the winds howled and threatened to blow away whatever was fool enough to be outside. Unfortunately it made for slow progress on their way home. The rain was coming down so fast that it was becoming hard to see the road. Rumble had to drive slowly and surely, not wanting to risk his life or his daughter’s.

Echo watched the storm rage on outside from the backseat of the car, she felt a little scared, but seeing her father act so calmly alleviated some of her fears.

“Hey Daddy?”

“Yes Echo?”

“How come whenever it storms like this, you don’t look afraid?”

Rumble chuckled. “Well, I guess it sorta reminds of your mother.”

“It reminds you of her, how?” Echo asked in confusion.

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me honey. But let’s just say that your Mommy…She did a lot of good things, she was strong and beautiful, and a bit of a daredevil.”

Thunder crashed loudly outside, rattling the car a little. When the lightning flashed Echo snapped to attention, spotting something in the darkness for a brief moment.

“Daddy, I saw something!”

“What was it?” Rumble asked.

“I…I don’t know…”

Echo waited for another flash of lightning to light the darkness. Rumble knew that Echo wasn’t one for making things up; if she saw something then she did indeed saw something. Rumble kept his eyes peeled for whatever it was Echo saw. The young girl continued to scan the outside, but the heavy rain and darkness of night was making it hard to see anything.

Suddenly another flash of lightning lit up the sky and illuminated the night. Echo’s eyes widened as she spotted a figure in the distance, with glowing yellow eyes that seemed to stare into Echo’s very soul. When the light faded, all Echo could see was the two orbs of yellow getting closer and closer. Echo looked to her father, seeing that he too had the same shocked expression.

Everything happened fast, and at the same time, oh so slow. Echo heard a roar; she didn’t think it was from the thunder, it sounded too unnatural, too demonic. The sound of crunching metal and shattering glass followed and soon came a feeling of weightlessness. Echo screamed loudly at the same time as her father, her entire world literally being turned upside down at that moment. She quickly shut her eyes and mouth for fear of getting broken glass in both. Echo was also aware of a tight tugging sensation around her waist, the seat digging into her abdomen as it struggled to keep her secured in the seat.

The next thing Echo felt was a hard landing and the darkness creeping around her as her vision blurred and she blacked out…From then on Echo could only hear vague sounds and voices, one was her father’s, and the other was someone she didn’t know.

“Where…I grow tired…Shazam?!”

“I don’t…She’s…You’ll never find her!”

“…sense magic…the offspring…Maybe she’ll come when I –”

“DON’T YOU TOUCH HER!”

Echo finally woke up, her arms dangling downwards as everything looked upside down. Her eyes darted from side to side, searching for her father. The driver’s side had a big hole, as if something ripped it off. Echo carefully reached for the seatbelt buckle, she looked from it to the ceiling of the car and winced.

This is going to hurt.

Echo pressed the button and let herself fall to the ceiling of the car with a “thump!” She swore under her breath, hitting her head as she slumped to her back. Echo was sore all over, her legs cut up from the glass, and a small trickle of blood coming out of the corner of her mouth. It was hot for some reason, despite hearing the continuous patter of the rain outside. There was also a sizzling noise of some kind, Echo thought that the car may’ve caught on fire somewhere and was going to blow, she quickly, yet painfully made her way to the door, opening it and with great care limped out of the car. The rain drenched her young body, making the gray hoody she wore weigh her down; her black shorts were ripped in a few places, but not too badly. Immediately the young girl scanned the area for her father, looking to and fro for his whereabouts.

“DADDY?!” Echo cried out. “DADDY?!”

“RAARRRARRRGH!!!!”

Echo went still, for some reason all was quiet, not even the roar of thunder or the splashing of rain was heard. Echo gazed into the distance, a few feet away from the front of the car. There stood her father, holding a crowbar that he kept handy from his auto-repair shop. Before him stood some kind of giant, eyes glowing yellow, with an upside down pentagram burning on, what Echo assumed was, his chest. There was fire lapping off his body, and in the silhouette she could make out curved horns. Her eyes went wide with horror; it was some kind of demon.

Rumble turned his head, glancing at his daughter with fear, paternal instinct at its high. He wasn’t going to let his monster have his daughter, even if it cost him his life.

“ECHO RUN, GET OUT OF HERE!!!” Rumble ordered.

“Daddy…I…!”

“NOW!!!” Rumble turned to the demon and brandished his crowbar. “I won’t let you get her, you won’t have her!”

“You have no power, human. The Champion is my enemy, and I will have her blood! If I must settle for her whelp, then so be it.”

Rumble roared out as he swung his crowbar, striking the demon in the head. But the demon didn’t flinch, showing no signs that the blow even hurt him at all. The demon grabbed the crowbar with his left hand, heating the metal to unbearable levels and making Rumble release it as he cried out in pain. Before he had time to react, the demon grabbed hold of Rumble’s throat, hoisting him into the air and bringing him to eye level. The demonic monster then looked towards the sky as if staring at something or someone.

“Champion, show yourself or your mate shall die!” The demon waited a moment, but nothing seemed to happen. With an irritated growl he looked Rumble in the eye.

“Guess she doesn’t care for you.”

“GO TO HELL!!!”

“Where do you think my power stems?!!!”

The demon held out his right hand, making the crowbar rise up. He then gripped it, superheating it once again. The demon maliciously thrust the crowbar into the center of Rumble’s chest! The older man let out a painful cry before silence once again reigned over everything. Echo watched with horror, her tears mixing with that of the falling rain, eyes wide as her pupils shrunk to almost nothing. She fell to her knees, sobbing at what she had just witnessed; her father was murdered before her very eyes.

“DADDY NOOO!!!!” Echo cried out.

The demon released her father, throwing him aside as if he was just a rag doll. His powerful, thudding footsteps coursed through the asphalt, growing in intensity as he approached Echo. The young girl could do nothing, her father was dead and soon she would be too.

“Speak my name Echo………!”

Echo stopped crying, hearing another voice, but this one felt closer, as if it were speaking directly into her mind. It held not the demonic tone and rage like the demon, it was more soothing but just as powerful.

“Who…what…?”

“You don’t have a lot of time…! I can save you…but only if you say my name…!”

“I don’t know your name,” said Echo pitifully.

“You know it; deep inside you know my name. Speak it now while you still have a chance!”

Echo tried to think, and hearing the footsteps wasn’t making this easier. This mysterious voice said she knew its name, but how could she, it sounded familiar though. She thought hard, but nothing was coming to mind.

Wait…he said “Shazam”.

The sound of thunder roared above, it wasn’t as strong, but more like a low rumble.

“Shazam…”

Lightning flashed and the thunder’s roar was greater now. Echo looked up, seeing the demon had stopped as he looked up into the sky, apparently having heard the thunder. With a determined gaze, Echo stood back on her feet, clutching her right arm as it throbbed from whatever she hit in the car during the crash. Her eyes narrowed as she stared down the demon. The beast seemed to notice this, its own eyes narrowing at the same time.

Lightning began arcing across the sky, coalescing right above Echo’s position. With a powerful roar, the demon lunged for Echo. But the girl stood her ground, her violet eyes shimmering with an azure light.

“SHAZAM!!! ”

Thunder boomed and roared across the sky as a giant column of lightning shot down in the blink of an eye! The column struck Echo, bathing her in its powerful light. The demon was unfortunate enough to be caught right as the column struck, electrifying him and making him scream out in pain. His body was then blasted away in a wisp of fire. Echo felt weightless in the column of lightning, floating up as if being drawn into the sky. Whatever strength her adrenaline gave her faded away as exhaustion started to set in rapidly. The last thing she saw was the image of a woman, clad in white and gold waiting for her with open arms…

Echo’s eyes slowly opened, a room made of polished marble awaiting her. She slowly pushed herself up on her forearms, wincing when she remembered her injury on her right arm. Her hoody was gone, the only thing she had on was her white t-shirt. Echo’s right forearm was bandaged up; she quickly moved the covers off her lower half and saw that the cuts she suffered were all patched up. Her body was dry and the room was warm, a welcomed contrast to the shivering cold of the rain. The bed was plush, like lying on a cloud.

The room itself looked Romanesque in its design, columns of white stretching upwards towards the ceiling, her bed situated at the center, with a three step elevation. Echo slowly swung her legs out and moved towards the edge of the bed, sitting there as she took it all in. Suddenly, a few feet away, a door materialized. The door opened and revealed a teenage girl, she was wearing a pink dress that flowed down to the floor, covering her feet. Her skin was fair, and her eyes shimmered pink. Echo gasped when she saw that the teenage girl had butterfly wings, sparkling with beautiful patterns on them.

“I’m glad you’re awake young Mistress Echo,” said the teenage girl.

“W-W-Who are you?! Where am I?!”

“Be calm, I am Murmur, the steward of the Rock of Eternity, which is also where you are currently located.”

Echo looked around the room once again, her eyes settled on Murmur, studying the teenager up and down, looking for any indication that she was lying or a danger to her. But from what she could see, Murmur was telling the truth.

“Well…why am I here?” Echo asked.

“That is a question better answered by my Mistress. She’s been waiting a long time to see you. If you would, please follow me.”

Echo hesitated, despite concluding that this girl was sincere in her words and actions; there was still something off about this whole situation. Mostly stemming from the fact that she had butterfly-fairy wings on her back! Murmur seemed to catch onto Echo’s hesitation and stretched out her hand towards the younger girl, smiling comfortingly the whole time.

Deciding to take a chance, Echo stood up and walked over to Murmur, taking her hand. Murmur nodded happily and led Echo out of the room. When they exited the room, the door they went through vanished behind her, leaving only a stone wall. Murmur led Echo down a long hallway, passing by several rooms with ancient artifacts, one entrance that led to what had to be the largest library she had ever seen, and…something creepy.

Seven statues lined this one hallway, each the image of a monster with words etched beneath each. “Lust”, “Greed”, “Envy”, Pride”, “Gluttony”, “Sloth”, and “Wrath”, above them was carved into the wall “The Seven Deadly Sins of Man”. Echo thought to ask Murmur about those statues, but decided against it, she had already seen one demon, she didn’t want to know about whatever those demon-like monsters were.

Eventually the scenery changed and the hall was lined up with tapestries that depicted people, men and women, with a golden lightning bolt insignia on their chests doing heroic deeds. Their names were sewn into the tapestries, along with numbers like the 1st Champion, 2nd Champion, the 20th, and so on. Finally, Murmur stopped at the entrance to a large room, releasing Echo’s hand.

“This is as far as I go. My Mistress has requested some alone time with you.”

“Um…Murmur…Who is your ‘Mistress’ anyway? And why does she want to see me?”

“Well, that would be telling wouldn’t it? Good luck young Mistress!”

With that said, Murmur’s body turned into pink light, dispersing into a flock of butterflies that flew down the hallway and disappeared from sight. With a gulp Echo entered the room, it was vast, with a long red and gold rug leading towards the center of the room. Echo cautiously followed the path, as she got closer she saw a crystal ball a couple of feet away, but she stopped when she saw what was at the center of the room.

A large marble throne with a lightning bolt symbol carved onto it, and sitting in the throne was a woman. She was clad in a white suit-like armor, with golden bracers, boots, and belt fastened to her outfit. In the center of her chest was the same lightning bolt insignia made of gold, but within the symbol itself was lightning, as if contained within. A hooded cape kept the woman’s face from being seen, but a smidge of her purple hair could be seen sticking out. Echo gulped as she made her way closer to the woman sitting on the throne, wondering if she was in the presence of some kind of queen or empress.

“Um…W-Who are you, ma’am?” Echo asked.

“Those who do harm to others, and wield the powers of darkness, know me as Shazam.” The woman’s body surged all over with electrical energy. “My friends know me by my real name, but you…” The woman sat up from her throne and pulled back her hood, revealing the visage of a young girl in her twenties, with slightly spikey hair and violet eyes. “You can call me Mom…if you want to that is.”

Echo’s jaw went slack at hearing those words. Her father often told Echo what her mother looked like, but actually seeing her in the flesh, right here before her…it was…she didn’t exactly know what to feel.

“Are you…are you really my Mom…?”

Scootaloo – Shazam – walked down the steps from her throne and knelt at the bottom step, bringing herself to eye level with her daughter.

“Yeah, I am.”

“But…you don’t look as old as Daddy did…”

“There are a lot of things that I need to tell you Echo, but…the first thing I need to say to you is…I’m sorry.” Scootaloo said with a heavy heart.

Echo balled up her fists and glared at her mother in anger. “‘Sorry’, that’s all you can say to me?! Where have you been all this time?! And why didn’t you save Daddy from being killed?! Why did he have to die?! Why!!! Why! Why…!”

Echo fell to her knees, her eyes stinging with tears as she cried. Scootaloo looked upon her crying daughter, her own heart hurting seeing this. She knew to expect this, but still, hearing those harsh and sad words from her own daughter was still hard to hear. With a determined look, Scootaloo got up from her kneeling position and walked over to her daughter. She got down on her own knees before Echo, Scootaloo reached out and drew Echo into a hug. The young girl resisted, still furious at her mother, beating her fists against this woman’s chest, but soon she gave up and just let herself cry, hugging Scootaloo back.

Mother and daughter stayed like that for what felt like hours as Echo’s sobs were the only sounds heard within the chamber. After a few more moments of crying, Echo stopped.

“I…I remember this, your smell, this feeling, I remember,” said Echo nostalgically.

“It was the last thing I could do before I had to go, hold you in my arms after you were born. That day was both the happiest and saddest day of my life Echo.”

Echo separated herself a little from Scootaloo, looking up at her with watery eyes.

“Then why…?”

Scootaloo sighed heavily. “Echo…I’m not like other people. When I was young, I was summoned to this place by a Wizard, he told me that I had been chosen by the Rock of Eternity, this place, to be magic’s champion, to be a hero.”

Echo’s widened. “You’re a…a superhero?!”

“Kinda, I’m Shazam, Earth’s Mightiest Mortal and Magic’s Champion, I keep the world safe from bad guys who’d use dark magic to hurt people or monsters that rise up from some pretty scary places. I’ve been doing this for a while now, and I loved it. But…when I met your Dad, it changed things for me. I loved him, and he loved me, even knowing what and who I was. Honestly I couldn’t ask for a more awesome boyfriend…and husband.”

“But if you loved Daddy like you said, why did you leave us?!” Echo asked with a pleading tone.

“When I became pregnant with you I was scared, not because I didn’t want you, I was happy to have a kid of my own, but because I didn’t know what my magic would do to you if I did have you.” Scootaloo looked down at herself, placing a hand over her stomach. “I found out that there were some…complications with you inside me. I was afraid I was going to lose you, so I transformed myself, focusing my magic to keep you alive and fix whatever was wrong. It worked, the only downside was I lost my connection to the mortal world, to Earth.

If I stayed on there, my body would age rapidly and I’d die within a few months of you being born. But here, my body’s sustained by the Rock of Eternity, so now I’m more like its keeper and its protector, like Murmur, I can’t leave it.”

Echo gave a few sniffles as she wiped her tears away. “I’m sorry…because of me you weren’t able to stay with Daddy…”

“Hey,” said Scootaloo sternly, “don’t you ever think like that! I don’t regret my decision, nor did your father. At least part of me lived on in you kiddo, and he knew I’d be watching over you two.”

“You…You did?”

Scootaloo chuckled. “Of course I did! I watched you grow from a baby, saw you win your first martial arts tournament, which by the way, I was this close to shooting down there and smashing that kid six feet under for almost breaking your leg during the finals.”

Echo couldn’t help but blush, knowing her mother was willing to risk her life to come and beat up another kid for almost hurting her was uplifting, that and her father promised the same thing when it happened.

“Daddy…Mmm – Mo – um…”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to call me ‘mom’ if you don’t feel like it. I haven’t been there much, watching over you isn’t exactly the same as actually being there. If you want you can call me Scootaloo, y’know, ‘cause, that’s my name and all.”

Echo fidgeted a little. “Well…It’s also weird to call you by your name too…And, I still want to call you ‘Mom’.”

Scootaloo felt a lump in her throat forming, even after all this time away, Echo was willing to call her “mom”. The older woman nodded her okay to Echo, 1+earning a smile from the young girl.

“Mom…Why didn’t you save Daddy? If you could save me, why didn’t you save him too?!” Echo asked.

Scootaloo sighed heavy heartedly. “Because…he wasn’t anywhere where the Rock of Eternity could teleport him. Since you have part of my magic inside you, I was able to lock it onto you when you spoke the Word of Power, being in danger, your latent magic was able to come out, that’s why you could hear my voice and use the Word. I’m sorry Echo…believe me, I’m truly sorry…”

Echo could see the tears in her mother’s eyes fall down her cheeks, although she was angry, she at least knew it wasn’t because her mother didn’t want to save him, it was because she couldn’t, she suffered just as much watching him die as Echo did.

“What was that…that thing that killed Daddy?” Echo asked nervously.

At this Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed, the room groaning as if reacting to her sudden shift in mood.

“A monster I thought I beat a long time ago. He tried to get to me through you and your dad. But after what you did to him, he won’t be back for a long time.”

“But he will come back, someday, right?”

Scootaloo reluctantly nodded, making Echo have a worried look. The older woman hugged her daughter close to her, reassuring her of her protective presence.

“Hey don’t worry about him, I’ll be keeping a closer eye on you from here on out. C’mon, I’ll send you back to your cousin and her family, they’re probably worried about you.”
Echo’s eyes shot open as she pushed herself away from her mother, earning her a confused look from Scootaloo.

“I can’t go back, not if that monster’s coming back someday! If he does, he’ll hurt my friends! Uncle Thunderlane, Aunt Cloudchaser, and Whirlwind! I don’t want that!”

“Echo…”

The young girl balled up her fists yet again and stood boldly before her mother. “I…I want to be like you Mom! I want to be a hero!”

Scootaloo stood up rapidly and stared at her daughter incredulously. “Excuse me?! You want to what?!”

“You said part of your power is inside me! If I can use that, then I’d be able to protect everyone back home! Just like you did a long time ago!”

Scootaloo had to take a moment to process this. “Okay, I understand where you’re coming from Echo, believe me I do. But you just can’t, that kind of responsibility…”

“But you said you were the same age as me when you became one!” Echo threw back.

“Yes, but that was different! I was an orphan! I had no family, no relatives – no one! I fought and protected others because I could, and I didn’t have to worry about someone missing me if…if something happened me! But you, you have your aunt, uncle, your cousin, and your friends!”

“All the more reason why I need to do this! I have to protect them, and other people from monsters like that one! When he does come back, and you said he would, I’ll be ready for him!”

Both Scootaloo and Echo stood off against each other, staring the other down, not budging an inch from their ground. After several seconds of staring down, Scootaloo’s shoulders slumped as she let out a defeated sigh, she rubbed the back of her head with her right hand and placing her other on her hips.

“Damn…why do you have to be so stubborn, Echo?”

“Daddy said I got it from you.”

“That’s debatable, but I understand. You have more to protect, more to lose, and in a way, that means you’ll fight harder, plus, you’ll have me and Murmur to show you the ropes. That’s more than what I had first started.”

Echo found that curious. “Why’s that, didn’t the Wizard show you how to use your powers?”

“Actually…heh, heh…he actually passed away when he gave them to me.” Scootaloo heard the shocked gasp and quickly added. “But that’s not what will happen to me! You’ll be channeling my powers through me! I’ll still be here!”

Echo let out a relieved sigh. “Okay, so, how does it work exactly?”

“The word you spoke earlier, ‘shazam’, it’s the Word of Power. It’s made from the first letters of the names of six different gods and heroes, bringing together their great powers into one person. But, be sure you want this Echo, once I start I can’t take the powers back, you’ll live with them for the rest of your life. Can you handle that Squirt?”

Echo paused for a moment, thinking over her options. This was permanent, there was no going back once she had gotten the power, from here on she’d lead a double life as a normal girl and a superhero. The thought of being a hero was always a dream of hers, but now it was going to happen. But Echo knew she couldn’t back down from this, she was her mother’s daughter, and she wanted to uphold her legacy, protect her friends and family, and defeat the kind of monsters she saw on that rainy night.

“I can Mom!”

“Course you can, you’re my kid! Now…” Scootaloo stepped back a few feet from Echo. A wind started to bluster within the chamber as she raised her arms up towards the ceiling. Lightning arced off her body as thunder roared within the small space. The entire room became charged with the ancient magic of the Living Lightning as Scootaloo’s eyes changed color to pure azure energy, when she spoke, her voice echoed throughout the chamber and the magical fortress all at once.

“Echo, do you take on the mantle of the Champions before you, to protect the mortal world from danger, both magical and foreign, to fight on as Earth’s Mightiest Mortal, to defend the helpless against the evils that lurk in the shadows?!”

“I do!”

“Then speak the Word of Power, concentrate on all the good within you, and shout it out with all those feelings!”

Sparks of azure lightning arced off of Echo’s body as her violet eyes turned the same color as the lightning, and with a loud and strong voice she shouted the Word of Power.

“SHAZAM!!!! ”

Lightning shot up from Scootaloo’s body and arched towards Echo, the bolt struck her, imbuing her small body with the power of the gods! White smoke swirled around her, hiding her form from sight. When the lightning bolt ended and Scootaloo waited for the smoke to clear to see what became of her daughter, and what she saw impressed her.

Echo was standing there, a height of about five-nine, wearing a streamlined red armor-suit. Golden bracers wrapped around her forearms, along with matching golden boots and pauldrons. At the center of her chest was the same insignia as her mother’s, with the Living Lightning housed at its center. Her cape however was different from her mother’s, it was a large, twin-tailed, white scarf with gold trimming. It wrapped around her neck, covering her mouth and forming a hood over her head, her eyes staring sharply from the space between. Echo pulled back the hood, showing her violet and pink hair had gotten spikier and longer.

“Whoa, that was kind of a rush – MY VOICE?!” Echo clapped her hands around her mouth, sounding older and more melodic than it once was, with an undertone of authority as well.

“Yeah, you’ll get used to that, and the voice thing.”

Echo examined the rest of her body, she was taller, that she noticed right away as well, matching her mother in height. She had svelte figure, but with just enough muscle definition. Echo wasn’t exactly prepared to turn into a grownup, but she wasn’t complaining either.

“This is so cool!” Echo exclaimed.

“I would’ve gone with awesome, but yeah, it is,” agreed Scootaloo. “So, do you want to take on my name? I went by Shazam back on Earth, so what, Shazam Jr.? Shazam the Second?”

“Actually, I thought of a name. To honor your legacy and to honor Daddy, I’ll call myself…Thunder.”

Scootaloo mulled over that name. “Thunder…Thunder…Yeah, I like it, and it suits you.”

“Thank you Mom, I promise I’ll make you proud!” Echo proclaimed as she rushed towards her mother with inhuman speed and enveloped her in a super strength hug.

“You already have Squirt, you already have.”

“Oh and one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

Echo separated herself from her mother and pointed at her chest. “What are these things on my chest, you have them too?”

Scootaloo’s face went red as she face palmed herself. “Yeah…guess this is one of those things a mom has to talk about…okay, better sit down, we’re going to be here awhile.”

Author's Note:

Echo's Bio

Her hero name "Thunder" is derived from the successor to Marvel Jr., CeCe Beck, a young girl who was a member of the "Legion of Superheroes" for a short time.

Comments

[jmmovieboy]

So is this story related to your shazam Story at all or are you just using scootaloo/shazam for a plot device?

[Naturefang]

Scootaloo – Shazam – walked down the steps from her throne and knelt at the bottom step, bringing herself to eye level with her daughter.

HOLY SHIT! BEST PONY IS SHAZAM!