• Published 15th Oct 2012
  • 4,576 Views, 276 Comments

The Adventures of Supermare: Side Stories to Mare of Steel - iowaforever



Rainbow Dash grows in her role as Supermare

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Heart of Stone

Heart of Stone

Rainbow Dash did not want to consider herself petty, but she really hated dealing with messes caused by Silversmith; one of his experiments would go wrong and threaten to destroy Manehattan, she would come along and deal with it, and his only thanks was trying to kill her. She was not sure of what the details of his latest screw up were, but from what she had heard while flying to Manehattan it involved griffon mercenaries and a prototype suit of some kind.

Maybe Silversmith designs these things for the sole purpose of getting them stolen by nutcases. She put that thought aside as she neared Manehattan, pulling up to get a better view of the situation. The mercenaries were moving towards the docks, a machine that resembled a large, misshapen pony leading the way. She looped around until she was in front of them, took a deep breath, and unleashed a mighty gale that swept the mercenaries off their feet. The machine was unaffected, and as she landed it readied whatever weapons it had in preparation for the coming fight.

“I’ll give you a chance to surrender, so you don’t hurt yourself or anypony else.” she said, staring down the machine. There was no vocal response; instead, the machine raised one of its weapons and fired, a bright red beam shooting out and striking Rainbow Dash. She flipped through the air once before stabilizing, and with a small snort she rushed forward and tackled the suit, the two landing with an almighty crash. The suit tried to right itself, but to no avail before Rainbow Dash smashed her hooves down on the thing’s shoulder, snapping off one of its weapons and giving her room to rip the front half of the suit clean off.

Inside was a male griffon with gray and brown feathers and a small scar above his right eye. Upon seeing Rainbow he gave her a smug smile. “Good to see you again, Supermare. What took you so long?”

“Corben,” Rainbow growled, yanking the mercenary free of the wreckage. “How’d you get out of jail this time?”

“I played nice, surprisingly enough.” he replied, still smiling. “Of course, there’s not much pay in begging on the street like some layabout, so I had to violate my parole a few times to get by. Surely a mare of your understanding would see that a griffon like me has a few needs that must be taken care of.”

“Nearly demolishing a city block in your attempt to get... whatever that was?” Rainbow nodded towards the wrecked suit. “How do your needs justify that?”

“Wouldn’t we love to know.” Corben chuckled before continuing. “Love to chat, but I expect the police are waiting for me, so if you don’t mind...” Rainbow gave an irritated grunt before taking off, the griffon mercenary clutched in her hooves. Fortunately, she only had to go two blocks, for the police had been tailing the fight for some time now, hanging back to avoid being shot by the weapons the suit carried.

“Officer,” she said to the collection of cops approaching her before descending. “This is the griffon responsible for hijacking the Silver Industries hardware. I’ll leave him to you for now.” the leading officer nodded before moving to handcuff Corben. The mercenary’s smug look had not wavered much, even as he was led away by the Manehattan Police.

Rainbow’s annoyance grew as she saw a familiar gray Earth Pony and his assistant approaching.

“I suppose I should be thanking you, Supermare,” Silversmith said, giving her a thin smile. “Had that mech been taken to... wherever that griffon had planned, who knows how badly-”

“Save the speeches for later, Silversmith.” Rainbow snapped, turning to face the businesspony. “First it was that laser thing last month, and now this? Your military contracts tend to attract a lot of thieves, and they always show up just before you’re about to make a big show of things to the military.”

“Well it’s only natural.” Silversmith shrugged. “Silver Industries is at the cutting edge of technological innovation, so radicals and mercenaries trying to steal my work is expected. I imagine the Griffon Kingdoms would kill for even one weapon I produce.”

“Why don’t you just sell them your weapons instead of tricking them into stealing?”

“Because, Supermare, I have more important things to worry about than gun running.” Rainbow noted that Silversmith lost his composure for the briefest of instances, but he recovered too quickly for her to exploit it. “Mercy, go back and get a team to recover the suit; we might be able to get it repaired by the end of the month.”

“Yes sir,” the Earth Pony mare nodded before wandering off, leaving Rainbow alone with Silversmith.

“Now, don’t you have some ponies to save elsewhere?” he asked, his smile returning again.

“This isn’t over, Silversmith.” Rainbow replied, taking flight once again. “Any more of your tech gets stolen, and the mercenaries might not be the only ones going to jail.” with that she departed, heading back towards Ponyville.

Really shouldn’t have let my anger get in the way of things, she thought to herself as she flew. It’ll only encourage him.

...

The prison where they had moved Corben was up in the mountains, near the abandoned base Steel Wing had used to imprison Supermare. Silversmith had visited before, when he had first hired the griffon to steal the Silver Industries mech, and he was returning to “check up” on his associate’s stay.

As Corben was led in, Silversmith noted a few things. Primarily, the mercenary had appeared to have lost weight, his face thin and pale, and his breathing had become a bit more labored. Well, this is an interesting development. Silversmith remained passive as Corben sat down across from him.

“Let me guess, you’re asking for a refund?” Corben asked, his voice more hoarse than usual.

“I rarely asked for refunds, especially after that performance you gave me.” Silversmith replied. “Although... you don’t look well. Is something wrong?”

“Plenty.” Corben coughed, and Silversmith thought he saw a small splatter of blood. “Turns out that I’ve got some weird blood disease. Only got worse when they dragged me back in here.” he coughed again.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Silversmith said, ignoring the mercenary’s distress. “Is it treatable?”

“With what they got? They said I’ve got a few more months to live, and that’s being generous.” Corben chuckled. “You’d think they’d let me out to spend my last days alive in freedom, but nope. I’ll just end up dying here.”

“I see.” there was a pause before Silversmith spoke again. “Actually... there might be a way out of this.”

“What?” Corben asked, one eyebrow raised.

“I’ve been working on this... project. It originally started as a project to increase longevity, but with the right adjustments I could save you.”

“What is it?” the griffon leaned forward, obviously interested. “Anything’s better than dying in here.”

“Just as I described it.” Silversmith smiled. “Not only will your blood poisoning be cured, but you may even get stronger and faster. Given your line of work, that could be very useful.”

“Right.” Corben coughed again. “What’s the catch?”

Silversmith chuckled. “There isn’t a catch, my friend. You’ve done good work for me and others; consider this a token of my goodwill and a thank you for all those jobs and favors.” Corben was not stupid, and Silversmith guessed that he saw through that last bit. But if he did, he did not indicate it.

“Okay... I’ll try your little project.” he chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “If this works, I’ll do whatever you’d like for the foreseeable future. And if it doesn’t-”

“You won’t have to die in a prison cell.” Silversmith finished before standing. “I have to go; business is going well and I want to make sure it stays that way. I’ll have somepony come and feth you by the end of the week, and then we can begin.”

“Whatever you say, Lex.” As Silversmith left, the guards returned to escort Corben back to his cell. Once he was sure he was alone, Silversmith let out a dark chuckle.

“This has gone even smoother than I thought it would.”

...

Corben was uncertain how long he had been out. He had finally been called in for Silversmith’s “project”, the disease in his body having all but killed him. One trip to an operating table and he was out, his mind lost to the dark void of his subconscious.

He was coming to, but he still could not feel anything. Must be the drugs.

“Ah, you’re waking up.” he heard Silversmith say off to his right. “How do you feel?” Corben felt... fresher. Younger even. The pain that the disease caused was gone, and he did not feel as groggy as he thought he would coming out of an operation. He took a moment to flex his limbs, marvelling at how smoothly each part of his body moved.

“Well, whatever you did, it certainly worked.” he said, sitting up and looking to the businesspony. “Don’t suppose I could get something to eat? Or should I wait and let whatever it is you used to knock me out wear off?”

“Oh, you should be fine.” Silversmith turned to exit, Corben hopping off the operating table and following after him. The floor feels weird... It’s like I’m barely touching it.... “I installed a food court a few levels up, so that my staff can stay close to their stations at all times. It’s not fine dining or anything, but it should be enough to hold you over for a little while.”

“You’d be surprised; those paychecks you gave me didn’t all go towards hiring new muscle.” Corben smirked. “I might be a crook, but I still like to live comfortably.”

“Don’t we all.” With that, Silversmith disappeared down a separate hallway while Corben made his way upstairs. He still was not feeling anything, but decided not to worry about it right now. He was up and moving, and more importantly not dying, and that’s all that mattered for now.

Silversmith was not joking when he said that the food court was nothing fancy; if anything, it was a glorified high school cafeteria. Guess some expenses had to be addressed, he thought, moving quickly through the lines to find something that looked edible. Once he gathered enough food, he found a corner far away from the corporate drones Silversmith had employed, watching them as they went about in their own miserable little routines.

Yet another advantage of the mercenary life, he thought, reaching for a nearby apple. I couldn’t imagine being some drone. With a chuckle, he inspected the apple for any blemishes, and finding one proceeded to take a bite.

It was then that he realized something was very wrong. Sure, he could feel himself biting into the apple, but the taste? The texture? He felt nothing. Puzzled, and with a bit of worry creeping into his mind, he took another tentative nibble, his worry growing as he once again tasted nothing.

Don’t panic... It’s probably just the drugs... right? But it was not just the apple that was off. At the entrance to another hallway was a fan, positioned to dry a patch of carpet where somepony had spilled a drink. Corben was within the fan’s arc, but he felt nothing every time the thing passed over him. He had been beaten up and sent to the hospital enough times to know that there were no drugs that could knock all of his nerves for a loop.

“What the hell did Silversmith do to me?” he got up quickly, hurrying to a nearby bathroom so he could have some privacy. Once he was alone, he hurried to the sink and turned it on, his panic growing as he felt nothing after jamming his talons beneath the stream of water.

I... I can’t feel anything... why can’t I feel anything? He looked up at himself and saw that there was an unusual glow behind his eyes. He blinked a few times, in case his mind was playing tricks on him, but the glow remained.

Panic had eclipsed reason. Without thinking, Corben raised his talons and raked them across his face.

Only then did he scream.

...

Silversmith was interrupted from his latest project when the door to his office was all but knocked off its hinges. Standing in the doorway was Corben, half of his face shredded off to reveal a metal endoskeleton and glowing green eyes. He found out sooner than I anticipated... Better play this carefully.

“You.” the griffon mercenary growled, stalking over to Silversmith’s desk. “What did you do to me?!”

“I cured you of your blood poisoning.” Silversmith replied, his voice even and controlled. This did not appear to be the answer that Corben wanted, as the griffon slammed his fists into the desk and split it in half.

“You bastard! You turned me into... into... some kind of machine!”

“How observant of you.” Corben grabbed Silversmith and hoisted him in the air, his claws wrapping around the Earth Pony’s throat.

“At first I thought it was just the drugs you were using,” Corben snarled, tightening his grip. “But they won’t wear off. I can’t feel anything; not the wind, not some apple, nothing! Do you know what it’s like not to feel anything?!”

“My friend, I think you are overreacting to this turn of events-” he never finished, for Corben tightened his grip around Silversmith’s throat.

“Overreacting?! You think I’m overreacting?!” Corben’s glare intensified. “What could possibly make you think I’m overreacting to being turned into some robot?!”

“Cyborg...” Silversmith corrected between his gasps for breath. “And can’t you see... you can take... revenge?”

“Oh believe me, I am.” Corben chuckled. “Once I pop your head like a grape, I’m going to smash this entire building to the ground. That should be a good revenge.”

“Not... me, you... idiot.” Silversmith looked down at the griffon as best he could. “... Supermare.” This caught Corben’s attention. He released Silversmith, the Earth Pony gasping for breath and trying to compose himself.

“Talk. What does Supermare have to do with this?”

“Well, think for a moment.” Silversmith composed himself and looked at Corben. “I turned you into a cyborg, that’s true, but who was it that got you sent to prison all those times? Who was it that destroyed your once illustrious mercenary career? Who was it that had you thrown into a prison where your condition worsened and you nearly died?”

“... Supermare.”

“Correct.” Silversmith smirked as he continued. “You can kill me if you’d like, but just think of it; Corben, the griffon who killed the Mare of Steel. Every warlord and mercenary will be begging for your service, and you won’t need to steal two bit mechs and weapons again. And,” Silversmith pointed a hoof at Corben’s chest. “I added a little surprise, just in case you do end up fighting her.”

“... So why shouldn’t I kill you now?” Corben asked, his remaining eyebrow raised.

“Why waste time and energy on a weak businesspony like me? Besides, you’ll need all the energy you can get to fight the strongest pony in Equestria, won’t you?” Corben was silent for a long while, and Silversmith could sense the smallest hints of doubt creeping into his mind. Finally, the griffon grinned, a grotesque half grin now that half his face was missing.

“Alright,” Corben said, chuckling. “Kill Supermare... should be nice. After that, I might come back here and kill you; who knows?” with that, Corben turned to leave, Silversmith letting out a frustrated sigh before standing. There was a pause before Mercy hurried in, the mare rushing up to where Silversmith’s desk had been.

“Are you alright, sir?” she asked, still calm and composed as ever.

“I’m fine, Mercy.” he replied, turning around to look out at the Manehattan skyline. “I’ll need a new desk, though... see to it that I have one by tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

...

Once again, Rainbow Dash found herself in Manehattan, swooping between the buildings as she headed towards the heart of the city. She had only gotten a small bit of information concerning what was happening, but it was enough for her to know that ponies were in danger and she was needed.

As she pulled up, she was able to get a better view of the situation. Most of the civilians had run off, and in the center of the plaza was a griffon and a collection of smashed carts. Adjusting her vision, she saw that it was Corben, but half of his face was missing to reveal a metal skull. That’s just disgusting. As she neared, Corben spotted her and turned to face her.

“I was wondering when you would show up, Supermare,” he said, his half smile unnerving her. “Missed me since we last met?”

“Corben,” Rainbow Dash said, landing in front of him. “What happened to you?”

“You know, earlier I was panicking that I’d become a monster,” he said, smirking. “But now that I’ve gotten a chance to get out, I find that I kind of like it. Maybe killing Silversmith is a waste of time.”

“Silversmith... he did this to you?” Corben’s smirk vanished, his right talon clenching into a fist.

“No... You did!” With that he swung at her, his fist colliding with Rainbow’s jaw. Unprepared, Rainbow was driven back, much to the surprise of the griffon cyborg. “Well well, now isn’t that interesting? Guess I’m a bit stronger than I thought.”

“Corben, you’ve gone insane,” Rainbow Dash readied herself for an attack. “Silversmith’s just using you. I don’t know for what, but he’s-”

“Actually, I think a name like ‘Corben’ isn’t really fitting for someone like me.” he lunged forward, swiping at Rainbow Dash but missing by a few inches. “I’m a new griffon, might as well get a new name. Perhaps you should call me... Metallo.”

“Doesn’t matter what you’re called; you’re still putting innocents in danger.” the newly christened Metallo swung at Rainbow once again, but she ducked under the strike and bucked, catching the cyborg in the chest and knocking him back. Metallo barely seemed fazed, and managed to intercept and dodge away from Rainbow’s followup attack. Once again he landed a hit on her, but now that Rainbow was prepared she was able to take the hit and keep moving.

Still, it was obvious that Metallo’s skill as a fighter was helping him greatly. Rainbow’s attacks hit air just as often as they hit him, and although his attacks could not hurt her he was still landing quite a few more than she would have liked. All the while, he never lost that smug grin of his, even at the times when the battle turned against him.

There’s more to this that I don’t see...

“Getting tired?” Metallo asked, ducking under one punch only to walk right into a second.

“Of you, yes.” Rainbow dodged and took flight, angling for a strike to disable the cyborg for good. She had scanned him several times with her x-ray vision, looking for a power source, but could not find one.

“Well, Silversmith did say he made some... ‘modifications’.” Against all odds, Metallo’s smirk grew even wider. “Why don’t we find out what those were?” Rainbow snorted and dove, just as Metallo turned towards her and a compartment in his chest slid open.

Rainbow’s anger turned to panic as she was bathed in green light, her strength being sapped quickly by the unearthly radiation. Kryptonite! He’s powered by Kryptonite!

Rainbow collapsed to the ground, trying her best to get back up and escape. She almost got back to her hooves before Metallo kicked her hard in the side.

“What’s the matter, Supermare? I thought you said you weren’t tired.” Metallo laughed before kicking her again. “How does it feel, to be just as weak as everypony else? To be the one being beaten.” Rainbow had no time to respond before Metallo kicked her again. “You talk big, but what are you without your powers? Just a scared little pony in way over her head.”

“Not... yet...” With what remained of her strength, Rainbow kicked out and struck Metallo in the legs, causing the cyborg to fall away from her. Now that she was not being directly bombarded by the radiation, Rainbow took the time to make her way to the nearest alley, just so her strength could recover.

“Clever... guess there’s more to you than I thought.” she heard Metallo say, the griffon searching the alleys for her. “What, are you going to drag this out longer than it needs to? I’ve got the rock, and you’re just going to get weaker every time you come near me.”

He’s right. I try a direct approach he’ll just blast me with that Kryptonite. Rainbow looked around, trying to think of something. She moved further into the alley, just far enough to hopefully stay out of sight of Metallo.

I could fly up and attack him from behind... No, if he turns around before I reach him, I’m dead... I need to disable the Kryptonite in his chest, but how? Rainbow growled in frustration before her hoof brushed up against something. She looked down and found a rusty old spanner, small flakes of dirt falling to the ground. ... That’ll do.

Grabbing the spanner in her hooves, Rainbow Dash hid from sight as Metallo approached. She had one shot at this, and didn’t want to screw this up. With each step closer she could feel a little bit of her strength slipping away, but she put it out of her mind as he spotted her.

“Found you.” he said, grinning as he turned to hit her with the full force of the Kryptonite. As he turned, Rainbow rushed forward, stabbing towards Metallo’s chest with the spanner. His smile vanished as the spanner lodged in his chest, and with the last of her strength Rainbow yanked back and ripped the Kryptonite from his chest, the rock bouncing away from her before coming to a stop near a trash can.

“Wh... What?” Metallo asked, straining as if he was struggling against some unseen force. “I... I can’t move!”

“Heh,” Rainbow chuckled, dropping the now broken spanner and stumbling over to a nearby wall. “Guess you’re not so great... without your powers... either.”

...

Silversmith’s new desk was not as large as his old one, but it would suit his needs. The cybernetic enhancement project that Corben (no, Metallo) had been a part of lay in front of him, and off to the side was another drawing for his “secondary” project. Currently, his team of lawyers were working around the clock to cover up Silver Industries relation to Metallo, and Silversmith hoped that that would cause no further delays.

The projection system needs some work... he mused, studying the blueprints for a moment. But witnesses did say that Metallo gave Supermare some trouble... Definitely keep the Kryptonite core, but have it better protected. Silversmith grabbed the secondary project and a pencil, sketching out a few things before he had a rough outline of the suit.

Yes, this will work perfectly.

Author's Note:

Hey, I got a thing out! Only took me ten months :ajbemused:
Really, the delay could be summed up like this: distracted by school, other projects (including an original work), more school, other aspects of life, and the lack of ponies on TV being disheartening. But I got this up (finally), so yay for that. Maybe I'll be able to stick to my schedule and get all my stuff out before the Justice League movie comes out... or Batman v. Superman, if I'm feeling generous.
Originally I was going to have Rainbow rip the Kryptonite out of Metallo's chest with her teeth and Blueblood/Batpony show up, but I couldn't make it work.
I don't own ponies or Superman. Likes and comments are appreciated, and if I screwed something up (likely, consideing how rusty I feel) please let me know.