The Adventures of Supermare: Side Stories to Mare of Steel

by iowaforever

Of Mothers and Old 'Failures'

Jor-El is actually a lot harder to write for than it seems (I guess it has to do with him being dead and therefore unable to show up for extended periods of time in Superman's comics). It's really hard to make him seem wise yet not jerkish, which is inevitable when writing really big sentences without being careful.
anyway, I don't own My Little Pony or Superman. Likes and comments are appreciated.

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Of Mothers and Old "Failures"

A particularly bad windstorm had hit the frozen north of Equestria, but the crystal walls of the Fortress of Solitude were more than enough to shield Rainbow Dash from the elements. The sound of the wind did cause her to shiver a little, but she passed it off as a normal reaction. Besides, she had more pressing matters than the weather to worry about.

“So, why teach me about freezing things with my breath when I’m in the middle of a snowstorm?” She asked. The holographic image of Jor-El, her biological father, merely shrugged.

“It’s better to learn now than if you were to sneeze and freeze one of your friends solid.”

“... Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Rainbow Dash inhaled before blowing a small cloud of ice particles out of her mouth. The cloud hung in space for a moment before dissipating, droplets of water collecting near Rainbow Dash’s hooves.

“Very good. The exact amount of ice you can project is proportional to the amount of air that passes through your mouth, but like your vision it is not a passive ability, so you do not have to worry about freezing something while you talk.”

“That’s good.” there was a pause before Rainbow Dash spoke. “Why did you decide to become a scientist?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Why are you a scientist? I mean, wasn’t there anything else to do besides science?”

“Yes there was. However, even from a young age I had always been attracted to how the universe worked, and when I was old enough I applied to be educated as a scientist.”

“So... You were always this big egghead?” there was a pause.

“If you see it that way, then yes. In the end, it doesn’t matter what you do as a profession, as long as you enjoy it. I enjoyed the sciences, while you seem to be very fond of racing.”

“I was raised by the trainer of the Wonderbolts; that’s kind of expected.”

“Yet there was always a possibility that you could have been drawn to something else. Quite a few of my colleagues had been raised by artisans or merchants, yet they too were attracted to the natural world and how it works. Who knows, you could have decided to be a scientist if you so wished.”

“I don’t think Ponyville could handle two eggheads running around.” Rainbow Dash paused for a moment. “What about my mom?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You haven’t really told me about my mom. What was she like... unless I was grown in some weird alien baby-growing machine, then I don’t really want to know about that.”

“Cloning was outlawed on Krypton long before even my father’s father was born.” Jor-El’s image faded and was replaced by a young Pegasus mare. She looked to be a little older than Rainbow Dash, with a long brown mane and grey coat. The mare blushed and shuffled a little, as if she was embarrassed to be seen.

“Her name was Lara Lor-Van. We met soon after I began my education as a scientist, and we courted for ten years before finally marrying.”

“What’d she do? Was she a scientist too?”

“Of a sort. She wanted to know how the universe worked as well, but while I was content to study and watch from afar, she wanted to actively go out there, so she studied to become an astronaut.”

“An astronaut?... That’s sounds like it’d be cool, going around in space and seeing all those stars and stuff. I know Twilight would have some big scientific project, but I mean, it’s space. I bet my mom saw a lot of cool things in space, like comets... or aliens! Did she ever visit any planets or moons and see aliens?”

“She suffered an injury to her lungs during a training procedure about five years before you were born, so she was unfit for most potential off world missions.” Jor-El sighed “I tried to help her as best I could, but I am a scientist, Kara, not a doctor; I could explain the entire chemical makeup of a pony, Kryptonian or otherwise, but I couldn’t do something as simple as fix your mother’s lungs. I... well, I felt like I had failed her, that there was more I could do to help her.”

“I know what that’s like.” Rainbow Dash looked down to her hooves “My dad, my adoptive dad, died when I was nineteen. I’d just gotten a job as a weatherpony and... I thought that, maybe I could have done something. You know, paid for more treatment, or a better doctor, or at least a nicer bed for him to sleep on. I had to do something and... I didn’t.” She looked back up at Jor-El, a small tear sliding down her face “I... I kept feeling like it was my fault he was dead, and... and...”

“I know what you are trying to say,” Jor-El said “And know that I felt the same way about your mother’s injuries. But remember: even when it seems as if we are being unjustly treated by the world, we should not allow it to tear us down, for then we can be easily swayed and may turn towards irrational actions. We should learn from these experiences, and allow them to teach us more about ourselves and make us stronger, and if we do endure loss, we should remember those that we have lost for what they were, and cherish those memories for as long as we live.” There was another pause before Jor-El spoke again. “Sorry, I did not mean to get philosophical; I know you’ve stated your displeasure for that sort of behavior.”

“No, it’s okay... I don’t mind.”

“Thank you, Kara. Rest easy tonight, my daughter.” and with that the image winked out, leaving Rainbow Dash alone in the Fortress of Solitude.

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Next chapter: Rainbow Dash has a conversation with her mom concerning superheroes.

Comments

[BenRG]

"Even with all my powers, I couldn't save him. -- Clark Kent, Superman. Some things just echo, don't they? That aside, this was a nice bonding moment.

Jor-El has inadvertently exposed Rainbow to some of the failures of her own life. In many ways, she's always done what was expected of her out of the loyalty that's such a key aspect of her personality. She very rarely thinks "What do I want?" on the larger foci of her life. Oddly enough, of all of the Mane 6, it is Pinkie Pie, Rarity and, of call people, Fluttershy who are examples of being what you want to be rather than what others want you to be. Applejack doesn't really count because, even though she decided her path, her love of her home and family made her decide to put aside her own ambitions and instead do her duty to others.

[Avenging-Hobbits]

Dang I wish this had stayed. Oh well...

[iowaforever]

1868943 It actually started off as a one shot line, but here i was able to expand it a bit

[White Wolf]

In Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster original of Superman, Jor El didn't exist. Jor El came later.

[iowaforever]

2624027 True... true...

[nightcrawlerfan]

2624027 Actually, if you read the Superman comic strip Siegel and Shuster worked on, Jor-El was already around, but his name was spelled Jor-L.

[Nox Knock Jokes]

Jor-El is actually a lot harder to write for than it seems (I guess it has to do with him being dead and therefore unable to show up for extended periods of time in Superman's comics). It's really hard to make him seem wise yet not jerkish, which is inevitable when writing really big sentences without being careful.

Really? Because you are doing a fantastic job! You make it seem so easy!!

[lunacat07]

Totally fun story

[Antiquarian]

Solid chapter, especially Jor-El's advice about dealing with life's hardships.