In a different Equestria than the one we know, a virus broke out thirty years ago, causing mutations in ponies in every way imaginable. Some wished to hide their new powers and forms, while others made quick work abusing them, turning into Equestria's first super villains. The Princesses put out an edict stating that those who wish to fight against these Power Ponies who would do evil would be heavily compensated for their work. It's not until many years later that the first true hero would step up on the city stage, sparking a revolution in Manehattan.

This story was inspired by all the Super Heroes and Super Power shows I grew up with, but after some time creating the world and shaping the characters in it, it became so much more. Twists and turns, changes and escalations await inside the world of Sometimes they call me Super. Our heroes all start out alone and come together to form something that no hero alone could do. Follow the excitement through the eyes of our protagonist and more as they try to defend the city they call home. Welcome to Manehattan.

It's dangerous to go alone, take this!
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The comments contain spoilers

The Elements of Harmony find themselves facing an old evil united with one from beyond their world entirely, bringing magic so alien that Equestrian magic cannot defend against it. Yet, long ago, when the Elements existed in a different form, they summoned aid from beyond the world to defeat a similar threat from beyond.

Out of desperation, today's Elements repeat that ancient summoning, and they get – a hillbilly with a silver-strung guitar?

MLP:FiM (c) Lauren Faust and Hasbro; John the Balladeer and Rowley Thorne (c) estate of Manly Wade Wellman

And due to the grace of several fans, primarily Jordan1179, this story now has its own Tropes page: Tv Tropes My Little Balladeer

Have you ever had the sneaking suspicion that someone was watching you? Twilight has. And she has felt it every night for the past month. She blamed her imagination, her anxiety about being in a new town, but when her neighbor Rainbow Dash starts acting strange, she soon learns that sometimes even the most absurd things can be true.

For a thousand years, the continent of Equus, divided between the kingdoms of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, has existed in relative harmony. Within the enchanted land of Lumen, Twilight Sparkle has become the newest member of Class Zero, the kingdom’s best and brightest students.

A series of disastrous events leads to the threat of an all-out war between the races with Class Zero at its heart. And with the conflict comes a bitter chill not even the sun can warm. Twilight and her new friends will have to give it their all to defend not just their land, but the entire world.

But it'll take more than just unicorns to stop the coming storm. Because if the three kingdoms can't work together to find harmony, there may not be a home left to fight for...

Amazing cover art by Multiversecruise!
Gloriously edited by Novel Idea, DrakeyC, Cyrano, and Corejo!
Featured on Equestria Daily

A little over a thousand years ago, at about the same time, Luna was banished, and an entire race of crystal ponies disappeared. A mysterious paradox existed over the Crystal Empire known as Heaven's Gate had caused certain ponies to do crazy things. When it disappeared, Luna and Sombra went mad, and Celestia had to banish them. Since Luna is the goddess of the night sky, when she was banished, her sky was banished with her, so Princess Celestia had to create a new one. And with each new star, a pony became a contractor, a pony with extra special powers that even highly trained unicorns couldn't master. Now, a new Gate called Hell's Gate has appeared over the Everfree Forest, and because of it, Luna has disappeared again, taking the sky with her, forcing Celestia to forge a new one, along with new contractors, including Twilight Sparkle.

You may notice that Rainbow Dash is a main character, but isn't there for the first few chapters. She does eventually become a main character in chapter 8, Through The Smoke, An Ally Is Found.

The Cover art was made partly by me putting together a pic of Twilight that I found and a pic of Mare Do Well that I found, but then NixWorld, made it awesome, adding the background and special effects. Cover art inspired by this.

If you can't tell yet, this is a Darker Than Black themed AU. It's not really a crossover because no Darker Than Black characters are actually in it. Just the circumstances and kind of the setting (except of course it's in Equestria, not Tokyo). Since it's not much of a crossover or a straight up copy, artistic license has been used. I really recommend watching the show though, or at least a few of the first episodes. It's available for free on Hulu (both subbed and dubbed), you just have to watch some ads. (It's rated TV-MA in America and 15 in the UK, but seriously, if you're concerned about rating, forget about that. There is no reason for the MA rating whatsoever. There are some mature themes, but it should really be TV-14 in America)

This story is a sequel to The Rainbow's Surprise

On the day of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's wedding, Princess Celestia left Twilight a message saying that she should prepare herself if something happens. The next morning, Twilight awakens to find that all of Ponyville has succumb to a blinding fog. She must now travel a monster-filled town in search for her teacher and friends and try to return Ponyville back to the way it was.

Every year, Twilight and her friends meet to catch up on really old times.

Earth-pony Twilight Sparkle has always been a little "out there". But while testing her latest crazy idea, she finds that there are places even farther than that...

For more of this AU, check out the entire series:

• When Ponies Fly
• The Two Unicorns
• Pinkie Pegasus
• The Muse of Fire

The world ended.

That, at least, is what it sounded like. Screaming, howling, and then deathly silence.

A month later, Cheerilee and Scootaloo emerge from their shelter in search of food. As they search among the dead bodies of their friends, only one question comes to mind:

Where are the unicorns?

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Written for the Quills and Sofas Cheerilee contest.

Featured on May 18th, 2021!