//------------------------------// // Origins: Part 1 // Story: The Alternate Adventures of the Power Ponies // by DisneyFanatic23 //------------------------------// "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." - Christopher Reeve Two pegasus mares were making their way down a long, underground stone corridor. Both wore pith helmets and green polo shirts, the uniforms of explorers. The mare up front had a tan coat and a black mane streaked with gray. Over her shoulders, crossing each other over her chest, she carried a burlap satchel and a rope. The flames of the torch glinted in her violet red eyes, which were narrowed in concentration, and highlighted her firm jaw. She kept one wing along the stone wall as she held the torch high and squinted into the darkness. The second mare staggered behind the first, for she had a heavier load: a tall knapsack nearly twice her size. Shovels and pitchforks stuck out of the flaps and an extra rope dangled on the side. Even though the bag was strapped around her belly, every now and then she had to throw her shoulder back to keep it in place. Her complexion was more vibrant with her cyan coat and wild rainbow hair. Her eyes were the same color as the lead mare's, only concealed behind her thick, black-rimmed glasses. She cried out as she stumbled over a crack. Her leader whipped around to catch her with her wing. "Shush!" she hissed. "Watch where you step, Rainbow Dash! This cavern could be lined with booby traps!" Rainbow Dash panted as she regained her footing. "How can you be so sure of that, Daring?" Daring rolled her eyes. "It's the entrance to an ancient underground temple. Of course there's gonna be booby traps." She turned around and proceeded down the corridor. "Just because we set some off in that Arequirtan temple," Rainbow said as she followed her boss, "doesn't mean we'll find any in Grace." "You mean you set some off." Daring glanced back at her. "You need to be more careful." "Hey, it would be easier if I wasn't carrying Mount Olympus on my back!" "And be quiet. This structure is old. The slightest noise could bring the whole place down upon us." Rainbow snorted. "Fine." When Rainbow had first been hired by Daring Do two years ago as a research assistant, she had been excited. After all, working alongside the greatest archaeologist in the world meant fame, fortune and awesome adventures, right? Well, there certainly was a lot of adventure, and being a research assistant paid well, but that's all Rainbow was. An assistant. Whenever reporters and writers talked about Daring Do's endeavors, no pony ever mentioned the assistant. When Daring Do had retrieved the Sapphire Statue from the Lost Temple of Anubis, no pony had mentioned the assistant who had stopped the arrows that flew from the walls with her enormous knapsack. When Daring had recovered the Rings of Scorchero from the Fortress of Talocan, no pony had mentioned the assistant who had helped her lift the final ring off the obelisk, causing the fortress to collapse. When Daring Do had used the Amulet of Culhuacan to find the Seven-Sided Chest of Chicomoztoc, no pony had mentioned the assistant who had figured out which door led to the treasure room. Honestly, Rainbow wouldn't have minded being Daring Do's personal pack mule if she could only have a little recognition every now and then. Or at least a thank you. "Look!" Daring whispered, holding the torch higher. "There's an antechamber up ahead!" Rainbow's wings spread out in excitement. "Finally!" She was prepared to dash towards the exit, but Daring held out her hoof and scowled. "Right," Rainbow said with a nervous laugh. "Careful. Right." They moved slowly and quietly. Rainbow watched the ground with every cautious step she made. When they reached the antechamber, they both let out a gasp as torches suddenly ignited with green fire. The room was enormous, with a high ceiling held by ancient Ionic columns. The walls were adorned with painted Gracian amphorae that Rainbow suspected were with filled with treasure. Daring saw her looking their way. "We can admire the artwork later. Remember what we came for." She pointed to the far end of the chamber, where a small light was glimmering. "Is that…?" Rainbow started to say. Her boss nodded. "Zeus' Lightning Bolt." Rainbow gaped in awe as they trotted towards it. "Do you think the legends are true? That this is what the sky god Zeus used to make lightning?" "I don't know about any god, but whoever wielded this artifact could have sparked the myth of Zeus." Her assistant smirked. "Pun intended?" Daring rolled her eyes. "Anyway, it's said that this lightning bolt can only be wielded by a worthy hero." "That's gotta be you, boss. And I'm not just saying that to score schmooze points. I mean who could be a worthier hero than you?" She smiled. "There's only one way to find out." They came to a set of marble steps leading up to a cylindrical pedestal where the shining object sat. Rainbow squinted through the brightness and deciphered the tiny shape of a lightning bolt. "Zeus' Lightning Bolt is a…necklace?" Daring shrugged. "It would appear so." "But it's so…tiny." The artifact was a golden zigzag pendant that looked to be the size of a grown pony's hoof, attached to a thin golden chain. The only thing spectacular about it was its luminosity. "Don't be fooled by appearances," Daring said as she handed her assistant the torch. "Even the smallest of things can hold the greatest of powers." The adventurer ascended the steps, treading carefully in case of traps. It was peculiar that they had yet to trigger one on this expedition. She had to shield her eyes as she approached the necklace. Sticking her tongue out to the side, she slowly reached out and touched the pendant. Daring shrieked and retracted her hoof as a jolt of electricity shot through her. "Boss, what happened?" Daring bit her lip. "Um, uh…nothing, I just…maybe we should play it safe." She opened the flap of her satchel with her wing and took out a handkerchief. She wrapped it carefully around the necklace and replaced it in her bag. "Can't be too careful," she said, tipping her helmet towards her assistant. "No telling what this thing is capable of." Rainbow cocked her head. "O…kay? So now that we've got the bolt, do we head back to the surface or grab a few of those jars…?" "I don't get it," Daring said, looking suspiciously around the room. "This was too easy. You'd think something this powerful would be more heavily guarded, or at least trigger a trap or…" "Would an ambush suffice?" The explorers whirled around to spot a tall, blue catlike creature standing in the chamber's entrance. A tiger, a lynx, a black panther and a leopard growled as they came up behind him. A small white kitten purred at his leg. "Ahuizotl!" Daring Do exclaimed. "How did you get down here?" The cat creature cackled. "Finding the way was easy." He held up a pickaxe. "You were littering these things all over the tunnels!" Daring shot a glare at Rainbow, who chuckled nervously. "Hey, it's not my fault the flap's loose!" "Zeus' Lightning Bolt, Daring Do," Ahuizotl said as he stalked towards them. "Give it to me, or I will have to sick my friends on you!" "You want it?" Daring said, gesturing her hoof to herself. "Come get it." "So be it then." Bringing his fingers to his lips, Ahuizotl let out a sharp whistle. The carnivorous cats reacted instantly and pounced towards the ponies. Daring flew up and landed in front of Rainbow. "Get back!" "But I can…" Rainbow said. "I've got this!" Pivoting on her front hooves, Daring kicked up her back legs, making contact with the tiger's face. She jumped up and swung out her foreleg before the panther's jaws could sink into her skin. Rainbow wanted to help, but the burden on her back made it hard to move. "Get to the exit!" Daring called as she punched the lynx in the jaw. "What about you?" "I'll be fine!" She tossed her the satchel. "Catch!" "Oh boy!" Rainbow said as she threw up her front hooves. Unfortunately, that was a bad idea, for as soon as her hooves left the ground, the weight of the knapsack pulled her backward to the floor. The satchel flew over her and Rainbow found herself on her back. She flailed her hooves about, but the knapsack had her trapped like an overturned tortoise. As the satchel landed on the floor, the flap opened and the handkerchief holding the necklace slid out. Ahuizotl gasped when he saw the flash of light peering out of the cloth. "The lightning bolt!" He slinked past the fight and towards the bundle. At this moment Daring was under the leopard, whose teeth were dripping with drool. "Rainbow!" Daring cried as pushed against the feline's chest. "Stop him!" "I'm trying!" Rainbow said as she attempted to sit up, but the straps were preventing her. "At last," Ahuizotl said as he picked up the cloth and pulled back its folds. "No!" Rainbow used her teeth to tug at the straps. "The power of Zeus," Ahuizotl said as he pressed his fingertips around the pendant, "is mi—YOW!" His fur stood on end as the necklace shocked him, forcing him to drop it. By this time, Rainbow had wriggled out of the straps and rolled onto the floor. With a clink, the pendant landed near her hoof. She looked up at Ahuizotl, who had his fingers in his mouth, then at Daring who was bucking the tiger off her back, and then back at the necklace. To Rainbow's amazement, it seemed to glow brighter. Daring gasped when she saw her assistant reaching for it. "Dash, no!" But she had already touched it. As she rose to her hooves, the tiny bolt sparked to life. The sparks wrapped around her hoof, snaked up her foreleg and into her mane. The jolt that came was so powerful that it knocked her glasses off and frizzed her mane upwards. What she felt wasn't pain, but like she had just been given a surge of power. The fight momentarily stopped as Daring, Ahuizotl, even the cats stared at the pegasus who was now surrounded by electricity. Rainbow had no idea what was going on, but as soon as she looked back at the pendant, she felt a sense of purpose, a sense of duty, a sense of…destiny. Curious as to what would happen, she raised the pendant to the ceiling and a dark cloud formed above her head. Lightning struck at Ahuizotl's paws, making him jump back with a shriek. It then struck at the cats, singeing the panther's tail. The cats hissed and bolted to the exit. Ahuizotl cowardly ran after them, but before he disappeared into the tunnel, he turned back to his foes. "This isn't over, you…you…whatever your name is! Wielder of Zeus' Power!" Once he was gone, Rainbow looked up at the storm cloud, which was still blazing with lightning. She lowered the pendant and turned to her boss, whose mouth was agape as she glanced between the pendant and her assistant. Rainbow too looked at the pendant and then back at Daring. "Well," said the mare encased in lightning. "I guess you could say this whole thing was…shocking."