The new heroes team up!
It was a very worried Twilight Sparkle who sat in the throne room in the Castle of Friendship. It seemed that her life had started spiraling out of control since the brutal murder of her first student, Starlight Glimmer. Never in her fillyhood had she imagined the depravity of the pony mind that she had witnessed in a few short weeks. While the Reverse Dash had been an extreme example, there was a very real criminal underworld in Equestria. It had been the actions of her fellow Element Bearer cum vigilante and her allies that had opened the princess's eyes to this unsavory aspect of Equestrian life.
With each passing day, it seemed that yet another aspect of what had been her world view was proven to be just a comfortable illusion. The latest in the string of revelations was that her brother, her number one assistant, her once-loyal companion had been lying to her. Spike, of all ponies, was the last one she would have expected to just abandon her without telling her why, but for the past two months, that had been what he had been doing.
It started innocuously enough. Spike had left a note that he had been summoned by Dragon Lord Ember to visit the Dragon Lands and explain the magic of friendship to the other dragons. It was highly irregular for someone of Ember's station to make such a request without notifying Twilight directly, but Twilight knew that it might take some time for the paperwork to catch up with the situation. After three days, however, Twilight asked Rainbow Dash to get an update from Ember. It turned out that Ember knew nothing about the situation. Concerned for Spike's well-being, Twilight asked Rainbow Dash to search for her number one assistant while she used her connections as princess to use the other resources at her disposal. Neither hide nor scale of the baby dragon could be found. It was as though he had vanished from the face of the planet.
It had been the hardest two weeks of her life. Every minute of every day, she had wondered what had become of her little brother. Had he fallen victim to yet another heretofore unknown threat? Would she see him alive again? Would there be anything left to mourn?
It finally ended when Spike returned, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Frantic, Twilight asked where he had been. He replied that he had been with Ember.
Flashback:
“Don’t lie to me! Ember said she hasn't see you for months!”
Spike sighed, covering his right hand.
“I’m sorry, Twilight. I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. I promised.”
Twilight stared at Spike’s claw. “What’s that? A ring?”
Spike was about to answer, but instead, he rushed into his room and locked the door.
Present day:
If it weren't for the anti-changeling wards in the castle, Twilight would have sworn that Spike had been replaced by a doppelganger. Since that day, he stopped being the friend and companion she had raised from an egg. He still did the bare minimum to qualify as her number one assistant, but he had grown distant, refusing to talk with her unless absolutely necessary. Worse still, he would disappear without explanation from time to time. Sometimes, it was for a day or two. Sometimes, it was for a full week. Regardless of how Spike had changed, she had to find out what was really going on for his sake, and not just hers.
Spike had vanished again, and there was no way Twilight was going to let him go without a reasonable explanation. She sat in front of the Cutie Map, which Team Flash had modified to provide 3-D visualization of the Dash's telemetry data. When the speedster donned her uniform, it activated the system. An icon of a tri-colored lightning in a white circle travelled over the map, showing her location, speed, and direction in real time.
Twilight snapped to attention as Dash's voice came over the radio link. "Twilight! Twilight! No luck in Dragon Lands. I'm RTB."
Nervously, Twilight bit her lip before she replied. "Anything at all. Some dragon must have seen him."
“I’m sorry Twilight, but no. Ember says no one knows anything.”
Twilight sighed. She had no reason to believe this would be any different from all the other times, but that didn't make it hurt any less. What could possibly be so important that Spike would have to keep secrets from her?
“Twilight, are you okay?” asked Rainbow Dash, worriedly.
“Yes, Rainbow, sorry,” said Twilight, sighing. “I knew this would be another dead end, but I still hoped that I would be wrong.”
“I’m sorry Twi, but you’ll have to confront him directly.”
“I know, Rainbow Dash. I know."
As Twilight cut communications, somepony rang the bell at the delivery entrance.
Twilight rolled her eyes as she went to answer the door.
“Yes?”
It was the Cutie Mark Crusaders. As one, they said, “Hi Twilight!”
“Huh? Girls? What are you doing here?” asked Twilight, tilting her head.
“Twilight Time. Remember?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“We can come back tomorrow.” suggested Apple Bloom.
Twilight shook her head. “No, it’s all right. I forget, but I could use the company.”
The girls looked to each other in confusion. Twilight looked at them and smiled.
“Oh, sorry! I don’t want to burden you with my problems. Where were we?”
Scootaloo brought up the rear as they followed the princess into their practice area. As Twilight worked through the day's lessons, the impending drama was forgotten for the moment. It seemed as though they had just started when a chime announced the end of Twilight Time.
A moment later, the bell at the visitor's entrance sounded. The Crusaders trailed behind and Twilight went to answer the door.
A pair of pegasi greeted her when the door opened. "Hi, Princess Twilight!" said Windy Whistles.
Bow Hothoof added, "Is Scootaloo ready?"
“Mom? Dad?” asked Scootaloo. “You didn't have to fly all the way from Cloudsdale just to pick me up”
“What are you talking about?” asked Bow. “Every moment with you is precious.”
Scootaloo smiled gratefully and hugged them both. It felt right to have a family.
The other Crusaders and Twilight watched in satisfied silence. It had been a long time coming, and they were ecstatic that Scootaloo had a family she could truly call her own.
Suddenly, the floor began to shake like gelatin. Bow and his wife sheltered Scootaloo with their wings while the other Crusaders sought refuge under Twilight's.
Calmly, Twilight said, "It's just an earthquake. Let's go under the doorway; that should hold . . ."
As abruptly as it had started, the rumbling stopped. After a moment of silence, every window in the castle shattered. Turning, the ponies gasped as they saw creatures made of mud and algae flooding in from every window. They were as tall as Celestia, and they were homing in on the ponies.
The adults stood in shock for a fraction of a second before yelling, "Girls! Run!"
The Crusaders didn't have to be told twice. To their surprise, the creatures ignored them as they streamed past. While the adults adopted defensive postures, the creatures' objective became clear. In a cacophony of babbling, they made a beeline for Twilight.
The alicorn screamed before sending a barrage of telekinetic homing blasts. They slowed the creatures for only a moment as their bodies flowed to close the holes from the attack. A chance blast caught one in the head; that creature dropped to the floor, poleaxed.
As Twilight surveyed her handiwork, she noted that none of the other ponies had left. “What are you doing? RUN WHILE YOU CAN!” commanded Twilight.
The others obeyed, running toward the exit as fast as they could.
The creatures stopped for a moment, babbling again. They then split into two groups. One continued attacking Twilight. The other streamed toward Scootaloo with surprising speed.
“What?” asked the filly. Her parents stepped between the hoard and her, bucking away the creatures as they came. However, there were only two of them, and while two creatures immobilized them, the rest of the group mobbed Scootaloo. Desperately, her parents yelled, "Scootaloo! Run!" It was too late.
The creatures began to absorb the adult pegasi while the rest of the mob engulfed Scootaloo. The filly felt as if she were suffocating. As bad as it was for her, it must be worse for her parents. They were good as dead. No! She would not let that happen, not again! Fear gave way to anger. Anger gave way to action.
Action was sparked by a single word. “SHAZAM!”
A thunderhead, blacker than coal, coalesced inside the castle, forming over the creatures who had engulfed the pegasi. A lightning bolt struck them, reducing them to ash. Bow and Windy blinked, suddenly free as the remnants of their captors blew away. Desperately, they turned to where their daughter had been. They stared, amazed, as did everyone else in the room.
The little filly was gone. The Scootaloo in her place stood larger than life. There was no mistaking the proud orange wings, the orange fur or the purple mane and magenta tail that showed through the red body suit she wore. White boots and cape completed her ensemble. A golden lightning bolt emblazoned each flank. That was not the only change. She now had the build of an earth pony, with rock-solid muscles. She also had now sported a long, tapered horn. There was no doubt she was now an alicorn, larger than Celestia herself.
The surviving creatures stopped for a moment as they babbled among themselves. Although Scootaloo had decimated their number, the still stood more than two hundred strong. Scootaloo could feel their eyeless gaze as they stared.
“You pissed off the wrong filly.”
The creatures gave a high-pitched squeal as they charged.
Scootaloo dove into the fray, all hooves, horn, and lightning. Any creature that was not incinerated seemed to regenerate any physical damage. Once again, they had Scootaloo surrounded. With a shout of rage, she landed an uppercut on a creature that grabbed a forehoof. It dropped to the ground as its head went flying.
Eyes widening, Scootaloo changed her tactics. As she decapitated all the creatures within range, she shouted, "Twilight! Aim for the head!"
The elder alicorn finally processed what had been happening. Every book within reach became a flying guillotine.
“They’re some kind of golems. They’re not really alive!” announced Twilight.
“Not the time to worry about it!” said Scootaloo, smashing the creatures’ heads.
Both alicorns were sweating. Although they knew the creatures' weakness, there seemed to be no end to the reinforcements.
Twilight suppressed a groan as Dash's voice came over the commlink. "Twi! You're not gonna believe it! Some mud monsters are attacking the princesses! Arrow, Canary, and I are on it!"
"Kinda busy, here, Dash!"
The moment's distraction was all the creatures needed to overwhelm the elder alicorn. From the bottom of the pile, she felt a tingling. Somehow, the darkness had taken on a green glow. Suddenly, she could see again, although everything now had a green tinge.
The creatures threw themselves at the new barrier. A giant green fist punctuated a familiar voice. "Leave. My. Sister. Alone!"
Twilight gasped at the sight of her brother. He now wore a body suit with black extremities and emerald green torso. A stylized lantern in a white circle as centered on the chest. A green domino mask, white gloves, and white boots completed his outfit.
Spike held up his right fist and declared, "In the brightest day, in the blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power: GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!"
As Twilight resumed her attacks, Spike said, "Scootaloo! Aim for the head, you said?"
The orange alicorn shook her head in disbelief. "Uh, yeah!"
A green form came from Spike's ring. One became two. Two became four. Now, there were four sword-wielding, kilt-wearing incarnations of the baby dragon. In unison, they went on the offensive with the battle cry, "There can be only one!"
As heads flew, Scootaloo shouted, "We need to get these things out in the open!"
Spike nodded, and his constructs flew to the walls and morphed into giant nets. Linking with each other, they captured all of the creatures while leaving the ponies behind. Scootaloo and Twilight threw any would-be escapees into the center of the mass. Satisfied that there were no stragglers, he changed the net into a giant bird cage.
Spike flew out the window, only to be slowed by the giant mass. With the strength of Ponycules, Scootaloo gave the cage a skyward heave, launching both it and its handler.
As they flew, the mud monsters tried to break out, but Spike's will was more than a match for their brute strength.
Scootaloo flew after the baby dragon, charging her horn. She yelled, "Spike!"
“What? Do you have a plan?”
“Fly as high as you can and then drop them!”
Scootaloo watched as Spike's ascent slowed to a crawl. The green cage vanished. Once again, the creatures formed into two groups. One headed toward Scootaloo while the other went for Twilight.
Once the creatures came within range, Scootaloo released all the energy she had been hoarding. In an instant, the creatures were reduced to ash. Meanwhile, Spike summoned his version of Mjolnir and pulverized the heads of the group going toward Twilight. Not to be outdone, his sister had sent the entirety of the "Encyclopedia Equestria", repurposed as homing blades.
With the menace vanquished, Scootaloo and Spike landed in front of Twilight. The siblings hugged.
Scootaloo's parents and the remaining Crusaders exited as Spike said, "I'm sorry, Twilight. I promised I wouldn't tell."
The elder alicorn replied, "You're all right, Spike. That's all I was hoping for."
As the two broke their embrace, Scootaloo asked, "What happened to you?"
Spike shrugged, "I was recruited by some intergalactic police force. You?"
“I was chosen to be some mystical guardian. In this form, my name is Alicorn Marevel.”
“My superhero name is Green Lantern, or just Lantern.”
Twilight took a look around, frowning. “Those things seemed to have very little intelligence. They were only attracted by the power of alicorns.”
“But they attacked Scootaloo!” said Sweetie Belle.
“And her parents!” added Apple Bloom.
Marevel nodded. “Yes. The must have felt the power inside my basic form.”
“And only attacked her parents when they got directly in their way,” said Twilight. Then, she looked at Alicorn Marevel and Green Lantern. “Oh, I have so many questions for the two of you. But, for now, I’m just glad it’s over!”
The two heroes bumped claws, and hooves, and smiled at each other.
“That was fun. That was my very first real battle.” said Marevel.
Lantern winked an eye at her. “Same here. Kilowog's training sure came in handy.”
The two heroes chuckled as Twilight looked to the horizon. She could see explosions coming from Canterlot, but she knew that the Arrow, the Canary, and the Dash were more than up to the task. She tried to tell Dash about the creatures’ weakness, but the speedster answered some Batmare had come to tell them first.
Suddenly, Twilight remembered there were two other alicorns.
“Oh no! CADENCE! AND FLURRY!”
The two new heroes exchanged a look.
“Okay, we’re on it!”
Twilight nodded. “Thank you!”
Lantern turned to Alicorn Marevel. “Can you teleport us?”
Twilight interjected, "Too risky. Even I can't sense the teleportation beacon from this far away.
Marevel said, "What about you? Can your magic make something to get us there fast?"
Lantern grinned. “It’s no magic. And, yes, I can! Hal Jordan, a friend of mine, showed me this!”
A green glow came from the ring and coalesced into a jet that was shaped like a stylized arrowhead. The canopy opened, revealing a conventional pilot's seat in the front and a raised platform for a pony in the rear.
Alicorn Marevel gave a low whistle. She turned to her parents and said, "Mom, Dad, I think I'm gonna be late for supper tonight."
Finally over her initial shock, Windy Whistles glared at her daughter. "Don't you dare! I want you home by six. You owe your father and me an explanation."
Alicorn Marevel nodded and got into the rear cockpit.
Bow called to her. “Hey Scoots!”
“Yes, Dad?” asked Equestria’s mightiest mare.
“Come back safely.”
“I promise!”
A sonic boom marked their passage through the sound barrier. While far slower than the Dash, hypersonic speed was still faster than any normal pegasus could manage.
The sight within the cluttered study would have gladdened the heart of any paper recycler. Stack upon stack of paper seemed to be on every horizontal surface. No matter how fast Shining Armor worked, the pile in the "in" box never seemed to shrink. Now that all his subordinates had to go through another independent vetting process, he was stuck with all of the Guard's paperwork. The drug smuggling ring had shown that corruption within his ranks had been entrenched and widespread. Until he knew who he could trust, he had to do everything on his own.
The white unicorn tossed one final document into the "out" box. "That's it for the night! Sweet Celestia, I need a break!”
“Daddy!” called a cheery voice from his study’s entrance.
Shining looked at the alicorn filly and smiled.
“Oh, hi Flurry! What are you doing here?”
Cadence appeared behind their daughter with a smile. “She’s bored. She's been waiting for you all this time. Are you in the mood for a walk?”
Shining smiled. “Yeah, some family time. That’s precisely what I need!”
Flurry flew toward her father and hugged him. Moments later, the royal family was strolling along the streets of the Crystal Empire.
It felt good to be walking among the other denizens. The main plaza was abuzz with activity as the night market went into full swing. Everypony greeted the family with a smile. The merchants offered "their little Highness" trinkets like a fresh flower, or a small sweet. Flurry basked in the attention while her parents enjoyed their time away from their royal duties.
Cadence gave him a comforting hug. Unfortunately for Shining, after the incident with Sun Burst, they had yet to find somepony they could really trust, and both of them had to deal with all the work they used to delegate. For Shining, this meant taking on all of the military's paperwork. Rest would be a precious commodity for the royal couple until they re-established their circle of confidants.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
“Mommy?” cried Flurry, flying to her mother’s back.
Shining readied his shield as he tried to assess the threat. He scanned for falling objects and sinkholes.
The other ponies did as they had been taught, moving calmly to an open field, and leaving the streets clear for emergency personnel.
Suddenly ponyhole covers were flung into the air as mud creatures streamed from the sewers, surrounding the royal family. Shining Armor deployed his shield spell, protecting his family as he stepped forward to confront the monsters.
"Stay back!" he ordered.
The creatures ignored him and pounded on the shield with their horrid hooves. Within the magic bubble, Flurry Heart started to cry. Cadence shot her magic at them, but when one was momentarily immobilized, two streamed in to take its place.
Shining felt each blow that the creatures dealt. A spike of pain shot through his head with every strike.
Cadence called for her husband and Flurry called for her father. Shining Armor tried to fight through the creatures, but to no avail. There were simply too many of them, and dividing his attention between attack and defense was quickly becoming untenable.
The guard ponies arrive on scene, finding their efforts futile until one of them struck a creature in the head.
The creature shook before collapsing.
“Everypony! The head! Aim for the head!”
The soldiers reacted with discipline worthy of true heroes. However, there were simply too many of the creatures. With each one the fell, more took its place and forced the soldiers further from the alicorns.
From within the shield, Cadence could see that the battle was lost. She cried, "We need a miracle!"
The creatures stopped as an arrowhead-shaped shadow settled over them. A roar shortly followed. Looking up, everyone saw the large green object hovering over the fray.
“What’s that?” asked Shining.
“Let’s hope it’s on our side.
An orange alicorn dropped through the bottom of the construct, plowing through the creatures and clearing them away from the shield.
The green construct vanished, revealing a familiar draconic figure. A huzzah came from the crowd as they recognized their hero.
The dragon said, "Let's finish this, Alicorn Marevel!"
"You got it, Green Lantern!"
Alicorn Marevel darted away from the shield, allowing the soldiers to form a perimeter around the royals. As before, the creatures split their forces, with one group concentrating on the royal alicorns while the others went for Marevel.
Once more, Marevel brought lightning to bear, incinerating the group that attacked her. Cadence was more selective with her attacks, being careful to avoid her allies as her pinpoint strikes decapitated the creatures attacking her.
Stressed past the breaking point, Shining Armor collapsed, taking his shield with him. The creatures pressed their opening, only to find a new, green shield in their way. “I have you covered, Captain Armor!”
Two green constructs resolved into green swordsdragons, reducing the enemy forces as the Crystal warriors renewed their attack.
“Thanks Faust!” said one of the soldiers. “Spike the Brave and Glorious has come to save us!”
Lantern scratched his head. “What? They know who I am?”
“Is that really supposed to be a disguise?” asked Marevel, pointing to a nearby statue of Spike.
Lantern face-palmed. "I can't believe that G'nort was actually right about the mask."
As creatures continued to stream in, Cadence asked, "How long can you hold that?"
"Don't worry. After they attacked Twilight, I found I could handle them. Besides, I got a fresh charge before I came here."
“Charge?” asked Cadence.
Groaning, Shining said, “Twilie was attacked?”
“We'll talk later!” exclaimed Marevel. “Lantern, can you funnel all the creatures to me?”
“Sure!” answered Lantern. “Do you have a plan, mystical warrior?”
Marevel rolled her eyes. “DUH! DO AS I SAY! And make sure you leave only one entrance!”
Lantern nodded and created a wall around the creatures.
The creatures seemed puzzled at first, but with an alicorn in plain sight, they charged toward their objective.
Again calling on the strength of Ponycules, she held the creatures back until they were all massed in front of her. The smell of ozone filled the air as a massive lightning bolt discharged from her horn and forehooves. The creatures vanished in a cloud of ash.
“It’s over!” said Marevel.
Lantern smiled and withdrew his construct.
“Whoa, that was . . . really smart!” gasped Shining Armor as he slowly recovered his strength. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, thank the Wisdom of Saddlemon,” said Marevel, sitting on her haunches. “Huh, I’m exhausted, I swear!”
Lantern sat beside her. “Me too. But, look at the bright side! Our first real battle was a success!”
Flurry approached the pair and cuddled with Spike. He hugged her in return.
“I’m glad you’re all right.” smiled the dragon.
Cadence approached, too. “We’re grateful for this, but, can we have some answers now, please?”
The two heroes were about to answer, when the entirely of the Crystal Empire began to cheer for their hero, Spike the Brave and Glorious. They raised their voice for the latest addition to their pantheon: Alicorn Marevel.
Far from the Empire, in the deepest part of the Everfree Forest, in a spot that no pony would dare to venture, a pack of timberwolves ran in circles around a pony. He was not their prey; he was their alpha.
He was an alicorn, muscular, taller than Celestia. His mane, beard and tail were ethereal, reflecting his power, the power of nature itself. He had his eyes closed as he concentrated deeply. Finally, he opened his eyes.
The biggest timberwolf of the pack approached to the alicorn and nuzzled him.
The alicorn smiled.
“It’s all right! Everything is going according to plan. I knew they would get rid of the golems, but not quite so quickly. Don't worry, I'll get rid of those two, just like I promised."
The timberwolves howled.
“Easy, not yet, but soon.”