Familiar Foes, Heretofore Heroes
Lost Woods of Tambelon, fram for Equestria:
Despite her trepidation, Daring Do could not help but smile. Since the untimely murder of Dr. Caballeron, her life had been without meaning. Now, she had purpose. Instead of a wily foe, she now had a determined ally. Instead of reliving the same old routine time and time again, she now had new goals and different missions.
She peered from behind cover at her objective, a skull-shaped hill that had been roughly hewn from the original mound. Absently, she said, "So, this is Golgotha. Are you sure we can trust the Master Mind on this? I'm pretty sure this has to be some sort of warning."
A cold and calculating voice answered from within her mind. "Do not let his frail shell fool you, my little pony. His intellect and experience are without equal. Even the owner of this fortress is an infant compared to him."
Daring sighed as she closed her eyes. “Fine, but I’m still worried that I won’t be welcomed.”
“Of course; the old Daring Do was a sworn enemy to their kind. We, however, are the new Daring Do. You just need to get their attention. I'll do the rest.”
Daring sighed and slunk forward with her eyes closed. As a pegasus, she would have been the very definition of foolhardiness. With the help of her guest, however, she now had access to magic beyond what a typical unicorn could muster. With magic sight, she could see the terrain much better than she could through pegasus eyes. However, the prime benefit was that she could now both see and feel the flow of magic. This new vision had been a godsend for her old occupation. Normal traps stood out to her as if they were glowing. The curses that protected ancient tombs were now mere nuisances, easily bypassed.
As she approached an ear hole, the magical barrier appeared as clearly as the slats in a fence, waiting for the aura of a powerful magical being to activate it. Like a mouse walking between the bars of a cattle pen, her comparatively miniscule magical signature passed through unimpeded.
Gaining entry was foal's play compared in infiltrating one of Caballeron's camps. It seemed as though each time he had thrown a new wrinkle in his security, forcing her to adapt and to improve. She missed the challenge, and she cursed the one who had stolen it from her. Although she had mourned the loss for more than a year, her hatred burned hotter than ever. The one who had taken his life and ruined hers would pay. She would see to it with her own hooves. It was only a matter of time.
Carefully, Daring Do found a secluded spot in shadows cast on the ceiling of the main chamber. Her guest would cue her entrance. Until then, she had to bide her time. A grim smile came to her face. This was just like one of many ambushes she had set for Caballeron and his henchponies. To be honest, half of the time she had found herself on the wrong end of the attack, but that was all part of the game. But for a twist of fate or two, she and Caballeron would have been lovers. They had parted as rivals, each forcing the other to be their best; it had been dangerous, but fun.
Good times.
The ancient monster ram did not bother to hide his disappointment as he assessed the four whom he had summoned. It seemed inconceivable that they would have merited serious consideration, let alone consignment to Tartarus. Grogar mentally tallied the roster: Chrysalis, Tirek, Sombra, and some little pink filly who should probably still be in diapers.
To be honest, he hadn't been scraping the bottom of the barrel when he had teleported them from Tartarus; he had broken through the bottom and dug underground. They were all pathetic excuses for villains. All were weak. All were short-sighted. He sighed. All were needed, working together, if he were to defeat Twilight Sparkle and her group of friends.
“You four are the very definition of failure,” said Grogar as he glared at the four. “I’ve watched every single one of your ill-conceived schemes. I've witnessed every one of your inevitable defeats. Do you have any idea why you never win?”
“Because the power they wield?” suggested Chrysalis.
“And where does that power come from, huh? Their teamwork, idiots. If one of them falters, the others are there to get her back on their hooves and restore her strength. As your failures have proved over and over, as long as they work as a unit, they’ll always prevail.”
Cozy Glow, the puny pink pegasus pony, pouted. “Mister Grogar, sir, I am only a little filly, so you can’t blame me for . . .”
“SILENCE!” shouted Grogar. “Excuses are for the incompetent. Unlike you, I haven’t fallen a single time.”
King Sombra laughed, much to Grogar’s irritation. “Spare us. Does Gusty the Great ring a bell? Surely you haven't grown so senile that you've forgotten. You're no better that we are, you old goat."
Grogar grinned. “Is that so? He may have weakened me by taking away my bell, but that was only a minor inconvenience. My so-called death was just a myth to mask my involvement. I've had a hoof in almost every major event throughout history." A flash of yellow hid the ram.
The others watched, amazed, as they blinked the spots out of their eyes. Where a ram once stood, there was now a jet-black gryphon with wickedly sharp claws and beak. Polished steel chain mail covered his upper body, while blood red gauntlets covered his talons. A black satin cape covered his back. His eyes, however, did not lie. They were still the same as the ram's.
"Impossible," gasped Chrysalis. "You can't be the traitor Arimaspi! After the bird who stole the Idol of Boreas, pony General Dark Moon crushed his skull and claimed the idol for himself. No catbird dared even think about uniting Griffonstone after that."
The gryphon laughed. After another flash of yellow, the eyes stayed the same, but the body was now that of a voluptuous black siren. In a seductive female voice, she said, "And who do you suppose taught the Dazzlings the secrets of the songs of the grudge?"
After another flash of yellow, a large male changeling with Grogar's eyes replaced the siren. He said, "Come, now Chrissie. Surely, you didn't forget your old mentor Carapace? I'm glad you took my advice to stay hidden until the ponies forgot all about our kind. It's a shame your attempts at conquest have proven . . . inadequate."
Chrysalis snarled, "You should talk, you pencil . . ."
Tirek clamped his hands over Cozy Glow's ears. "Have you no decency? There's a child here!"
Once more, there was a flash of yellow, and Grogar returned in his full glory. "I am a failure, you say? That is only because you cannot see beyond your noses. Throughout the ages, I've been shaping the world, one grain of sand at a time, laying the foundation for my triumphant return."
Sombra sniffed. "That's a nice parlor trick. Those creatures are long dead and buried. I should know; I dug them up myself."
Grogar gave him a mocking smile. “They may be dead, but I cannot be killed." Turning to Chrysalis, he said, "You, of all creatures, should know that a beautiful lie is easier to accept than an ugly truth.”
Sombra created a black crystal sword that he aimed at Grogar’s heart with his magic. “Cannot be killed? Mind if I give it a go?”
Grogar grinned, gesturing to show his assent.
The dark monarch thrust his sword with all of his magical might, skewering the ram through the heart. “I appreciate that you’ve freed us, but I work alone. Rest in pieces.”
The king turned away, strolling toward the exit. A rustling caught his attention. He spun around, only to find Grogar standing at though nothing had happened.
“Nice try.” The monster goat grinned as he shot a magic blast at Sombra. The weak attack harmlessly bounced off the crystal shield that the former king summoned.
“Unbelievable . . .”
“You better believe. Immortality is the least of the gifts the meteor from which I crafted my bell gave me.” He turned his evil grin to the others. “Come on! Anyone else wants to give it a try?”
“No, no, I think you proved your point, sir!” said Cozy Glow nervously. "Hug?"
“What do you want from us, Lord Grogar?” asked Chrysalis.
“Isn’t that obvious? Work together. That is the only way we can overpower the Bearers of Harmony once and for all.”
They all looked at the monster, evaluating his proposal.
“Now!” commanded Daring Do’s guest.
The explorer jumped from her hiding place, silently gliding down until she was just above Grogar's height. She snapped her wings shut and made a perfect four-point landing right in front of him.
“You know you are digging your own grave, don’t you?”
“A pony!” said Chrysalis. “A filthy pegasus!”
“Hey!” complained Cozy Glow.
Ignoring them, Sombra grabbed Daring by the neck. “I’ll deal with this pest. Tell me, any last words before I turn you into a mindless puppet?”
Daring Do struggled against Sombra’s hold, desperately trying to speak. She finally managed to gasp, “The… th… the… The Sorceress!”
A green glow covered Daring. Chrysalis gaped with envy as she watched the explorer transform. The safari outfit melted. The shirt separated at the collar. The upper portion became a necklace of dragon claws while the lower portion drifted down and became a loincloth that hinted at the secrets it covered. Her pith helmet became a silver filigree tiara with a peridot star that framed the wickedly sharp unicorn's horn that appeared on her forehead. Her fur faded to match the grays of her mane and tail. Several cutie marks appeared across her body. Her eyes changed to a bright green that matched the star in her crown.
She smiled, revealing a set of viper's teeth as she pushed Sombra against the wall with her power. “You have guts, little colt, threatening beings far more powerful than you two times in a row. Guts, but not so much as a hint of a brain.”
Grogar stared at the newcomer. “How did you get here without me noticing?”
“Oh, I asked my hostess bring me here. Her weakness is the perfect disguise.”
Grogar smiled, impressed. “I see. Catching me off-guard is no small feat. I think there’s a place for you on this team. What did you say you’re called?”
The Sorceress turned her back on Grogar.
“Me joining you? It seems that you are confused, little ram. I am not here to join you. No. I came for you to join us.”
“How dare you?!” snapped Grogar, enveloping himself in a dark aura. Although the mare was stronger than Sombra, she was no match for him. It was only a matter of time before he could bend her to his will.
"I dare because you need me more than I need you. The Equestria you will face is not the Equestria you know. Tell me, how much power did you need to collect this gang of idiots? What did you do to gather the power?"
Grogar glared in response.
The Sorceress continued. "You went to sleep for a year and a half to gather the power you needed; ponies may be naïve and weak, but they are good at making sealing spells. You needed extra power to break those seals. You needed extra power to summon Chrysalis. You needed the power of fifty unicorns to restore Tirek."
"Sixty, actually," said Tirek, sotto voce.
"How do you know all this?" asked Grogar.
"It doesn't matter," replied the Sorceress. "What matters is that much has changed while you slept. The Era of Harmony is no more. Now, you must face the Age of Metaponies. You are simply not ready to face the Justice League."
“The Justice League?” asked Chrysalis.
The Sorceress sighed. “Yes, the Justice League. Are you so incompetent as to ignore your greatest enemies?"
Grogar looked the Sorceress in the eye. “Earlier you said 'us'. Who else is with you?”
“And most importantly, who are you, really?” asked Cozy.
The Sorceress made a small bow. “I am merely a pawn. A pawn from him . . . the Master Mind.”
Grogar raised an eyebrow. “The Master Mind?! Is that miserable worm still around?!”
“He never left, just like you,” explained the Sorceress. “And he’s more prepared than you are to confront these new heroes. You can see for yourself; send any of these creatures you’ve recruited against Equestria and see what happens. Unlike the heroes of the past era, they won’t hesitate in hurting their enemies. They won't think twice about removing them permanently.”
“I’ll give you one chance to prove what you are saying. But if you are wrong and end up wasting my time, there would be consequences.”
Sombra sighed. “You know what? This is my cue for me to retire. Thank you again for freeing me. Now if you excuse me, I’ll be taking back my empire. And, if the so-called Justice League stands in my way, I’ll crush them with my power.”
He teleported as the others stared at the now-empty spot.
“Come on, sit with me,” said the Sorceress, creating a window spell. “Let’s watch this moron fail as you witness the power of the Justice League.”
Grogar stood as his lackeys moved to the location that the Sorceress had indicated. The Sorceress cast a glamour spell as she circled the ram, swaying her hip seductively. She licked his ear and whispered, "I can provide some fringe benefits. Think about it; there'll never be another ewe or me."
As Grogar pushed her away, Chrysalis rolled her eyes while Tirek stuck out his tongue and pointed a forefinger at the back of his throat. Cozy Glow exclaimed, "Eeew!"
Without turning her head, the Sorceress said, "Grow up, you lot."
Twilight’s Castle, Map Room:
Twilight was sitting casually, reading when the equipment installed by Team Flash, when she saw a disturbance over the Crystal Empire. She frowned, this couldn’t be good.
She took one of the transmitters. “This is Twilight. There’s a possibility that the Crystal Empire is under attack.”
“An attack? From who?” asked Blue Blood’s voice through the transmitter.
“I don’t know. It may be King Sombra, I hope is not but I need you to send somepony.”
“Understood!”
Blue Blood cut communication as he resumed his inverted ab crunches. “You heard the princess. Who can go?”
“Shouldn’t we go all together?” asked Sweetie Borg.
“No. We don't want to lose the element of surprise,” explained the prince as he continued to exercise. “The rest of us will be ready to teleport in if things go sideways.”
“I’ll go! I am the hero of the Crystal Empire,” said Spike. “If it really is Sombra, he can't turn my fears against me; every Green Lantern knows how to conquer fear.”
“And I literally became my worse fear,” added Batmare.
“Go on, but be careful.”
Crystal Empire:
Sombra materialized outside the shield bubble. He smiled as the cold air of his beloved mountains filled his lungs. “Just like the old times.”
As he walked past the barrier, he frowned. Where were the adoring crowds? Where were the sentries? Where was everypony? Could somepony have warned them of his arrival?
His hoofbeats echoed eerily as he made his way to the castle. Nopony guarded the door. Walking in, nopony greeted him. Where were the guards? Where were the servants?
“Where is everypony?” he exclaimed.
A gurgling sound came from the nursery. He trotted to investigate. Surely, the royals had barricaded themselves within to protect their precious daughter. It was a shame that the little foal gave them away. He cast a shield around himself. The guards must have set an ambush somewhere along the route.
The nursery door splintered as he stormed into the room. Quickly looking about, he found no sign of anypony. Confused, he approached the crib. The gurgling sound came again, this time much louder. Sombra peered inside before pulling back in shock. The expected foal was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a dragon hatchling.
"Got milk? I missed lunch."
“It is you!” shouted Sombra.
Spike lifted his right hand, and a green extension formed from the ring he wore.
Sombra screamed in pain as the projection rapidly slapped his face, gently poked his eyes and smartly rapped his head. Meanwhile, the dragon floated in front of him; a green aura clothed the child in white gloves and boots, green domino mask, and green body suit with black sleeves and legs.
“What is this?” asked Sombra.
“It’s your only warning, Sombra. Leave now in peace, or leave later in pieces.”
Sombra gave him an evil grin. “This is more interesting than I thought. Show me what you have, baby dragon!”
Spike created a giant flyswatter and aimed it at Sombra.
“What the hay is that?!”
“Your eviction notice.”
The flyswatter batted Sombra away, sending him tumbling down a hallway. Lantern followed him, creating a giant pool cue. With a mighty poke, he sent Sombra into a dumbwaiter's shaft. The dragon willed up a giant green toilet plunger and forced the former monarch down.
The king splintered the dumbwaiter's car as he crashed onto it. A giant green pinball plunger forcibly ejected him from the shaft and into a sealed barrel of merlot. He sniffed the aged beverage as he waded out. Growling, he said, "That was supposed to be for my wedding!" He rubbed his chin with his pastern. As he winced in pain, he noticed two of his teeth were missing. “You've dug your own grave, wyrm.”
The lights in the room simultaneously went dark.
“Seriously?” Sombra sniffed. "That's the best you can do?" Almost as an afterthought, he reached out with his magic and lit all of the torches that he had ordered installed in the wine cellar after his last visit.
Suddenly, a whirring sound came. Three torches went dead, one after the other. Sombra turned to the source of the next whirring, barely managing to catch the blur of black that extinguished the torches. Try as he might, he could not relight the torches. In a matter of seconds, the room was again totally dark.
Groaning, Sombra lit his horn, only to have it struck. He caught the missile in his magic and examined it; it was a knife shaped like a stylized bat. As he examined the weapon, a black ball struck his horn, covering it with an opaque paste. Once more, the room was dark
He heard a rustling from behind. He spun around and blasted reflexively with his horn. The covering on the very tip burned off, allowing a narrow beam to escape. The attack harmlessly bounced off a barrel. He heard the sound coming from a different location. Again, he blindly blasted at it.
A harsh, childish voice said, "Interesting. You're an Umbrum hybrid without night vision."
Blindly, he blasted at the voice. Once more, only the wine collection suffered.
“SHOW YOURSELF! Where are you?”
A harsh whisper found its way to his right ear. “Right here!”
A powerful buck caught his jaw, and a leg sweep then dropped his head onto the ground. As he tried to raise his head, something landed on it, forcing it back down.
He blasted out in all directions. The wine collection shuddered. "WHO ARE YOU?" he shouted.
"Sommelier. The wine needs more body."
Sombra tried to look over his withers when he heard a beeping coming from behind. A red light blinked in time with the beeps. The device exploded, sending the former monarch into another barrel of wine.
“WHO ARE YOU? WHO IN TARTARUS ARE YOU?”
He heard a new strange sound, this time from above. A disk stuck to his armor. The cable attached to it retracted, bringing him to the ceiling. He gasped when he saw his opponent. “What are you supposed to be? A giant bat?”
“Almost. I’m Batmare!”
Sombra's blast went wide as Batmare turned off the electromagnet. The former monarch found himself surrounded by several blinking balls. He groaned, "This is why I hate children."
Suddenly, a shield of dark magic covered the unicorn. Just as abruptly, a green dome enclosed both the bombs and the shield. The cellar was bathed in brilliant green light as the bombs exploded.
From her position behind Lantern, Batmare watched as both shields dropped. "It's working," she said.
Lantern frowned as he watched Sombra pull himself up to his full height. The dragon replied, "I'm pretty sure we wanted to subdue him, not just tick him off."
Sombra stormed toward them, with his cape reduced to ashes and his fur and mane burned. “That hurt. A lot. IT HURT A LOT!”
Batmare took a batarang from her utility belt. “That was just us playing around. Leave now, before we have to get tough.”
Sombra laughed hysterically as he increased his dark aura. “You think your pathetic attacks are a match for my might? You may have gotten in some lucky shots. Playtime is over. I have an empire to conquer, and I have no time to waste with your games."
Lantern nodded. “Neither do we. Guards!”
Nervously, crystal soldiers in full barding surrounded the dark king, brandishing swords and maces.
Sombra rolled his eye at the pathetic display. He commanded, "Drop your weapons. This is your only warning."
Batmare grinned. “Take three steps back and do as he says. Drop your armor, too. We'll let him have it.”
The guards exchanged confused looks, but they did as the filly ordered.
Batmare nodded and looked at Lantern and nodded. Lantern nodded in response and stood ready. Deliberately, Batmare walked to Sombra and said, "Go away. You have no power here."
Sombra locked eyes with her, forcing her to live her greatest fear. Her eyes turned green as she froze. Sombra snorted. "Pathetic." He circled her slowly. "You're nothing but a child." He stopped in front of her and lowered his horn. "I'll pick you apart bit by bit, and there's nothing you can . . ."
Batmare slammed her forehead into his nose. As he reared, she slid underneath, sticking a disk to his underside before passing between his hind legs. She leapt to where the crystal ponies were waiting. Sombra spun around and was about to blast her when she yelled, "Supplies!" She pressed a button on her belt. The armor and equipment that the ponies had dropped flew toward Sombra, crashing against his thinly armored underside and encasing him in steel straitjacket.
Lantern looked at Batmare. “Did you . . . ?”
“Magnetize his armor? Yes. I’ve been waiting to use this gadget for a long time.”
Sombra was immobilized by the mass of steel.
“Ready to surrender?” asked Green Lantern, aiming his ring at him.
“Never!” screamed Sombra. Dark magic blasted off his horn's covering and melted his prison. It then lashed out like an octopus and formed a crystal mind control helmet on each guard. Lantern's shield protected both Batmare and him.
“Now, what are you going to do?” mocked Sombra.
The soldiers surrounded the heroes, blocking their view of the former king. Lantern gasped, "I can't move them without hurting them!"
“Sweetie, do something!” shouted Batmare.
A melodic voice caught Sombra's attention. He turned to find a white filly who seemed to be more machine than mare. Happily, she sang a single, clear note. Loudspeakers popped up from her withers and filled the cellar with her song. The helmets shattered.
“NO, THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!”
Sweetie Borg shot her electric cannon at him. "Shocking, isn't it?"
Sombra screamed in pain as he rolled onto his back. The Umbrum part of his physiology was particularly sensitive to electricity.
“Um . . . boorah?” cheered Sweetie Borg
As Sombra's screams faded, Lantern formed a trip hammer over him and revved its mechanism. Batmare put a forehoof on the dragon's shoulder and said, "That's excessive."
Lantern replied, "What? He's the one who said he didn't like children." The construct faded, revealing the unconscious former king.
Puzzled, Lantern said, "I thought he'd be tougher than that."
Batmare gave a frosty smile. "Let's not get cocky. You're one of our most powerful members; once you fully master your powers, you should be able to handle him on your own." She snorted. "It's been a while since I've had occasion to embrace my fear."
"Speaking of fear, are you sure you're okay?" asked Sweetie Borg. "I thought you were in real trouble."
Batmare replied, "I've trained with it since I became Batmare. It gives me my motivation."
The others nodded as they turned to the fallen former king.
“So, what now? Does somepony have a spatula or something?”
Before they could react, a green aura surrounded Sombra, and he vanished.
Batmare face-hoofed. “Just what we needed! He is not alone.”
“It’s safe to assume something big is coming,” noted Lantern.
“Luckily, the others already know.” said Sweetie proudly as she pointed a hoof to her electronic eye. Then, she rubbed her temple as she frowned. “Aaaand Marevel won’t stop complaining of about being left behind.”
Lantern and Batmare took out their earpieces. Sweetie Borg sighed as she touched a cybernetic implant on her head. "I can't turn it off."
“Don’t worry, I’ll tell the doctor to fix that design flaw,” Batmare said in a reassuring tone.
“Thanks. I love my friend and all, but she can be a pain in the flank from time to time.”
Lost Woods of Tambelon, Grogar’s lair:
Sombra was starting to look like a mummy as Cozy treated his injuries. The other tried to process how the mighty king could have been laid low by three children.
“Something that would take at least a week for the Elements of Harmony was handled in less than a day by the Justice League,” said the Sorceress, looking at Grogar. “See? These new kinds of hero are no joke, and those were just three. You should see what the League is capable of when they’re all together.”
Grogar shook his head in disbelief. “What was that all about?”
“Metaponies. And masked vigilantes. The new generation of heroes.”
Grogar frowned. “All right, how can I contact Master Mind?”
“When you’re ready, he’ll contact you. In the meantime, he left you some instructions. Follow them, and you won’t be disappointed.”
She vanished in a green flash, as the others looked at the small card she had given Grogar.
“So, what does it say?” asked Tirek.
Grogar read out loud, “Release the clown.”