//------------------------------// // So pushy! // Story: The Hero: Cozy Glow...? // by SoloBrony //------------------------------// I'd just gotten done setting up a rudimentary campsite when I heard a cry of distress from the woods. As a super hero, I should go help, right? But wait, I don't have my costume ready; I can't compromise my secret identity. Guess I'll skip this one. The cry escalated to a blood-curdling scream. I twitched my ear in irritation. Jeez, pushy much? Well, I can't call myself a hero if I ignore THAT. Besides, what am I afraid of? I'm an all-powerful super hero, I'll just power through whatever challenges come my way! I was honestly pretty worried about getting discovered and having to face off against that army of wizards again – I'd only gotten a glimpse of them, but that first image I could remember was like a living nightmare in my short memory now – but there was a stronger, more willful, angrier part of me that told me not to be weak and let anypony scare me or make me back down. That part was in control when I grabbed my cloak in my teeth, pulled it free from my wings, and blasted off from the ground at max speed for the source of the commotion. I'm going to do this super hero thing RIGHT. I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be some kind of struggle, and set down behind a large tree to don my cloak before springing out with a warcry (albeit a high-pitched, squeaky one). "Fear not, pony civilian! I have come to resc—WHAT IN EQUESTRIA IS THAT?!" Not my proudest moment. There was what appeared to be a zebra struggling with a chimera – one head each of a goat, tiger, and snake. Huh. Wonder how I know what a chimera is. Must have studied monsters for my super heroics! I remember they're intelligent... That thought clicked while I took in the scene of the zebra desperately prying open the tiger head's jaws and pulling her injured leg out. I was coming up with a strategy, but it seemed my exclamation had caught the goat head's attention, and soon enough the snake was looking my way too. Might as well go all-in! I fired off a vicious bolt of energy at the snake head, causing it to roar in anguish. "Hey, ugly!" The chimera whirled on me and took a menacing step forward. The tiger head growled, forgetting the zebra entirely, and she made quick to scoot as far away as she could with an injured leg. I quirked an eyebrow at the tiger head. "Oh, did you assume I meant you?" The tiger head grunted. "Didn't you?" "What, do you think you're ugly?" The tiger head hesitated, suddenly looking unsure. The goat's head looked over. "Hey, sis, you're not ugly." "Aww. Thanks." Blech, someone just blast me now. "But wait," the tiger head said, returning her attention to me, "if not me, then who?" "Isn't it obvious? Who do you think?" The tiger head looked over at the snake head uncertainly. The snake head had just recovered from my blast, and looked deeply affronted at the tiger. "Hey, I'm not ugly!" The tiger head quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I mean, you're kinda slimy and scaly, you can't deny—" "That doesn't make me ugly!" "Well beauty is subjective, don't you think?" The goat head roared in frustration and glared at me. "Who did you mean, foal? Settle this for them." I blinked a bit, still surprised that my plan had bought so much more time than expected. The zebra had managed to recover her hooves and start to run. I pointed my hoof at her retreating backside. "I meant her, obviously!" The chimera redirected all of its attention to the fleeing zebra. They had just started to say 'Oh', whether in response to me or to realizing the zebra was escaping I'm not sure, when I hit the entire creature in the backside with a charged magical blast strong enough to send them flying into a tree – and with a truly obscene screech at that. It only took a little telekinesis to curl the branches around them and lock the entire creature into place. "Ugly or not, all three of you are idiots..." I smiled at a job well done, and trotted off back towards my makeshift camp. I'd taken down a monster, gotten a better handle on my magic during stressful situations, and I'd managed to avoid blowing my disguise in the process! A good day, all told. And with that cheering mindset I resumed my work on my costume, until I heard the approach of hooves. I stood at the ready to fight, but it turned out to just be the zebra from earlier. On seeing me, she inclined her head courteously. "That monster gave me quite a fright; I thank you for ensuring I could make good my flight." I cocked my head to the side at the unexpected rhyming, but then simply shrugged. "For that no thanks are necessary; I was glad to relieve you of your adversary." What? I wasn't going to be outdone by some random zebra! For her part, the zebra seemed taken aback, but then smiled warmly. "Your deeds and words are truly most gracious; tell me, would you rather sleep in my home most spacious?" It took me a second to parse what she had just said and offered, and I took another moment to try to put together a rhyme of my own, before simply shrugging and giving up on that. "Seems better than sleeping out here, at least; thanks." The zebra nodded and smiled, sparing me one of her weird rhymes, and I grabbed my stuff to follow her. On the walk, she was silent, but chewed her lip persistently. Finally, as her home came into view, she caught my eye. "Tell me, what is a filly doing out here – especially one who wields magic without peer?" Hm, she noticed how strong my magic is. I need to be careful about that! Only after admonishing myself for the slip-up did I give her question some thought. I mulled it over and shook my head. "Let's just say some bad ponies are after me. I was looking for somewhere safe from them. I don't... really want to talk about it right now." To my surprise, I really didn't. It was a lot easier to look ahead to goals than to focus on how tenuous my fate seemed right now. The zebra's face was lined with concern, but she simply nodded and let me into her home. Before long, with how much of a drain my spellcasting had put on me, I was drifting off to the best/worst sleep I could remember, my thoughts stuck on the haunting first image I could recall. Those bad ponies who cursed me... I need to find out who they are, learn everything about them I can. Then I can figure out how to beat them!