Two days had passed in the Titan Tower and except for minor criminal alerts, the things had been calm. Sunlight had passed some times training with robin, who taught Sunlight some sword fighting techniques. but also passed time with his sister, which he noticed the strange attitude. He also cooked with Starfire, sparred with Jaime, played video games with Beast Boy and tried to do conversation with Raven, without success. Today, the day was looking calm. Sunlight Blaze used the fight simulator to compare his actual level with high ranked villains like Sinestro, Black Adam, Reverse-Flash, Catwoman, Joker and many more and each time, failed. Robin was looking at him with a mocking smile.
“Don’t aim to high, he said. Unless you are Superman, Green Lantern, Flash or Martian Manhunter, who are very powerful by nature, you won't beat any of these villains at the first encountert.”
“I don’t do that to become stronger faster, he answered. I do that to analyze and study their fighting style and powers”
“Knowing his opponents weaknesses is a good way to take advantage, said Damian. This is a way for weaker heroes to be more useful on the battlefield. Well, if you don’t mind, i want to use the simulator.”
Sunlight let his place to him and walked off the training room. Then he entered in the tech room where he used one of the computers to search in the hero data to find if this world had heroes using magic. He found the names of Dr. Fate, a sorcerer using Esoteric and mystic magic, Zatanna, a expert of magic tricks also using mystical magic, Mr. Miracle, a master of illusions, John Constantine, a talented exorcist mastering demonic magic and mystical magic. And Shazam, who was harnessing the power of the divine lightning, to name a few. He noted their location and searched next for superheroes using like him, fire. He found his match in Firestorm. He walked off the room and headed to his chamber, where he pet his phoenix.
“I am bored, he said. I want bad guys to defeat!!”
Someone knocked at his door.
“Yes, who knock?” asked Sunlight.
“This is your sister, you nitwit!! Said Sunset. Can you open, i need to talk to you”
Sunlight opened the door and let Sunset entered. She sat on his bed and his brother joined her.
“I listen, he said. I noticed you were feeling not well these last 2 days, what is the problem, Sis?”
“I miss my friends for Canterlot, she said. Most of all, they don’t even know where we are and maybe look for us right now. I can’t stop worrying about the possibility they live their lives without me and died.”
Sunlight suddenly thought about what he said the night before him and Sunset were teleported in this world. He wished to live awesome adventure and also wished her sister to be with him. He realized that it was his fault if she was here with him. She never wanted to leave her friends, but because of his selfishness, she was suffering the loss of her friends.
“I am sorry for that, he said. This is my fault if you have been brought here with me. Remember when we woke up in this world for the first time?”
“Yes, but in what this is your fault?” she said.
“The night before, he answered, i was feeling a void in me, a lack of adventure and i wished to live an epic one. But i had a thought for you in the same time at the last moment, i didn’t wanted to abandon you once again because of my desire of battles and adventures, so i wanted you to be to my sides. Then, the next morning, i found myself in this world and you were here too, this is not a coincidence. I should have took in consideration that you had friends and a normal life before i arrived”
“So, this is the reason why i am stuck with you in this world, she said. Well, thank you for telling me. I am not angry at you for that, i am happy to see how much i am important for you, even if we met a few days ago”
“I am not the one who bring us here, he said. But this is my wish who bring us here, i didn’t even asked you about your opinion on it. I was selfish bringing you with me away from your home, and that selfishness caused you to feel sad, i ruined your life...”
Sunset looked at his brother who was feeling guilty and smile.
“This is not selfish to care about his family, she said. Being selfish is caring about only yourself and your needs. In fact, that you are with me in this world make me feel less sad. But if only they could join us in this world...”
“You know they can’t, said Sunlight. They are too vital in the survival of their world. Without them, the world you live in will fall against the forces of evil.”
“You have a point, said Sunset. They can’t leave their world but i don’t want to let you alone here if i have to occasion to return home.”
“I would not be angry at you if you do that, he said. You never asked to come with me...”
“Meh, i certainly would have followed you anyway, she said. My friends would have understood that decision and i could have told them goodbye. Do you miss your friends and your family too?”
“Saying no would be a lie, answered Sunlight. Sure, i miss my friends for the school of Friendship and my parents. I am also worried about the fact of who will pay our rents in our absence? He he he...I think about them often, but unlike you, i can live with the fact they could by dead or gone when i will be back, if you and me come back one day. Being a hero include having to take painful decisions and live with the consequences of them”
Sunlight pulled out of his bags the plushies of the Mane 6 and a lot of photos of her friends, then gave them to Sunset.
“Take them, he said. I know they won’t replace your friends, but at least you will be able to remember them.”
She hugged him and started to cry. Sunlight hold her against him and gently caressed her hairs and shoulders. When she was feeling better, she put the plushies and the photos in her bag.
“Thank you, Sunlight” she said before leaving the room.
“That’s what brothers are for, sister” said Sunlight with a smile.
Then, the evening came and Sunlight had enough to wait for a villain to appear. So when everyone were asleep, he opened a window in his chamber and activated his talisman. He closed the window behind him and flew away from the tower. What he didn’t know was that Damian, on the top of the tower, spotted him.
“So, i am not the only one who love nocturnal exploration, he said. I think i begin to like him. But whatever, i should follow him, just in case...”
Sunlight was flying for 2 hours, but found no trace of villains to arrest. He was at the limits of the city and decided to land on a building. He suddenly saw two mysterious silhouettes on the ground entering in a military hangar. Finding it suspicious, he immediately headed in their direction with the intention to stop them. He produced a wall of flames to cut their ways out. Sunlight looked at the two mans and noticed their military equipment and masks. He deduce they were mercenary or soldiers. One of them looked at his electronic mini pad and showed it to his acolyte. They immediately started to shoot at him, but Sunlight's costume took the bullets. Panicked, the two mercenaries ran in the hangar.
“I love this costume, he said. Now, you two are dead!!”
Sunlight knocked both of them out with a big burst of flames.
“Magic fire can burn anything, idiots, said the hero. These types were mercenaries, but why did they attacked me?”
Sunlight took the electronic device of one of the mercenaries and saw his image on it with a bounty of 10 000 000$ for his head.
“Oh, so i was their target, he said to himself. But who put a bounty on me?”
“Someone who want you dead, of course!” said a voice behind him.
Sunlight turned his head and avoided a knife threw at him.
“Who are you?! He asked. Show yourself, coward, or i reduce you and this whole hangar to ashes!”
“I won’t do that if i were you, said the mysterious voice. This place is full of chemical waste and if you blow it up, well, let’s just say that this part of the city will share the same fate as this hangar...Kaboom. Gone. reduced to ashes”
Sunlight noticed that the voice was right. He was surrounded by radioactive and highly inflammable products.
“And even if you were able to survive, i put 4 hostages in there” continued to say the voice.
“I don’t need my fire magic to beat you!!” said Sunlight.
“Let’s see about that!!” said the voice
Sunlight was kicked on the ground. He got up immediately and saw in front of him a man with an impressive armor, black and orange, with a mask of the same color tones. He had swords, lot of guns and knifes.
“Cool armor, said Sunlight. I love the design of your costume!! Too bad i will have to scratch it. I remember seeing your image on one of the screens of the Batcave. You are the mercenary everyone call Deathstroke...”
“Exact, he said. So, you must know i never fail to claim a bounty. This is not personal, the affairs are the affairs. And don’t even think to escape, i put bombs everywhere, including in all the entrances and exits. They are activated by heat so be careful...And because i have some honor and play fair, i won’t use my guns on you.”
“I don’t care, said Sunlight. My intention was not to run away”
Sunlight ran in direction of the mercenary and tried to punch him. Slade blocked each of his attack and countered with a powerful kick in the guts.
“I didn’t felt anything, said the young hero. You are not the only one to wear a resistant costume”
Sunlight continued to attack the bounty hunter, but each time he delivered a punch or a kick, Deathstroke blocked them and stroke back even harder.
”He is resistant, thought the mercenary. And it seem to know some martial arts techniques, but that won’t be what will save him.”
Slade took his sword and delivered many blows on Sunlight’s costume in order to tore it. Sunlight was trying to keep up with his opponent, but the speed, power and accuracy of the blow soon overtaxed the resistance of his costume. He already had some ribs fractured and legs ligaments sliced. A final hit from the mercenary sent him against a steel pillar.
”He is too powerful for me!! I have no chance to beat him without my magic!! Thought Sunlight. I could use thunder magic but the result would be the same than using fire. This place is full of metal and i could...Wait, this is it!!”
He charged electricity in his hands.
“If hostages are in there, they must be grouped near to explosives products, he thought. This is a risked plan but it can work!!”
“I see you don’t get back on your legs, normal after i cut their ligaments, said the mercenary. You put a decent fight, son, now, Time for me to claim my bounty...Do you have a last request before i kill you?”
“Yes, prepare to be shocked!!!” he said.
“What?” said Slade, realizing too late the hand of his target charged with electricity
Sunlight touched the metal surface behind him. Slade laughed when he saw that nothing happened.
“Did you actually thought i didn’t upgraded my bombs to resist short-circuit? Asked the mercenary. Some idiots used that in the past against me. This last effort was genuine coming of you, but i have no flaws, i am perfect, in every ways.”
”Crap..., thought Sunlight. That was my last option...I am sorry, sister. Guess your brother will die today...”
“Die” said Slade.
The villain is suddenly knocked down by a powerful kick coming from behind him
“Who did that?” asked Slade, getting back.
“One of your worst nightmare” said Damian when he revealed himself.
Then he looked at Sunlight.
“Yes, i followed you, he said. And i did a good choice”
He turned his head in direction of Slade.
“You know the device of the Teen Titans, right? He said. If you attack one of us...”
“...You attack all of us!!” said Beast boy, who arrived with the whole team.
Sunset immediately ran in direction of Sunlight who was agonizing in his blood.
“Sun...Set..., he said. Argh... I...can’t move my...l...legs. I hardly b...Breathe. I t...Think my lungs are...P...Pierced. I am...Sor...Sorry.
“That will be okay, she said, putting a hand on his cheek. I am here, we are all here.”
Slade made a few steps back.
“You forgot i put bombs everywhere!” he said.
“You mean, these bombs? Said Damian, throwing them on the ground. I disabled all of them and in the same time, freed the hostages you made...You have no way to escape, Slade!”
He was surrounded.
“Fine, if i can’t escape, none of you will!!, he said, holding a bomb. This whole place will explode and half of the city with it!”
“No!!” said Damian, while Deathstroke was about to enable the bomb.
But Slade suddenly stopped and Damian used that occasion to disarm him, and Raven, to tie him up with dark magic.
“Thank you, Sunset” said Damian.
“The pleasure was all mine, she answered. He need to pay for what he did to my brother.”
The team helped Sunlight to get up. Cinder arrived from the sky and saw his master injured. She used one of her feathers to heal him. When he was feeling better, he looked at his costume, torn off, then at all his friends.
“I am sorry, everyone, he said. I shouldn’t have leave the tower without preventing you.”
“You are lucky that Damian followed you, said Starfire. This is him who call us when he saw you were in trouble against Deathstroke. This is why i don’t want any members of the Titans leaving the tower at night. We are a team, we fight as a team”
She hugged Sunlight, happy to see him fine. Damian tore off Deathstroke's gauntlet and hack it to find information.
“Deathstroke his a mercenary, he said. If he attacked you, that was because someone put a bounty of 10 millions on him.”
“10 millions? Said Beast Boy. What did he do for that?”
Slade laughed.
“Hum, I can told you the name of my boss” he said, with a smirk.
Damian kicked him in the face.
“If you know something, trashbag, speak!!” he said.
“Lex luthor” he answered.
“Lex?” said Damian.
The police arrived to arrest Slade and put him in a armored van and left. Sunlight explained to the team that him and Sunset attacked Lex Luthor almost 1 day ago, when he was about to kill Superman. Him and his sister saved him by distracting the villain.
“I maybe made a mistake” said Sunlight.
“You acted like any other hero would have acted” said Raven.
“Lex Luthor is a man who don’t like very much to see his plans ruined by heroes, said Starfire. I think we'll have to contact Superman and tell him about that. I am sure your sister is also on his black list.”
“Look at the bright side! Said Beast Boy. You are an official superhero now that a supervillain want you dead!”
Nobody laughed.
“You guys are not funny, he said. Why does nobody like my humor?”
“For the moment, let’s return at the tower, we all need to return to bed, said Starfire. Raven, you open a portal?”
She opened one and the team passed through it. Back in his room, Sunlight was looking at his costume. A few moment after Raven appeared in front of him and she repair the costume with her magic.
“Right like it looked the first time you saw it, she said. I also added some magic upgrades on it, don’t thank me.”
She disappeared in front of Sunlight, who was voiceless but happy to have his costume back. And despite the fact that he got his ass kicked by Slade, he was more determined than ever to be a better hero.