//------------------------------//
// One Thousand to One 
// Story: Whenever You Call 
// by Onomonopia 
//------------------------------//

The day after the iron pony competition, all of Equestria was abuzz with the news that Rainbow Dash had lost a race to the Superman. The mysterious alien had defeated not only the fastest flier in Equestria, but also an Element of Harmony. While the town was in an uproar about the whole event, Celestia and her best scientist in Canterlot were hard at work trying to finish cracking the computer in Superman's ship. Celestia wanted to know everything about him, including what he wasn't telling them. She and her other three scientists stood in a circle around the ship's computer, which they had removed from the ship for convenience, and prepared to try and hack it again.

"Alright, for the third time," Celestia said to the others in an exasperated voice, upset at having failed twice already. The unicorns all started to flood the computer with their magic, trying to get through the final firewall. This time, instead of nothing happening, they managed to activate something.

"POTENTIAL THREAT DETECTED. PACIFY MODE ACTIVATED," the computer blared, activating pacification mode. Tasers and pellet guns emerged from the ship and started to fire upon the unicorns and the princess. She was fast enough to erect a barrier to protect herself, but two of the other scientists were not so lucky. One of them took a taser to the side and went down in an instant. The second pony was shot multiple times with the pellet gun, forcing him to run out of the room to avoid being shot. Celestia used her magic to rip the gun and taser off the ship, tossing them to the side.

"Well that was bad," Celestia said in a half-joking, half-scornful voice. Every time she thought that she had finally gotten into the ship's secrets, something else would happen to delay her futher. First the freeze guns, then the photon barrier, and now tasers. Superman must really like his secrets kept safe if he went to all this trouble.

"Alright, that's enough for now," she told the only remaining scientist in the room, who shook her head and walked over to the princess.

"Princess, why do you care so much about this Supermane? He seems really nice." Celestia turned and growled at the scientist, shutting her up.

"Superman is a 'wild card,' someone whose power cannot be trusted. I must know more about him before I decide to trust him. Twilight mentioned that he has weaknesses, but he didn't tell her what they were."

"Maybe you should bring the rest of the Elements of Harmony here to help you?" the scientist suggested.

"That's not a bad idea, but it would be...ugh," Celestia groaned as her head started to pound. She staggered against the wall while a small trail of green magic wrapped around her head. The scientist stood behind her with a toothy grin and glowing green eyes, the green magic circling around her.

"I don't believe you understood me," she said in a much more sinister voice. "Bring the Elements of Harmony here." Celestia turned toward the "scinetist" and bowed, her now green eyes just staring blankly ahead. She stood back up and turned to leave the room, leaving the pony alone. Once she was gone, the pony began to laugh manically as a storm of darkness swarmed her body, changing her into a very terrifing figure. A full black insect-like body, shredded wings and a very menacing horn. Queen Chrysalis.

"Yes, Celestia, bring me the Elements. Without Shining Armor and Cadence in the Crystal Empire, the Elements of Harmony will be powerless to stop my empire from taking over Canterlot. And with you under my control...for the most part, nopony will be able to stop me!" Chrysalis began to laugh, letting her laugh grow louder and louder until it echoed throughout the chambers. But her pre-victory celebration was cut short by another sound; somepony in the room was chuckling.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" she screamed at the shadows, looking around for the source of the sound. The chuckling turned into laughter, a deep, evil laughter that even Chrysalis recognized--and feared.

"Come on out creature, I know you're there!" The chuckling died down and the shadows before Chrysalis began to take a new shape. The darkness began to spiral around Chrysalis, a pair of green eyes with purple smoke surronding them peering at her through the darkness.

"Yes, nothing stands in your way except the alien with strength so great that he can toss a hydra with ease; speed that surpasses even the formerly fastest flier, Rainbow Dash, and a heart so pure that even I cannot corrupt him. Other than that, you're good to go," it said to her in a mocking tone. "I can't think of anything that could possibly go wrong." Chrysalis snarled at where his eyes were, horn glowing with dark power.

"I have already fitted Superman into my plans and already have a plan on how to stop him. I do not need you to tell me how to beat him!" she screamed in protest, firing bolts of magic into the shadowy mist. The futile attempt to hurt him caused the smoke to start laughing. 

"What could YOU possibly do to that creature to beat him? I've seen his power from up close and it is no laughing matter. My super hydra destroyed the town of Ponyville and he beat it in a matter of seconds," it taunted, going from chuckling to full on laughing now. Chrysalis's rage was reaching the boiling point and she was determined to prove him wrong.

"Just you watch, oh mighty king, and I'll show you that I am more than enough to handle this...hero. By today's end, Canterlot will be mine! My spell forces Celestia to slowly be consumed by her fears, making her suspicious and distrustful of all. And with no way to stop the spell, it will not be long before she is jumping at her own shadow. With her on my side I cannot lose!" The smoke chuckled again and rolled his eyes.

"Alright, good luck with your plan. But when he has completely destroyed you, don't come crying to me." The dark mist circled around Chrysalis one last time before vanishing into the cracks in the floor. She sneered at where he had vanished before changing her form back into that of a scientist. As she walked out of the room, she smiled to herself, knowing that soon she would rule Equestria.

{S}

A few hours later, the other three members of the Elements of Harmony were on a train bound for Canterlot, having a good time and speculating why the princess would want to see them.

"Maybe she wants to talk more about Superman? He is on the cover of every magizine in Equestria at the moment," Twilight suggested with a shrug, holding up the newest cover of the Equestrian Enquirer with Superman's picture on the cover.

"Nah, it probably has something to do with the hydra that destroyed our home. Heaven knows that varmint was nasty," Applejack said with disdain, remembering the destruction that the beast had caused. The two started to debate the reason for the summons, while a very somber Rainbow Dash sat near the window, staring out of it blankly. A full day had passed for her, a full day with which she had had to wrestle with the fact that she was no longer the fastest flier in the land...that there was somepony superior to her, somepony that was faster. She was no longer the best.

"...Rainbow Dash? Hello, anypony in there?" Twilight's words snapped RD back to her senses and she turned towards her friends with a confused look.

"What? What's wrong?" Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed.

"We were asking you why you thought that Celestia was inviting us up to Canterlot so suddenly. The letter she sent us didn't say much, only that it was urgent! What could be so urgent that she needed us to drop everything we were doing and come to Canterlot?" Twilight thought out loud, pacing around the train car. 

"Maybe she needs us fer something important. Like helping out around the city or tracking down some no good varmint," Applejack suggested, only to be ignored as Twilight continued pacing and Rainbow Dash had gone back to staring out the window. AJ huffed and sat back in her seat, the group waiting for the train to arrive at Canterlot. After another twenty minutes of waiting, the train finally arrived. Awaiting the train were four other ponies, friends of those onboard the train. Pinkie, Luna, Fluttershy and Rarity. Pinkie was bouncing up and down on the station platform in pure excitement, but also with a little worry.

"Oooo, I hope they get here soon! I've missed them all so much! We've been apart for so long I bet they've forgotten me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in worry as she continued to bounce up and down. 

"Darling, we've only been apart three days. I'm sure they'll still remember you. After all, you're the type of pony one does not easily forget," Rarity said to comfort her friend, smiling at her. Pinkie still continued to bounce in place, looking down the tracks towards the approaching train. 

"I hope all the animals are okay. There was the news of that terrible hydra attack in the town," Fluttershy said meekly, looking towards Luna. "But you said that somepony dealt with the creature, right? I hope it wasn't hurt." 

"Do not worry Fluttershy, I was assured that the hydra was relocated completely...mostly unharmed," Luna assured her friend, draping a wing over her. Rarity scoffed at the mention of the "reliable source" that Luna had talked about earlier.

"Yes, this ALIEN that claims to be a hero. I don't know about you princess, but I wouldn't trust somepony that claims to be here to help without finding out more about them. Especially if they're running around in spandex," Rarity said with disdain.

"I believe that we are lucky to have him. He not only protected the town, but he also saved your sister and her friends. I would believe that you would be more grateful to him," Luna reminded her in a low voice, causing Rarity to flinch.

"O-of course, I am very grateful. I was just suggesting that you don't take everything he says at face value and should try to find out more about him," she replied with a nervous laugh. Luna rolled her eyes as the train started to come to a stop at the station. The conductor yelled out that they had arrived and the doors of the train swung open, allowing the ponies to exit the train. Twilight had barely taken two steps off the train when she was tackled by a wall of pink.

"TWILIGHT!" Pinkie cried, tackling Twilight and placing her in a death hug. "I missed you soooooooo much! Did you miss me as well? Do you still remember who I am?"

"Yes...Pinkie...I remember you," Twilight gasped out, managing to push Pinkie off of her. Applejack and Rainbow Dash followed off the train, each of whom also received a death hug from Pinkie. Once the six ponies had spent a moment catching up, Luna decided it was time to get moving.

"Greetings Elements, how was your ride?" Luna asked the ponies.

"It was unneventful. What did Celestia want to see us for?" Twilight asked. Luna let out a sigh and started to walk towards the castle.

"I am not sure. She has been acting odd as of late and is not herself. She has stopped confiding in me and spends all her time down in the science chamber with the ship in which Superman arrived. The way she obsesses over the ship is...unsettling," Luna said as she walked, recalling all the odd things her sister had done as of late. The news about Celestia's present mental state was not helping the ponies' anxiety.

"Well, where is she?"

"She is awaiting us at the castle. And no, she didn't tell me why either." It was an uncomfortable walk up to the castle for the ponies and the two princesses. Along the way they talked mostly about what had happened over the past few days, everything from Rarity's new fashion reveal in Canterlot to Twilight's talk with Superman. Luna also confided about the talk she had with him a few nights ago. Applejack nearly had a heart attack as she heard for the first time about how her sister almost was devoured by Timberwolves. After a while, the seven finally reached the front gates, which seemed much more imposing than they normally did. With a shrug, Luna opened the gates and led the others inside, taking careful note of the missing guards. The group walked through the castle and into the throne room, where Celestia and her scientist friend awaited.

"Hello, my little ponies," Celestia said with a smile. They all bowed (save for Luna) and walked up to her.

"Princess, what's wrong? Why have you summoned us so suddenly?" Twilight asked her teacher in a concerned tone. Much to everypony's surprise, Celestia did not answer, but instead continued to stare blankly at the group. Luna stepped forward, trying to gain her sister's attention.

"Tia? Hello, is there anypony in there?" Luna asked cautiously, slowly advancing towards her sister. While Celestia's eyes stared straight ahead, Luna looked into them; they flashed a color that she knew all to well.

"Chrysalis," Luna whispered. As soon as the words left her mouth, a blast of green magic slammed into Luna's chest and flung her across the room and pinned her to the wall. The ponies gasped and spun to the scienetist, whose horn was glowing with a green energy while a huge smile spread across her face. Green magic began to swirl around her, transforming her from a measly scientist into a figure that the ponies knew well: Queen Chrysalis.

"Chrysalis, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked her, she and the others taking up defensive stances. Chrysalis chuckled and walked over to the motionless Celestia, wrapping a hoof over her should with a laugh.

"Twilight, I thought you knew me better than that. I'm here to take over Canterlot of course," she said with a wicked smile.

"Do you honestly think we'll let you do that?" Luna asked with a snarl, looking to the motionless Celestia. "What have you done to my sister?"

"Oh, this? I simply used my magic to influence her actions by exploiting her fears," she explained with a smile, letting more of her magic flow into Celestia. "She really does have quite a few fears, doesn't she? Especially of this Supermane fellow. As to you letting me do this..." she grinned, clapping her hooves together. "I doubt that there will be anything you can do about that." The ponies looked around as all of the guards in the room were covered in green magic and transformed into changelings, grinning at the shock on the ponies faces. 

"As you can see, this time I brought my own personal element, the element of surprise," she said with a nasty grin. "Oh boys...get them." The changelings hissed and rushed towards the seven ponies, teeth flashing and eyes narrowed.

"Girls, get to the Elements of Harmony, I'll hold them off!" Luna yelled, throwing herself in front of the changelings and erecting a shield. Twilight and the others took off as Luna started to fight back against Chrysalis and her minions. 

"Will Luna be alright?" Fluttershy asked as they ran.

"She'll be fine, but we need to get to those Elements," Twilight said, using her magic to throw open the doors of the castle as they ran through them, skidding to a stop once she was outside. The others came to a halt behind her, their eyes growing as big as hers when they saw what was going on. The changelings had attacked in force and ponies everywhere were running for their lives. The changelings spotted the six and flew towards them as the ponies ran off towards the Hall of the Elements. When the changelings attacked them the ponies fought them off as best they could, but were quickly outnumbered and overpowered. Rainbow Dash had managed to fight off most of them, but their numbers eventually even got to her. The changelings tied the Elements up and watched with smiles on their faces as Chrysalis landed in front of them, bringing a tied up Luna and a mindless Celestia in tow.

"Twilight, you made this too easy. Did you believe that I would not think to guard the Elements or to bring any more of my forces? If you thought that, then you are a foal."

"We will stop you, Chrysalis!" Twilight snorted, trying to use her magic. Chrysalis simply stepped on her horn and aimed her own magic towards Twilight, a grin on her face.

"No Twilight, it ends here. Goodbye."

(S)

"How do you three always manage to get into these situatinons?" Superman asked the three fillies that were hanging on a branch far above the ground. He had been flying around when he had heard them cry out for help and had flown over as fast as he could. He found them in their current situation.

"Well, we were trying to get our cutie marks in skydiving, so we got some parachutes and jumped off the cliff above you," Scootaloo explained. "But the parachutes didn't open and we got stuck here, calling out for you."

"Am I going to have to keep an eye on the three of you the entire time I'm here?" he asked them with a small shake of his head, reaching out and scooping the three of them into his arms. He then gently floated back down to the ground, where placed the three ponies.

"Thanks fer saving us again," Applebloom said with a grin. "Ah hate to think what would've happened if ya weren't here."

"If I weren't here, you'd probably have your cutie marks in most time in the hospital," he said with a sigh, hoping that they would learn their lesson this time and not do anything else dangerous. "So, unless the three of you are going to do something dangerous again, I'm going to go--" He stopped mid-sentence. His ears that could hear a pin drop on the other side of the planet alerted him to something. He heard ponies crying out for help. He spun quickly and looked off into the distance at Canterlot, from where the distress calls seemed to originate.

"What's the matter?" Sweetie Belle asked, seeing his expression change.

"The ponies up there are in trouble," he told them. All three of them gasped at this.

"Mah sister's up there!" Applebloom exclaimed, worry filling up her eyes. 

"You three go home," Superman told them calmly, turning back to the city. "I'm going to go help."

"Please help our sisters!" Sweetie cried. Superman nodded and extended his fists, taking off and flying over to Canterlot. It only took him a few seconds to get there and he frowned when he saw what was happening. He had seen enough invasions in his day to know that the ponies here were being invaded by some kind of bug-like creatures. He didn't have time to analyze them since they were attacking civilians, which demanded immediate action. Three bugs in particular were going after a family of ponies, who cowered in a corner crying for help. Superman flew down and grabbed all three of the bugs by their backs before spinning around and throwing them off into the distance. He figured that they could fly since they had wings, so he went back to fighting off this menace. He spent a minute protecting ponies that were being attacked and making sure that no one got hurt. Only when he had a moment to breathe did he hear another pony cry out; this pony's voice he knew well.

"Twilight," he muttered to himself and he flew off in her direction. He came to a stop above where Twilight and her friends were being held, the purple unicorn being tortured. He didn't know who the dark bug-like creature that was attacking Twilight was, but he knew she needed to be stopped. He focused his heat vision on her and fired off a quick burst into her side, knocking her away with a scream.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down," Superman told her as he floated down in front of the ponies, causing most of the changelings to gasp when they saw him. Chrysalis grunted and sat up, smiling at him when she saw him.

"Ah, Supermane, I was wondering when you would show up," she said with a snicker, getting back to her hooves. "I knew that if I made the meat cry enough you would come to save them." Superman didn't answer her, but instead turned his head and let his heat vision cut the binds that were holding Twilight and the other ponies. Once they were free, he then focused his attention on the queen.

"You know who I am, but I have not made your aquatence before, miss...?"

"QUEEN Chrysalis, if you will. Ruler of the changelings and future ruler of Equestria," she said with a sarcastic bow. Superman raised his eyebrow at 'future ruler.'

"I hope you know that that's not going to happen," he said with a frown, uncrossing his arms and tightening his fists. "Because I'm going to stop you."

"Will you really? Well, then it's a good thing I prepared for you then," she said with another clap of her hooves. Superman looked around as all the ponies surrounding them suddenly turned into changelings. "I have been having my subjects take the place of ponies in this city for months, so that when the time came to take over, I would have my full army here." Superman's eyes narrowed as the situation turned from a tyrant trying to take over to a hostage situation. He would need to figure out where the other ponies were being kept, if they were even alive, but right now Chrysalis was his biggest concern. 

"Prepare yourself, Supermane," she said with a wicked grin. "FIRE!" Superman moved himself away from Twilight and the others as every changeling in the area unleashed their magic upon him, hundreds of different spells all converging on him at once. The ponies watched in terror as the Man of Steel vanished under a storm of magic attacks that kicked up a massive dust cloud. While the barrage continued, Chrysalis began to laugh at her victory. She held up a hoof to stop the attack and turned to Twilight with a victorious face. "Well,Twilight, where's your hero now?"

"He's not my..." Her words died in her throat as she looked at the dust cloud, her eyes growing wide with shock. Chrysalis looked at her with confusion and turned to the cloud of dust, her eyes growing as big as Twilight's.

"There's no way..." she whispered to herself. In the dust cloud, two red eyes peered out from and the figure of Superman began to walk out of the dust, with not so much as a scratch on him. When the changelings began to fire, he had used his speed to fly above the attacks, watching from a safe distance as the spell missed him completely. When they were done firing, he simply flew back down and walked out of the dust, giving the impression that he had survived all of those spells.

"Are you going to give up now?" he asked her with a grin. She roared in rage and ordered all her changelings to attack him. A sea of darkness swarmed the Man of Steel as hundreds of changelings jumped onto him, causing a massive dog pile. Chrysalis began to laugh again, but there was a bit of nervousness in her voice this time. Superman sighed under the pile of changelings and extended both his arms before slamming his hands together. The shockwave created by the impact of his hands blasted the changelings off of him and shattered every window in the city. The ponies and Chrysalis watched in disbelief as the changelings went flying off into the distance, every single one of them tossed from the city. She took a step backwards as he advanced towards her, a smile on his face.

"Looks like you've run out of minions to throw at me, so I'll ask again. Are you going to give up?" Chrysalis roared as her answer and charged right at him, magic channeling through her horn as she tried to impale him. He simply sidestepped her attack and wrapped his arm around her throat. "Now then, I want you to tell me what you did with the ponies that your children replaced." 

"I...will...never tell," she said with defiance. Superman simply smiled and flew off with her into the upper atmosphere. She looked around in fear as he held her by her tail upside down.

"Now I'm going to ask again, what did you do with the ponies that were replaced? Please answer quickly, my arm's getting tired." He would never drop her, but she didn't know that and the look on her face told him that she thought he would.

"They're in our lair, underneath Canterlot. You'll find them in cocoons!" she said desperately.

"There, that wasn't so hard." Superman flew back down to Canterlot with her and tossed her at the feet of Luna and the others. He then drove himself through the ground beneath Canterlot, quickly finding the nest of which Chrysalis had spoken. He found the ponies that had gone missing in green cocoons, looking to be alright. He quickly used his heat vision to free them and flew them back up five at a time. It took him a few minutes, but he managed to free all the ponies and return them to their home. Once he was finished, Superman landed next to Luna and Celestia. The latter had managed to free herself from Chrysalis' mind control for the most part, with Luna's help. Celestia glared daggers at Chrysalis and walked up to her, horn crackling with power.

"You dare use me to attack my subjects and try to take over my kingdom?" she asked in rage, pointing her horn at Chrysalis's head. "You will pay for your crimes."

"Whoa there Celestia, she's beaten. There's no need to kill her," Superman said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shook it off and glared at him.

"She has attacked our home and tried to kill my subjects. She can't be allowed to live." Celestia turned back to the cowering Chrysalis and aimed her horn at her chest, but Luna stepped in front of her.

"Listen to Superman. You know what he says is right," she pleaded with her sister. Celestia glared at her for a minute before she turned away with a growl and walked off, leaving Superman there with Chrysalis.

"Ha, sparing me will be your downfall! I will not rest until--" Superman cut her off mid-sentance by using his ice breath to freeze her over completely, leaving her as an ice statue. 

"There, now we can have some quiet," he said with smile as he turned to the ponies. "I take it you can handle things from here? I need to go make sure that none of the ponies were hurt during the attack." With a wave, Superman took to the sky, leaving the seven there to watch him go, some with fear in their hearts, others with respect and one with loathing. Twilight said that she was going to see how Celestia was doing and took off to find her teacher. Applejack said that she needed to get home and tell her family that she was alright, while Pinkie and Fluttershy headed off to check on those who had been imprisoned. And Rarity simply watched the Man of Steel fly off with a slightly red face, unable to peel her eyes away. That just left Rainbow Dash, who watched as Superman flew off into the unknown. She was one of the Elements of Harmony and the former fastest flier in Equestria. She was a black belt in karate and could fight with the best of them. Yet she had been helpless as the changelings attacked her and her friends, capturing them with ease. And then Superman descended from the sky and beat off the attackers without so much as breaking a sweat. She looked to the sky with tears beginning to fall down her face, realizing now just how superior Superman was to her. He was stronger, faster and tougher. Everything that made her special had been outdone by him. He was better than she was.

(S)

Luna admired him...the way he flew in to save them, and the way he managed to fight off all of the changelings without hurting  a single one. He was a hero, everything that she aspired to be. She had once been like Chrysalis, one who sought to hurt and cause pain. Now she tried to redeem herself, but while most ponies were happy with the new her, she knew she still had a lot to make up for. But somepony like Superman is just what their world needed. He could show the ponies what true heroism was again and teach them how to be better. Luna looked up at the night sky from her room, happy that she was not alone. Somepony else was helping her to protect the ponies in the night. She had a new ally.

"I hope Supermane sticks around," Luna said with a small smile. "I like the idea of a new protector of Equestria."

(L)

Celestia hated him. The way he defied her, stopped her from doing what needed to be done and then took her job as protector of Equestria. She hated his smile, the way he convinced them that they were safe. But she had seen the truth, she had seen the rage, the unreleanting power behind those eyes. As she grabbed her head as pain started to go though it, she realized what Superman was. He was a threat, one that needed to be stopped. But she needed more information before she could do that and his ship was the answer to that problem. She had found Earth's coordinates, so in the silence of her lead-lined lab, she used her magic to open a telepathic link to Earth. She opened a hole in space time and while she couldn't travel through herself, she could use her mind link to establish a connection with a creature there. She sought a creature that knew more about Superman than anypony else. So she scanned the entire planet, finding multiple minds that knew about Superman. And then she found a creature that knew more than all the others, one whose intelligence was immense. Time to announce herself.

"Hello there," she said to the creature.

'What in the-Mercy! There's another telepath in my head. Get me my lead helmet!' Celestia heard what sounded like a male creature on the other end, and it was apparent that she had startled it, not the way she wanted this talk to start.

"Please wait. I need your help. I came to you because I found that you were the most intellegent creature on your planet."

'...Go on.'

"I have a problem. A creature from your planet has come to my world and while he managed to convince all of my subjects that he is good, I saw the true terror that he wields."

'...Is his name Superman by any chance?'

"Yes! Whew, I hoped that I would find somepony who knew something about him. Will you help me? Oh, allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Celestia, ruler of the land of Equestria. And who are you, Mr...?"

'Oh, there's no need to be formal, my dear Celestia. If Superman is a problem, then I will help you in any way I can.'

"Oh, thank you. But if I may ask again, what's your name."

'Please, call me Lex.'