//------------------------------// // Gone Too Far // Story: Whenever You Call // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// The Elements of Harmony and Superman had come to Canterlot to talk about what had happened with Chrysalis and what they should do if she were to attack again. Luna had suggested what everypony had been thinking and said that they would call in Superman if that were to happen. Celestia was the only one who wanted to double security and have protective spells everywhere. After a while of debate, they agreed to go with what Celestia had suggested, but would call Superman if needed. Since the debate was the only item on any of the ponies agenda, they decided to show Superman around while Canterlot wasn't being attacked. "And over here is where I used to live as a filly," Twilight said as Superman walked behind her. He had enjoyed the tour, mostly because not once had he heard a cry for help. The other ponies had broken off into small groups, with Twilight, Superman and RD at the front, Applejack and Pinkie in the center and Fluttershy with Rarity at the back. "Isn't he just incredible?" Rarity asked as she looked at Superman. "He's really nice, but I don't know about incredible," Fluttershy said in a whisper. "I mean, he did tear apart Brainaic with ease." "Oh Brainaic was a bad pony anyway. Superman was just protecting us," Rarity said with a giggle. "Why can't more stallions be like him? Kind, strong, able to sweep me off my-" "Um, you two know that he can hear everything that you're saying, right?" RD said with a grin as she looked back at them. Rarity's face went even whiter as Superman looked back and winked at them, causing Fluttershy to giggle. Superman then laughed as Rarity's face turned red...before sighing and flying over to the edge of the city. He aimed his vision at Ponyville and shot his heat vision towards it, spelling out the word "NO" in front of three startled fillies. "They trying to get in trouble again?" Applejack asked as he walked back over. "Where do they even get the materials for a spaceship?" he asked with a sigh. "Guess they don't want a tour of Canterlot." "They're still young. I bet that they'll get better at behaving themselves as they get older," Fluttershy assured him. Superman smiled at this, looking behind them and raising an eyebrow. "Twilight, your brothers here." Twilight spun around with a smile as Shining Armor and Cadence came running over to them. They all put each other in a massive group hug before starting to talk. "Cadence! Shining! What are you doing here?" she asked them with a smile. "We came to see you," Cadence replied. "That, and Shining has some paperwork to fill out. Celestia knows how he "forgets" about it from time to time." "Hey, I'm not the one who wanted to spend that day at the beach," he replied as he wrapped a hoof over her shoulder. "Besides, it's not very important anyway." "Wow Cadence, you look like you're glowing," Pinkie noticed as she started to look at her. "Did you fall in some glitter or something?" "Actually...I'm pregnant," she said with a small smile. Superman watched the other five as their jaws hit the floor. "WHAT?" they all cried at once. Pinkie was the first to shoot over and wrap her in a hug. "Oh, congrats! When's the foal going to arrive? What are you going to name it? Can it be Pinkie?" Cadence chuckled as Superman smiled, happy just to see that they were happy. Then a sudden chill washed over his spin and he spun around, his eyes glancing in every direction. "Superman, what's wrong?" RD asked him. "I...felt something," he muttered, his eyes scanning for whatever could cause a magic surge like that. "It felt dark and cold, with no emotion." The ponies looked at each other nervously as he said this, knowing if he was worried, then it was a bad sign. "Maybe you're just feeling things?" Shining suggested, but Superman ignored him and continued to look around. Suddenly the sun was blocked as a massive barrier of darkness began to envelope Canterlot. Superman was fast enough to fly around and grab all the ponies who would have been crushed by the barrier, placing them next to the others before flying up to it. The dark barrier had now completely covered all of Canterlot and not a ray of sunlight could get in, something that he was only mildly concerned about. He could go a day or two without sunlight before he started to weaken, but right now the barrier was his biggest concern. He brought his arm back and drove his right fist into the barrier, wincing as it felt like he had punched a wall. "Great, it's magic based," he muttered as he shook out his hand. "And a strong magic at that. Normally, I could punch through, magic or not. Better tell the others." Superman quickly flew back down to join them, finding the ponies at one of the barriers, trying to use a combination of magic to try and blast it open. They had just about as much success as he did and looked to him for news as he landed. "The barrier is a very powerful magic that I'll need some time to get through," he told them as he looked around the city, the ponies all warily looking up at the sky. "But I have a feeling that the real fight's going to be in here and not out there." Just as Superman had predicted, a booming voice began to echo over the city. "Greetings, ponies of Canterlot. Do not fear, this is your new ruler talking. I am King Sombra!" "Sombra?" Superman heard Cadence whisper to Shining. "I thought we got rid of him back at the Crystal Empire?" "I am here to take back what is rightfully mine...all of you!" the voice boomed over the city. The ponies all looked at each other before beginning to laugh. "What's this? You do not believe me? Is it because you believe that your princesses can save you? Or have you foals all put your faith in that Superman? Well then, I suppose I have to convince you. Superman! Meet me in the center of town, where I will show these ponies my true power!" "Are you going to go?" Rainbow Dash asked him. "Of course. I have to," he replied, shooting up to the sky and flying towards the center of town. He saw that it had been cleared out so that it looked like a battleground, with only one dark pony standing in the center. "And you must be Sombra," Superman said as he landed in front of him. "And you are the Superman," Sombra replied, looking over him up and down with a bored look. "I thought you wore red?" "Don't do this Sombra," Superman said as the others arrived behind him. "You can't beat me. You must know that." "Oh yes, I know that I am no match for you normally," Sombra replied with a chuckle. "That's why I decided to level the playing field!" He tossed his head back, and as he did so the barrier around them turned clear, letting in a blinding amount of red sunlight that struck Superman right in the chest. While the ponies just shielded their eyes, Superman realized what he had done. "No..." Superman whispered as Sombra fired a blast of magic straight into the "S" on his chest. The blast launched Superman across the courtyard and into a wall, where Superman slid down and coughed up blood. The ponies watched with terror as Sombra began to laugh. "What did you do to him?" Rainbow Dash roared as she charged Sombra, who simply teleported out of the way and let her fly face first into a wall. "Didn't you know? Superman gains his powers from a yellow sun," he said with a chuckle, looking at the Man of Steel who was trying to get back to his feet. "So change the color of the sun and you get a powerless Superman." He fired another blast at Superman, but a dark blue shield sprung up around him. Sombra sighed as Luna and Celestia landed in front of him. "Stand back, Superman," she warned him. "We will handle this." Superman tried to argue, but the pain from the magic blast forced him back to his knees. Luna let out a roar and charged at Sombra, who smiled and shot his magic into the ground, causing pillars of darkness to shoot out towards the pony. Luna flew up to avoid them just as Celestia came from behind with a barrage of solar magic. Sombra vanished into the darkness at his hooves and slipped behind Celestia, blasting her in the back. She collapsed to the ground while the Elements began to get involved. "Have at thee!" Pinkie yelled as she whipped out the party cannon and started to unleash a storm of cakes at Sombra, who erected a simple shield to protect him. Twilight started to unleash her alicorn magic in a wave upon him, but he somehow managed to dodge and roll through each attack. He blasted AJ in the chest when she tried to lasso him and shot dark bolts to counter Rarity's attempts to hit him with gemstones. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had rushed to Superman's side and helped him up. "Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked him. "I'll live," he muttered, ignoring the pain and staggering forward. "What did he do to you?" "It seems that he's somehow combined the red sunlight with his magic to either cut me off from my powers or weaken me. I hate it when this happens." "You just wait here. We'll deal with Sombra," Rainbow Dash told him. "But I can-" "Without your powers, you might get yourself killed," Rainbow Dash snapped, cutting him off. "And I don't want you to die." She flew back into the battle where Sombra and Luna were colliding magics. She was trying to force back his magic, but his powers had increased greatly since they had last fought. He was about to overpower her when RD came flying in and tackled him in the side, knocking them both over. He growled and sprung back to his hooves, but a combined blast of pink and blue magic burned his back. "You two," he growled as Cadence and Shining entered the battle. "I beat you once, Sombra. I can do it again," Cadence growled, but Shining put a hoof on her shoulder and pulled her back. "Remember what you're carrying. I'll take him," he told her, his horn glowing with power as he ran forward. Sombra charged his own horn and ran forward as well, the two of them colliding in the center. Shining pushed with all his might against Sombra's dark magic, but the dark pony simply chuckled and used his overwhelming strength to push the captain back, blasting him in the chest and sending him flying into a wall. "NO!" Cadence cried, rushing to his side and trying to help him up. Sombra walked over to the two of them with a dark smile as he began to flood his horn with power, pointing at the crying Cadence and bleeding Shining Armor. "Oh, you have no idea how long I've waited this for this," Sombra said with a grin, preparing to fire. Cadence looked up at him just as Shining threw himself over her. But Sombra never fired. Instead, he got a foot to the side of his head that sent him skidding across the ground. The ponies looked up to see Superman standing there, taking up a fighting stance even though he was still bleeding. "What is this?" Sombra asked as he got back to his hooves. "I took away your powers! You shouldn't be able to-" "What? Fight back?" Superman asked with a smile. "Why does everyone assume that I don't know how to fight?" Sombra roared and fired a bolt at Superman, who flipped out of the way and landed in a handstand, launching himself back into the air and delivering a massive roundhouse to the side of Sombra's head. Sombra staggered back as Superman spun on his feet and drove his fist right under Sombra's jaw, snapping his head back. The ponies watched in amazement as Superman began to beat back Sombra without his powers, dodging each of his attacks and delivering powerful blows. "ENOUGH!" Sombra roared, unleashing a blast of magic that shook the ground and tossed the ponies and Superman back. "I am a god! You are all nothing to me! My power will reign supreme for all time!" "Not as long as I still stand," Superman replied, getting back up and standing between Sombra and the ponies. "Why don't you give up? You have no powers! And without your powers you have no chance!" Sombra roared. "Without the super, I'm just a man," Superman replied with a smile. "And I've seen regular men do things that even Superman cannot do." Sombra roared and fired a blast of magic into Superman's chest, launching him against a wall. But to the amazement of all, Superman shakily got back to his feet, still smiling. "Why won't you die?" Sombra roared, firing more spells into his chest. Superman took the shots without flinching, his chest bleeding heavily, but he never faltered. "Why? Because I made an oath long ago that I would fight evil to the end, even if cost my life," Superman replied, standing tall despite knowing that Sombra was stronger. "And last time I checked, you're still evil and I'm still breathing." Sombra roared in rage and put all of his power into his next attack, aiming straight for the "S" that had been torn apart. But right before he could fire, RD came flying by and kicked him in the head, knocking his aim off and causing him to miss. "Told you I'd save ya," she said with a grin as she landed by his side. Superman narrowed his eyes as he noticed that there was a small device in the center of Sombra's chest. "A miniature red sun generator," he muttered, understanding how Sombra had done what he had done. He pointed it out to Rainbow who flew towards it after saluting, sticking out her back leg and delivering a massive flying dropkick to the center of his chest, shattering the device. Sombra screamed as the red sunlight faded, leaving only the yellow sun overhead. Superman smiled and let the power begin to build in him, clenching his fists as he felt his own power return. Sombra growled and tried to shoot Rainbow Dash, but Superman moved faster than a speeding bullet to put himself between her and Sombra. "That's enough, Sombra," Superman said sternly as the ponies began to get up. "Your plan failed." "I still have one trick up my sleeve!" he yelled, casting a dark spell and vanishing from sight. The ponies and Superman looked around as mist began to form around them. "Tell me Superman, are you ready to face your greatest challenge yet?" "Twilight?" Twilight turned to find Celestia standing behind her. "You have failed me for the last time. The Elements of Harmony are gone and it is all your fault!" "No, I-" Twilight began, but Superman stepped in and cut through the illusion, watching as it vanished into mist. "He's going to try and use our greatest fears against us," Superman told them. "Be careful, what you see may not be real." "Cadence." Cadence turned to look at Shining Armor, who was with another mare that was far superior looking to her. "I don't love you anymore, I've never loved you. You're just too needy!" "Wait, don't-" Superman once again stepped in and cut through the illusion, looking around as he did so. One after another, each of the ponies had their greatest fear or failure come to them, and each time Superman helped them though it. Finally, it was his turn. "I wonder how Sombra's going to try and get you? "Rainbow Dash said with a smile. "It's not like you ever..." Her words died in her throat as shadows began to move in the mist, not just one or two but hundreds. The ponies gasped as creatures that looked very similar to Superman emerged from the mist, but each of them looked...weird. "Why?" one of them hissed at Superman, who stood silent. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME?!" it shrieked at him. "WHY DID YOU FAIL US?!" "YOU WERE OUR HERO!" "HE WAS JUST A BABY! HE DIDN'T DESERVE TO DIE!" "W-what is this?" Rainbow Dash asked in terror as more and more ghosts began to circle him. "These are all those I've failed to save," Superman replied quietly. One of the ghosts ran up to Superman with a shriek, but he walked right through it without batting an eye. He had been looking through the mist to see if he could find Sombra and he finally had. Hundreds of hands grabbed at Superman, trying to drag him down with them. But nothing could hold him back. Superman reached through the mist and grabbed Sombra by the throat, dragging him through the mist and cancelling the spell. "As I said, it's over." "Not...yet!" Sombra yelled as his eyes glowed. Superman realized what he was about to do and threw himself over Sombra, shielding the other ponies with his body. Sombra let loose a massive explosion of magic that threw Superman off of him and knocked all the ponies back. Superman landed with a thud on a rooftop, stunned. The ponies slowly got back to their hooves while Sombra sat in a smoking crater, barely alive. His barrier fell with his magical powers, causing ponies in the streets to begin to cheer. "Yeah, we won!" RD screamed as she flew into the sky and started to fly around. All of the ponies and princesses began to celebrate, all except for Cadence, who walked over to the barely moving Sombra. "Failed again. Oh well, there's always next time," he said with a smile. "No," Cadence said in a whisper, glaring at him with wrath in her eyes. "You tried to kill my friends, the love of my life...my child. You're too dangerous to be kept alive. For you, there are no more chances!" The ponies watched as Cadence charged her horn with power and fired it into Sombra, who howled with pain as the magic coursed through his body. "Mer...cy," he begged through the pain. "After all you've done to me and my family? No." With a flash of blinding light, Sombra was blasted apart, his horn being all that was left of him. The ponies all looked at the smoldering pile of ash with stunned faces while Cadence sat down with a sigh. "Cadence?" Shining asked nervously. She turned to face him with a smile and threw her hooves around him. "Don't worry. He'll never bother us again," she said to her love. The ponies all gathered around her and hugged her, all of them glad that she was safe. Rainbow Dash turned around as Superman floated down, his eyes showing that he was out of it. "Superman! We won!" she yelled as she ran over to him. "We beat him! Sombra's--"Superman didn't even see her as he walked right by to the smoking crater where Sombra had lay prostrate, kneeling down and picking up his horn. He looked at it with shaking hands, knowing that he had broken his promise again. He had promised that no other pony would be hurt or killed while he was here...but he had failed again. And the sorrow gave way to wrath. "I'm so sorry," he whispered to the horn before standing up and turning towards Cadence. "What the hell was that?!" The ponies backed up a bit as Superman's words hit them, not expecting him to say that. "W-what do you mean?" Cadence asked him. "Why did you kill him? There was no need to!" Superman yelled. "I killed him because he didn't deserve to live," Cadence said coldly. "He was scum. All he did was attack us and try to rule over all ponies." "He was beaten!" Superman protested, his rage building. "He begged for mercy!" "And he didn't deserve any!" she yelled back. "Maybe it's better that he's gone. Maybe someponies don't deserve to--" She gasped as Superman appeared in front of her and lifted her up, his eyes glowing a dangerous red. "All life is sacred, no matter whose it is," Superman said softly, remembering how Derpy had been killed in cold blood. The ponies all looked at him with fear, never seeing this side of him before. Twilight prepared a spell while Celestia prepared for him to impose his rule. "We have to be better than that. If we don't restrain ourselves when we are good, who is going to do it for us if we ever turn? What you did just now...proved that you're no better than him." Superman listened to her heartbeat quicken, her fear beginning to take a hold. Then he heard the second heartbeat in her and it brought him back to his senses. He dropped her with a look of disgust and walked away. "I'll give you warning," he said as he came to a stop. "If something like this happens again..." he began as he turned his head so they could see his red eyes. "You answer to me." To cement his point he slammed his foot into the ground and shot himself into the sky, the shockwave created by his takeoff blew all the ponies off their hooves. Rainbow Dash was the first to get back up, watching him go with confusion. Why was he so mad? Wasn't he supposed to be their friend? She had to find out what was wrong.