//------------------------------// // Foriegn Thunder // Story: Whenever You Call // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// "What are you doing here, Sinestro?" Superman crossed his arms and asked his foe in yellow, making sure that the fillies and Insectum were safely behind him. The Elements of Harmony, along with the princesses, ran over to Superman, their jaws dropping as well when they saw the cause of the impact. Sinestro looked at his ring, which glowed with a yellow light, before he looked back at Superman with a sinister smile. "Why am I here? It's simple, Superman--to kill you," Sinestro said with a smirk. "And this is the best chance I will have since you are too far away from your precious watchtower and Justice League. You have been a pain in my side for far too long," Sinestro glared as he pointed his ring hand at him. "I have been channeling the fear I have found since I got here to kill you. And today that is the-" Sinestro cried out in pain as Superman grabbed hold of his ring arm, twisting it to the point where Sinestro was forced to the ground from the pain. "Superman, who is this?" Twilight asked him, starting to walk over to him, but she was stopped by a look from Superman that told her not to get closer. "He speaks as if he knows you and...why does he want to kill you?" "This is Sinestro," Superman said as he applied more force to Sinestro's arm, forcing him to his knees. "He's a member of the Yellow Lantern Corps and a constant irritant of the Justice League. I have fought with him in the past, but I have no idea why he's here. Why are you really here?" he asked Sinestro again. "It's as I said, to kill you-" Sinsetro cried out in pain again as Superman started tightening his grip on Sinestro's arm, hearing the bones begin to crack. "You can't beat me Sinestro," Superman said calmly as Sinestro tried to concentrate, but it broke when Superman twisted his arm again. "Even with your ring, you should know that." "Maybe by myself I cannot defeat you," Sinestro said with an evil smile as he slowly reached for the device on his belt. "But that is why I did not come alone!" he yelled as he hit a button on the device, making Superman drop him so that he could throw himself over the fillies. He braced himself for the impact and pain...that never came. Sinestro looked down at the device in confusion, pressing the button a few more times with growing rage. Superman stood up and turned around to face Sinestro with a smirk, crossing his arms yet again. "It seems that your master plan didn't work," Superman said with a smile as Sinestro continued to press the button. Then Superman let his arms fall to his side while he cracked his neck, the playful smile vanishing from his face to be replaced with a look of determination. "So I hope you don't mind if I go ahead and-" His words were cut off mid-sentence as two massive grey hands burst from the ground and wrapped themselves around Superman's legs. Superman looked down with shock at the grey hands, seeing an old foe bursting out from underneath him. The fillies screamed as they ran away from the massive, grey body emerging from the ground, holding Superman by the ankles. Superman immediately broke free with a kick and drove his fist into the grey zombie's chest before receiving a blast of yellow light into his back that drove him to the ground. Superman shot back up to his feet only to receive a massive punch to the face that sent him flying back into the side of a building, cracking the stone walls upon impact. The ponies all looked upon the scene with shock, since the only other creature they knew that could toss Superman like that had planned to invade their home. "Solomon Grundy," the grey beast known as Grundy said as he slowly looked over at the ponies, changelings and others and started to march towards them. The princesses and Elements placed themselves between the children and the grey creature, but Grundy barely managed three steps before Superman's fist slammed into his jaw with bone breaking force. Grundy went sailing back from the force of the punch and would have likely sailed across the country if Sinestro hadn't caught him with his ring. "Well that was a surprise," Superman said as he reached up and cracked his neck, looking over to Sinestro with a raised eyebrow. "I thought that was a boom tube generator, but the weird design threw me off. What intrigues me is the fact that you brought Grundy here instead of trying to teleport me to the farthest reaches of space like you did Green Lantern. What I want to know is how you managed to activate a boom tube without it making the booming sound it's known for. Care to answer?" Sinestro frowned, knowing that Superman was now ready for anything he might try and at the present distance between them, Superman would have his hand around his throat the moment he tried something. He had to stall for time as his ring gathered more power. "If you must know, I used the ring's power to encompass the tube when I summond my ally Grundy here," Sinestro said with a smile as he indicated the massive brute next to him. "I also brought him in underground in hopes that he would be able to hold you off long enough for me to trap you in the tube. I know that if I just fired it at you, it would be a futile effort with your speed." "Well your plan failed," Superman said with a smile. "Grundy crush Superman!" he commanded. Grundy yelled as he charged the Man of Steel. Superman rolled his eyes and ducked Grundy's massive right, countering with three quick punches to the gut, that knocked the wind out of Solomon. Grundy doubled over from the blows and staggered back while Superman brought his fist back, measuring his own power so that he wouldn't destroy the surrounding buildings with the force of the blow. He then slammed his fist into Grundy's jaw. The force of the blow, while it didn't destroy the buildings, still blew out all the windows with the shockwave and forced all in the area to cover their ears. Grundy was launched back up into the sky before he came crashing back down to the ground, where he tried to sit up before he collapsed. Sinestro looked from the beaten Grundy to Superman, who had begun to walk towards Sinestro while cracking his knuckles. "So, Grundy's down and you know that you're way out of your league," Superman said with a smirk. "So are you just going to give up or what?" "Not as long as I have this!" Sinestro yelled, pulling out a small device that had green energy radiating from it. Superman's eyes widened as he realized what it was, just as the pain began to start. "Oh, you recognize this. My employer told me that it would burn you like the fire pits of his planet. Now then, we have one more guest to arrive before I-" "SHAZAM!" Superman barely registered the sound of that chilling voice calling down one of the few things that could hurt him before a massive lighting bolt came crashing down from the sky and drove itself into Superman, letting the magical energy tear through him. Superman screamed as the force of the magic drove him to his knees and blurred his vision. He didn't need his sight to know who the figure was that landed in front of him. "Black Adam," Superman growled before being blasted back by a bolt of lighting by the figure who was standing before him. Behind the figure, Sinestro was cursing to himself as he held the smoldering remains of his only defense against Superman. As Superman struggled to get back up, he realized that Adam looked a little different than he was used to seeing. His normally black suit had red streaks mixed in with it, and he wore a cape with a hood similar to what Captain Marvel wore...And on his head was a black circlet with his lightning bolt in the center. "I have finally found you," he said in a low voice that was brimming with confidence. "I have come here to deal with you once and for all, so that her rule will be absolute." THAT got Superman worried. To have Sinestro show up on this planet with Grundy in tow to defeat him might be a plan that any supervillian would think up to get rid of him. But Black Adam, one of the few threats to the League that could go toe-to-toe with him and had a slight advantage, along with Sinestro and Grundy? This was not just a simple plan to do him in, there was a mastermind behind this. But much to Superman's surprise, he saw that Sinestro was looking at Adam in confusion as well. "Who are you working for?" Superman demanded as he shot back up and threw himself at Black Adam, driving his shoulder into his gut and threw Adam over his head. Superman then spun around and drove his leg into Adam's back, sending him skipping across the ground while Superman flew after him and caught him by the throat, lifting him up as he tightened his grip. "Who are you working for?" When Adam simply sneered at him instead of answering, Superman scowled and brought his fist back. When he tried to swing, yellow light wrapped itself around his arm to stop his punch, making Superman look back at Sinestro who had trapped him and left him open to attack. Black Adam channeled magical power through his fist and drove it into Superman's jaw, breaking Superman's grip and driving him back. "I work for no one!" Black Adam yelled as he smashed his knee into Superman's jaw before punching him twice in the face. "There is only one other I will consider listening to and only her! But after I destroy you and the other champions, then I will-!" Superman cut off that rant by blocking another punch and headbutting Adam in the nose before unleashing a barrage of punches into Adam's gut. Adam responded with twin lightning fists to Supe's jaw and knocked him back. Superman skidded to a halt and started to strike back, only to have twin massive grey arms wrap around him. Superman drove his head back into Grundy's nose as he tried to break free, but Adam got there first "I will not allow you to interfere," Adam said before he started to wail on Superman, giving him no chance of fighting back. The ponies could only watch in horror as Superman was constantly pounded by the magic-powered fists, which were confusing his senses to the point where he was struggling to see straight. "I have always hated you, Superman, from everything you stand for to your actions. You are one of my most powerful foes, and yet you serve those you should rule over. If you had ruled over them, then the world would be at peace, for who would argue with you?" Black Adam then stopped punching Superman and moved to the side to dodge a blast of magic, looking to the ponies who had just shot at him with anger spreading on his face. "Do that again. Watch what happens," Adam said with a growl as he started to march towards them. The ponies all started to back away from him as he advanced, lightning flashing in his eyes. "Get behind me girls," Twilight said to the fillies as she and the others prepared themselves to fight. "You are foolish, if you think that you can fight me, Twilight. Attack me again and I will consider you a foe," Black Adam said with rage in his voice as he turned back to Superman...only to receive a blast of heat vision to his face. The impact sent Black Adam crashing across the ground, giving Superman the chance to break free. Superman started off by kicking Grundy in the leg, shattering the bone and causing the zombie to howl with rage. Getting rid of Sinestro came next, so Superman turned his vision towards the yellow lantern and fired off a beam of heat vision into his chest, slowing him down just enough so that Sinestro had time to throw up a shield around himself. Once he knew that Sinestro wouldn't be lethally harmed, he then turned up the power and let the full power of his heat vision consume Sinestro and his shield. Sinestro dropped to a knee, while he struggled to place as much fear into his ring as he could to keep his shield strong enough to fight off the beams, beads of sweat dripping down his face as cracks began to appear in the shield. Superman would have broken through the shield if Black Adam hadn't slammed into his back while grabbing his cape, spinning him around before tossing him off into the distance and flying off after him. Superman caught himself and lifted both hands over his head, bringing them down with a thunderous impact on Black Adam's head. Adam crashed back into the ground with a massive shockwave. "Grundy crush-" Grundy began, but Sinestro held out a hand to stop him. "Wait, let's see where this goes," Sinestro muttered as Superman flew up to Adam again, winding up a punch. "Do we really have to go through this again, worm?" Black Adam asked as he caught Superman's punch in his hand and responded with an elbow to the jaw, staggering Superman. "You know that I am your superior! My magic gives me power far above yours! You are just an-!" Once again Superman cut him off with a knee to the jaw, ending his monologue before it began. Black Adam growled and forced his magical lightning to course through his body before firing right into Superman's chest, sending him crashing into the ground near the ponies. He groaned and looked up, watching Black Adam fly towards him. "Superman!" Rainbow cried as she rushed to his side. Superman got to his feet, wiping away a bit of blood from his mouth. "Are you alright? It seems that-?" "Luna. Celestia. Can the two of you put a barrier around the town and the other ponies that can hold off massive shockwaves?" he asked the two princesses as he stared down the floating Black Adam, who was being watched by Grundy and Sinestro. "Yes, we can, but why would you ask?" Luna asked him. Superman let out a sigh and gently let his arms fall to his side as he closed his eyes. The ponies looked at him, wondering what he was doing when the ground began to shake as Superman opened his eyes. "Because I'm going to have to get serious," Superman replied. "The shield, now." Luna and Celestia combined their magics to encompass the town and all the ponies (including the Elements of Harmony and the fillies), leaving Superman alone against the three foes. "Grundy beats man to death, then beat ponies," Grundy growled before Adam grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him aside. "You realize that a barrier won't protect them from us," Black Adam said with a growl. Superman didn't respond, only stared at the three of them with a cold stare. "Luna, I'm going to say this in advance," Superman finally said, turning his head slightly to look at her "I apologize for all the destruction this is going to cause." "What are you going on about?" Black Adam asked. "Hurry up and-" Now the ponies had seen a number of weird and interesting things in their lives, ranging from a full-on invasion to a master of chaos changing them into opposites of themselves...Weird stuff. But today they saw something that stunned and terrified them. They watched a battle of gods. Superman had flown right up to Black Adam during his rant and drove his fist right into his jaw, creating an incredible shockwave that shattered the ground beneath Superman, and rocketed Adam into the sky and right out of the planet's gravitational field. Sinestro and Grundy both looked up to where Black Adam had gone before slowly looking back down to a smiling Superman. "Grundy scared," Grundy said as he backed up a bit. "I think I am too," Sinestro added as Superman started to head for them. "One down, two to go," Superman said as he crouched down, letting the ground shake beneath him as he prepared himself. Then, faster than any of the ponies or his foes could see, Superman launched himself into Grundy and drove both of his fists into and straight through Grundy's chest. Grundy looked down at the twin holes that were now in his chest and back up to Superman, who pulled one of his fists out of Grundy's chest to punch him in the face with bone-shattering results. "And that's two," Superman said with a smirk as he turned to Sinestro, who backed away slowly with worry in his eyes. "So we're right back where we started. Are you just going to surrender or...sigh, hold on a minute, I'll be right back." Superman shot off into the sky with both arms outstretched, bringing one fist back as he and Black Adam collided far above in the atmosphere, but still creating a shockwave with enough power to blow away any clouds in the area. Superman drove his fist into Adam's gut while Adam responded with a headbutt to Supe's forehead. Superman ducked under a lightning-charged right hand and countered with a fist to the stomach again. "SHAZAM!" Black Adam kicked Superman below the belt before diving under him, bringing the lightning down upon Superman. The lightning collided with Superman and drove him straight down to the earth below, exploding in a storm of lightning and thunder. "SUPERMAN!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she burst through the princesses' shield with her Element of Harmony and raced over to Superman, who was pulling himself out of a crater that his body had formed. "Oh my gosh, are you alright? Superman...you're bleeding." Superman wiped his face with his hand, and when he looked at it his hand was smeared with blood. "You shouldn't be here! He's going to-" Superman began, but another lightning bolt coursed through his body and blasted him back, leaving RD to spin around to face Black Adam alone as he landed in front of her. Black Adam looked down at her and snarled, letting lightning crackle through his hands as he advanced towards her. RD looked back at Superman, who was struggling to get up, but Adam's magical lightning kept him from doing so, leaving RD alone to face Adam. She glared up at Adam and indicated for him to 'bring it'. He snarled as he too spun to face her, but Superman drove himself into Adam's side and sent them both backwards, where Adam knocked him away. RD watched as Adam kicked Superman while he was down, until a shadow fell on her, and she looked up there was Sinestro standing over her. "Despite the fool's interference, I could do with a hostage to keep Superman at bay," he said with a smile as he pointed his ring at her. RD backed away from Sinestro in fear, but a hand grabbed Sinestro's arm and spun him around "You dare to harm them?!" Adam yelled as he pulled Sinestro forward and drove his fist into Sinestro's gut, shattering the shield Sinestro had placed around himself and sending the lantern flying backwards. Adam then glared down at RD, who backed away even further. "Leave the battlefield. I cannot guarantee your safety if you stay." "What are you doing here? You were not recruited to fight with us!" Sinestro spat out at him as he struggled to get back up, coughing up a bit of blood. "And why do you care if any of these ponies are harmed? I was hired to kill Superman! And once I do, my employer will assist me in killing that infernal Hal Jordan! Why should you care if any of them are killed?" Sinestro's eyes widened as Adam pointed his fist at Sinestro, lightning crackling along it. "Say that again," Adam whispered, confusing the Man of Steel, who struggled to his feet. Even though Superman couldn't move too well, he was nonetheless stunned by what he had just heard. Black Adam was protecting the ponies and Sinestro had been hired to kill him? That confirmed his theory that someone had sent Sinestro here. But why was Black Adam here? "Then I will kill you as well!" Sinestro roared as he fired his ring, his eyes widening when he watched Black Adam dodge the shot with a growl. "Fool!" Adam yelled as he smashed his face into Sinestro's nose, shattering it and knocking him out cold, as Adam tossed him to the side. "I followed you here when I heard of the chance to end the Superman once and for all, before she could finish her plan. But you are too reckless to work with. I must stop Superman before they are assembled, no matter who I have to go through!" Superman caught Sinestro's body and placed it next to the ponies' barrier as he spun around to drive himself into Adam's gut, knocking him up far enough so that he could grab his leg, and toss the former champion into Grundy, who had been recovering near the buildings. Both of the villains went crashing through the structures, bringing them down as they passed through them. "You worthless, filthy, insect!" Black Adam yelled as he cleared out the rubble around him with a massive explosion of magic--while tossing away Grundy. "I will end you!" he half-screamed as he charged at Superman, driving his shoulder into Superman's gut and sending the both of them into the town of Ponyville. Superman went back first through multiple buildings, all the while punching Adam in the face. Adam skidded to a stop as he wrapped his arms around Superman's waist and lifted him above him, before driving him head first into the ground. He kicked him onto his back before jumping onto his chest. He tried for another blow when a rainbow blur flew by him, giving Superman a chance to back away "You again?!" Adam screamed as he turned to face RD and fired a storm of lightning right at her, lightning that she couldn't avoid. But right before it hit, a blur of red placed itself between her and the lightning....just as Adam had predicted. Superman gritted his teeth as the power coursed through him, feeling like he could collapse at any moment. But the thought of who was behind him gave him more than enough strength to fly through the lightning and drive his fist into Adam's face. "You insolent...worthless...peasant!" Adam screamed as he began delivering punch after punch to Superman's face. "I am a god! You dare to touch me!? You dare to-?" Superman brought one of his hands up to catch the next punch, wrapping his fingers around the fist as he began to crush it. Adam winced as Superman got to his feet and continued the pressure, looking at him with rage in his eyes. "Well Adam, this peasant hits back!" Superman yelled as he continued to tighten his grip, while swinging his other arm back to build up power before driving his fist into Adam's face, creating another shockwave that ripped apart the homes that they had been driven through. Black Adam was rocketed into the barrier that the ponies had set up, and his impact into the shield created massive cracks all along it. Black Adam bounced off the shield and landed on the ground, slamming both his fists into it to create a massive shockwave that brought down even more buildings, trying to bury the ponies to distract Superman. Superman heard the cries for help from the ponies that were in danger, but he had something to do quickly before he saved them. "I'll be with you in a moment!" Superman yelled as he drove his fist into Adam's face, creating another massive shockwave that launched Adam off into the distance. Superman then went back to the collapsing buildings, looking to start with the one which would trap the most ponies. He burst through a stone wall to find six ponies hiding inside, quickly scooping them up and getting them outside to safety. He heard two more cries for help, but as he turned to help them RD flew in and quickly got those two out, placing them next to him just as the building they were in collapsed. "Thanks for the help," Superman said with a smile of relief, right before Adam tackled him again and launched the two of them into the sky. RD watched them fly higher and higher as she too shot into the sky after them, hoping that she could help Superman in some way. Adam spun around Superman and wrapped one arm around his throat while wrapping the other under his arm, placing Superman in a choke hold. "Once I am rid of you, there will be only one other opposing fool!" Adam yelled at Superman, moving his head to the side as Superman shot a blast of heat vision at him. Adam tightened his choke and angled Superman's head away from him, allowing RD to look right into Superman's eyes. Superman looked at her with a wink before he inhaled deeply and started to vibrate, vibrating his molecules at such speed that he slipped through Adam's grasp. Both Adam and RD looked at him in disbelief as he turned around with a smile and he drew his fist back. "And for my next trick, I'll make you disappear," Superman said with a smirk as he drove his fist into Adam's chest. The power of the punch sent ripples across Adam's shocked features right before he was blasted off beyond the horizon. Superman had hit him with such strength and speed that it took three seconds before RD felt the power of his punch--when the shockwave finally went off, which would have blown her away if Superman hadn't caught her with in his arms. "W-what did you do to him?" she asked wide-eyed as she looked off into the distance where Adam had gone. "Sent him around the world, express flight," Superman replied as he turned around, calculating in his head how he was going to do his next move. "Can I ask you to stand a little ways back? This is going to be a big one." Rainbow did as he asked, following his gaze towards the horizon. She squinted as she saw what looked like a small black dot appear on the horizon. Superman clenched his fist and brought it back for an uppercut, timing his attack to perfection. When Black Adam was a few feet in front of him, he swung up with a good portion of his might. RD watched with a dropped jaw as Adam went flying off into space from the punch, with Superman rocketing up after him. Superman shot past Black Adam and came to a stop in the upper atmosphere, raising both hands over his head. When Adam reached the zenith of his ride, Superman slammed both fists into his back to send him hurtling back towards the planet. When Superman finally reached ground zero, he found that his aim had been perfect and Black Adam had landed in a lake far outside the town. And while the lake and all the surrounding area may have been blasted to ash, the town (for the most part) and the ponies in it were unharmed. He did a quick scan of Black Adam to confirm that he was still alive before he landed next to the dumbstruck ponies, whose barrier had shattered from the sheer force of the impact. "You...you," Twilight began, but Superman knew what she was going to say. "No, he'll live. He's more or less immortal," Superman explained, his superhearing picking up another sound an he turned to see Grundy getting back up, roaring at him with rage. "Excuse me for a minute, this will be quick." Superman threw himself at the zombie and ducked the obvious right hand that Grundy had wound up. Superman grabbed him by his leg and began to spin, building up enough momentum to create a small tornado before aiming Grundy at the stars and letting go. Superman placed one hand over his eyes with a smile as Grundy sailed off to the stars faster than the ponies could believe. "That was...wow," Rainbow Dash said as she floated down next to him, looking at the contrails left from where Grundy had broken through the planet's gravitational field. Then, a thought clicked in her head and she looked up at Superman with her eyes even bigger than before. "You really don't let loose often, do you?" For the second time that day, Superman just winked at her instead of answering as the other ponies and changelings walked over to him. "Well, it seems that you have thoroughly thrashed each of them with a power that I could never have even comprehended," Chrysalis said with a whistle while she looked around at all the destruction with a smile. "I'm impressed." "I see why you apologized about the damages earlier," Luna said with awe in her voice as she gazed over the landscape as well. "This will take a while to clean up." "I'll help if you want, but right now I'm more concerned about why three of the League's villains just happened to show up on this remote planet," Superman said with a frown as he looked over to where Adam lay. "How did they know I was here or that I was the only Leaguer as well? Something doesn't add up." Fortunately for Celestia, her quickening heartbeat was muffled under the sound of hundreds of hooves running towards the group, as the entirety of Ponyville all ran out of the town with huge smiles. Superman looked around awkwardly as the ponies began to cheer and chant his name, not helped by RD elbowing him in the side. "Well whaddya know, they actually like you," she said with a playful smile. Superman looked down at her with a smile as well, not forgetting how quickly she had helped him with rescuing the citizens, or how she followed him when Black Adam had him in a choke hold--And she said that she wasn't as good as him. A few of the ponies' cheers turned into screams, gaining the attention of Superman. Black Adam was slowly pulling himself out of his crater and looking over at Superman with a snarl, shakily getting to his feet as he pointed a finger at Superman. "You...think that you have beaten me?" he asked Superman as he began to stagger forward, with Superman floating over the crowd to place himself between him and the ponies. "I...am a protector! You are just a fool!" Black Adam brought his fist back and tried to punch Supe in the jaw, but Superman ducked it and punched him in the gut, dropping Adam to all fours. "And you're all out of steam," Superman replied as he crossed his arms. "Give up, you've already lost." "NO!" Adam roared as he flew back, channeling his body with lightning. "I will not fail her! I will not FAIL!" "But you will fall," Superman retorted. Adam screamed as he flew forward with both feet extended, just as Superman flew towards him with one fist raised. The two of them collided and sent out a massive shockwave that blinded all the ponies momentarily. When it finally cleared, the ponies saw that Adam had been sent skidding backwards and Superman floated over him. "Like I said, you lose." "No, Superman. You have." Then Adam screamed into the sky before he drove his shoulder into Superman, dragging him into the sky with him. Adam shot a bolt of magic lightning into Superman's face before throwing his arms up, summoning a massive thunderstorm around him. Superman flew forward to attack him again when a bolt of lightning shot down in front of him, heading for the ponies below. He dove down to intercept, taking the lightning in his back. "Your compassion may make you stronger, but my mission surpasses yours," Adam said as he grabbed Superman from behind, holding his head as lightning began to strike the both of them. "And if I must destroy you completely to protect, so I shall." More lightning had begun to descend upon the two, but it was also landing near the ponies, causing another mass panic that sent ponies running everywhere. Superman tried for the vibration trick again, but this time Black Adam sent lightning coursing through his body, stopping Superman's attempt to escape. "You will not escape me again, Kryptonian. You will die." Superman watched as another lightning bolt headed for the pregnant Cadence...only to watch as Chrysalis threw herself in front of it--and took the brunt of the blast with her shield for the princess behind her. In that split second of confusion where Adam saw only the changeling take his blast, Superman pushed with all his might and drove the both of them into the sky. Once they were both in the thunderstorm, Superman forced his arms out of Adam's grasp and slammed his hands together, the shockwave it blasted the clouds apart. While Adam screamed at his action, Superman once again vibrated himself to escape Adam's grasp. By the time Adam realized what he had done, Superman had already wound up his punch. "You're done." And with one last punch to Adam's stomach, the former champion went sailing down towards the planet, landing just outside the town. Superman had held back with that punch as much as he could so that it would only damage Adam, but the destruction was still beyond anything the ponies had seen, as it wiped out the hillside next to the town. Superman floated down next to Adam, who was struggling to pull himself out of a newly made crater. "Why? Why are you stronger than me?!" Adam roared as he charged his fist with magic and tried to strike Superman again, but Superman caught his wrist and punched him in the jaw to knock him back down. "Why doesn't my magic hurt you?" "Oh it still does, but I've been watching when you concentrate your magic in certain areas, like you did your fist," Superman explained. "After the first time you smacked me around, I asked Captain Marvel for some help in fighting people like you. And as long as I dodge your lightning and magic fists, I can handle you fairly well." Adam looked down at his fist in rage, not believing that he was being beaten by such a weakling. What was worse, the weakling was mocking him and treating him as if he were a joke. He looked past Superman towards the ponies that were standing away from them. He knew that if he unleashed his last resort, odds were they wouldn't survive. But... "No Superman, you have no idea the power I wield," Adam whispered as he stood back up, muttering to himself. Superman tried for a punch, but Adam caught it with one hand, looking up at Superman with a cold stare. "I did not wish to resort to this, but if I must..." Superman's eyes widened a bit as he felt a chill in the air. "Shazam." Superman roared in pain as the magical lightning bolt came down again and struck the both of them, but when the pain cleared he expected to see Teth Adam standing in front of him. But instead, Black Adam was still there, but his suit had gone from black and red to a pure white, with a power flowing through him that made the hairs on Superman's neck stand on end. "What have you done Adam?" Superman asked as Adam let go of his fist and allowed Superman to fly backwards, looking up at Superman with eyes that crackled with power. This was not the Black Adam he knew. This Adam felt much stronger than the other one and maybe...was stronger than Superman. "You are not the only one who fights to protect now," Adam said as he brought his fists up, confusing Superman as he heard the sounds of two voices talking instead of just one. "Now, die." The ponies blinked once and the next thing they saw was Superman laying on his back with blood running down his face, with Adam standing over him. They had only a second to wonder what had happened before the entire area was ripped apart by the force of their impacts, that just now caught up with their movements. "He knocked down Superman," Twilight said in disbelief. Adam reached down to pick up Superman, but the Man of Steel was fast enough to kick Adam in the gut and knock him away, getting back up with a glare. Superman was worried. In that massive exchanged of blows, he had confirmed what he had feared. This Adam was stronger than he was. The two collided again, the ground beneath them shattering into splinters from the force of their impacts. The ponies once again missed the two super-beings trading blows, due to their speed, but they witnessed the result of Superman begin slammed into the ground with blood flying from his mouth. Superman struggled to get to his knees when Adam kicked him in the gut, sending him skidding across the ground. Superman roared in retaliation and threw a punch that caught Adam in the jaw, but Superman screamed in pain as his fist collided with an electric barrier. Superman flew back and held his now numb left arm as Adam walked towards him. "You call yourself a protector, but all you've done in the past is destroy!" Superman said with a growl as he flew forward. "That was who I used to be. But now..." Adam responded as he ducked the punch and caught Superman with an uppercut, knocking him into the air while he followed up with a knee to the jaw. Adam then grabbed Superman by the throat and threw him to the ground, casting his head back as he cried," Shazam!" The bolt descended upon Adam, who moved out of the way to allow it to strike Superman, causing the Man of Steel to cry out in pain. Adam finished by driving both his feet into Superman's stomach before he kicked him away, slowly walking towards the smoldering hero. "Before I kill you, I want you to tell me something," Adam said as electricity started to crackle all throughout his body. "Where is the one in silver? Where is she hiding?" Adam lunged at Superman who caught his fists in both his hands, struggling to keep Adam from overpowering him. The ponies all gasped in disbelief as a massive burst blew off of them from the sheer force of the two titans pushing against each other. And then to their horror, Adam started to push Superman back. "Where is she?!" Adam roared again. "Who are you talking about?" Superman asked, glaring into Adam's cold eyes. Except...his eyes weren't as cold as he remembered. They were still dark, but there was a small warmth to them now. There was a desire to protect in them, similar to the desire in his own eyes. And for that one moment, when Superman looked into his eyes and was shocked by what he saw, Adam took that moment to break the stalemate and drive his knee into Superman's face, sending him flying back into the ground with a blast of lightning. "The silver one! You would not be here if not for her!" Adam roared again. "Who are you talking about?" Superman asked him as he slowly got back up, coughing up blood as he struggled to remain upright and to see through his blurry vision. "Who is this 'she' you keep referring to? What silver one?" Adam looked at Superman with a confused look, before he closed his eyes and began to laugh, a laugh that seemed more full of glee than evil. "You truly do not know. When I sensed you here, I thought for certain that you had been chosen, but for some reason she has left you out," Black Adam said with a smile. "Then she is not here and you are no longer a threat to my queen...which means that she may be trying to pick another. Since you were not chosen, then there is no longer a reason for me to be here. I will not finish you this time Superman, but if we meet again, beware. SHAZAM!" Superman backed away as the lightning bolt came down again, and when the dust cleared he found that Black Adam was gone. Superman tried to let loose a sigh of relief, but all he could do was cough up more blood as he fell to his knees. He still had no idea what Adam had been talking about, but at least he was gone and the ponies were- "NO!" Superman spun around at the cry and found that it wasn't over yet. Sinestro was standing in the center of the crowd of ponies, bleeding from the nose, but he was hold Insectum in one hand while pointing his ring at her with the other, a thin yellow blade at the changeling's throat. "Don't come any closer Superman! I'll kill it!" he said with the voice of a desperate man. Superman could have kicked himself for forgetting to remove the ring, but right now all he needed to focus on was the hostage situation. "I may have lost the battle, but I will still kill her!" "Put her down Sinestro, this is between us," Superman said calmly, thinking of all of his possible actions that would result in saving the changeling. With he shape he was in, he wasn't certain that he would be fast enough to stop Sinestro in time before he could use the ring. Sinestro snarled and moved the ring closer to her throat, drawing a bit of blood. The princess had no idea what to do while Chrysalis was trying to keep tears back. "No Superman, you made this about them when you decided to come here," Sinestro snarled. "I'll kill her if you even blink, because there are plenty of other hostages all around me." Sinestro then slowly looked from Superman to the changeling, a small smile crossing his face. "Actually, I think I'll make an example of her to show you just how serious I am,,,To put fear in your heart as it were. So say goodbye to-AAARRRGGGGHH!" Sinestro screamed as a blast of blue magic caught him in the face, staggering back as Luna fired again. And in that moment, Sinestro's concentration was broken and his shields fell. Sinestro growled in pain and tried to use the ring...only to find his hand no longer there. Sinestro screamed again as he dropped to his knees, looking through the tears in his eyes at the smouldering stump that used to be his right hand. Superman caught Insectum before she hit the ground and before his eyes had turned back to their normal colors. The yellow ring fell to the ground at Sinestro's feet, and he scrambled forward to grab it...only to stop when he saw the red boot standing next to the ring. "By all means, Sinestro, pick up the ring. Continue the fight," Superman said in a very dark tone, glaring down at the cowering Sinestro with red eyes as he held Insectum close. Sinestro looked into Superman's eyes for a few seconds before he looked at the ground, defeated. Superman turned around and walked over to Chrysalis, handing her child to her. He then flew to the town and ripped a lightpost out of the ground and wrapped it around him. Superman picked up the boom tube off of Sinestro, flipping it on and changing the coordinates for the Watchtower. He pointed the tube away from the ponies and turned it on, creating a massive portal in front of him. Superman picked up Sinestro and threw him through the portal, picking up Sinestro's ring and throwing it through next. He then clicked off the tube and crushed the device in his hand, frowning at what this meant. If he were correct, the inclusion of a boom tube meant that Darkseid was involved. And that couldn't end well. "I'll be right back," Superman said to the ponies as he shot off into the sky and headed for Canterlot. There was only one place on the planet that he hadn't checked, and he intended to remedy that mistake. If one of his foes were to be hiding in Equestria, a lead-lined room that was soundproof was perfect. It might be an invasion of privacy, but he had to know. Superman put both fists forward and smashed a hole through the wall of the room into which he couldn't see or hear, ready for a fight. But as he scanned the room, he frowned to find that besides holding his ship, it was empty. At super speed he flew around the room, but it was just as empty as it looked. So with one last frown, Superman turned and headed out through the hole he had made. He began to fly towards Ponyville, but pain coursed through his body and he lost his concentration, falling to the planet below.