"What do you mean that you've sold out of tickets?!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she tried to throttle the ticket pony, who covered behind his register from the wrath of the rainbow. "Do you know how long I've waited to see the Wonderbolts in their new stadium live and you're telling me that you're out of tickets?!" The ticket pony moved down even further into the ticket booth, not sure if the glass in front of him would keep her out for long.
"L-like I told you Ms. Dash, the tickets all ran out earlier today," he whimpered as he huddled in the corner, trying to avoid her gaze while he covered his face with his hooves. "They were all bought out almost immediately by ponies all over the town and across the country. They all sold out a few hours ago; there's nothing I can do!" RD gave him a look of sheer rage and slammed her hoof into the ticket booth, cracking the brick and causing the ticket teller to scream like a filly as he hid under his desk. Fortunately for him, Twilight was there to pull RD back with her magic, not amused by her antics. Twilight and Fluttershy had come along with her just in case something like this happened.
"Come on RD, he said that he didn't have any tickets left," she said to the still-angry RD, trying to be the voice of reason. "They all sold out when Ponyville was attacked. There's nothing you could have done. The princesses and Chrysalis have almost managed to come to terms on peace, and ponies will no longer have to fear attacks from the changelings." The peace talks had not yet been completed and due to the attack, the two parties had decided to save the rest of the talks for the morning. So RD had decided to spend the rest of the day trying to get Wonderbolts tickets.
"But it's not fair!" Rainbow cried with a loud groan, as Twilight walked her away from the ticket booth and the still-cowering teller. "I helped Superman save the ponies and somewhat helped him fend off those guys that attacked him! How come I can't get a free ticket! I'm one of the Elements of Harmony and a friend of the princesses for crying out loud! It's just not fair," she lamented in frustration as she kicked a rock next to her hoof. Twilight rolled her eyes but Fluttershy tried to comfort her upset friend.
"Look at it this way," Fluttershy said as she indicated all of the buildings and ponies. "Thanks to you and Superman, there were no lives lost during the attack and the damage to the city was nowhere near as bad as the last time our super criminals attacked. Is a pair of tickets really more important to you than the lives you saved?" Fluttershy asked RD with a smile. RD looked away with a grumble about how she'd like both. Twilight also followed Fluttershy's gaze at the town, frowning as a thought crossed her mind that she hadn't really thought of before.
"We really were lucky that Superman was here," Twilight said to herself, gaining the other two's attention as she turned to look at them. "Think of all the crises and attacks that have happened in the past week, and just how lucky we were to have Superman with us at those times. The CMC would be dead if Superman hadn't been here, Chrysalis and Sombra would probably rule over all of Equestria if he hadn't stepped in, and with all these recent attacks that only he's been able to stop, I'd say that were lucky...no, we are blessed to have him here."
"That's a lot of praise coming from you Twilight," Rainbow noticed with a bit of disbelief. "I thought you were with Celestia in the fact that you didn't trust him." Twilight shook her head slightly as she looked at the minor destruction with a sigh.
"I didn't at first. It's just...how can somepony with so much power be so good? How can he have no desire to rule or to at least be thanked for what he does?" she asked them with confusion in her voice, shaking her head again as she became more frustrated. "From what I've seen, he doesn't even want to be thanked, let alone rewarded. That Sinestro guy is what I imagine when I think of a pony with godly powers, but not the way Superman acts. He just...doesn't make sense to me."
"Maybe he just is that good," Rainbow said with a shrug, having spent more time with him than any of the other ponies and knew the way he thought and acted. "It may not seem like a pony like that could exist, but he's the living definition of selflessness." Now it was Fluttershy's turn to look at Rainbow with a curious expression.
"Wow, Rainbow, it sounds like you really respect him," she said with a bit of pride, hoping that she had gotten over her feelings of failure.
"Of course I respect him, he's only the hero that's saved us multiple times in the short time he's been here," Rainbow said, holding her head high. "I'm glad that I can call him my friend and that I got to know him. But one day I will outrace him, even if I have to train for ten straight years!" Rainbow Dash looked off towards the sky with a huff, while Twilight and Fluttershy both smiled at each other, glad to see that her competitive edge wasn't gone just yet. "But still...I know that I have my limits and though I may no longer be the fastest flier in Equestria, I can still do my part to help."
"Wow, Superman really can do the impossible, he managed to humble you a bit," Twilight said with a smile as Fluttershy giggled to herself. RD glared back at them for a second, before she rolled her eyes and turned back towards the town, all of them stopping as a red and blue blur shot off into the sky with multiple sonic booms following him. "Seems that something's up."
"Yeah, and at that speed, it's something serious," RD muttered as she started to flap her wings. Then, to the surprise of all the ponies there, Superman wobbled in the air and crashed into the ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust and dirt as he impacted the earth. "SUPERMAN!" Rainbow yelled as she raced over to where he had crashed, while he pulled himself slowly out of the crater he had made, panting heavily as he did so. "Superman, what's wrong? Have you been attacked?"
"No...Rainbow...just hurting," Superman said with pain in his voice as he struggled to breathe, getting to his feet weakly. RD was about to ask him what happened, but Twilight and Fluttershy took that moment to interrupt.
"What happened to you? Did the ground do something evil?" Twilight asked with a smirk that quickly became a frown when Superman nearly fell on his face." Whoa there, what's the matter? I've never seen you like this?"
"The magic...Black Adam...used on me," Superman panted as he pointed at the "S" on his chest, which still had a dark burn mark on it. "I haven't....fully healed yet."
"Wait, magic can have this extreme an effect on you?" Twilight asked. "But mine or the princesses' magic barely did anything to you."
"Your magic...is nothing compared to the power he wielded," Superman panted, doing his best not to let the tears fall from his eyes. Twilight shook her head with a frown as Shy walked over to examine his wounds.
"Oh my stars," Fluttershy whispered as she looked over his injuries. "You're hurt pretty bad. But I didn't know that-"
"Powerful magics are among the few things that can get through my natural toughness," Superman said as he winced at the pain coursing through his chest. "But that's not important right now, there are ponies in danger and they need my help. I need to-" Superman's sentence was cut off as he fell to his knees from the pain and struggled to force himself back up.
"Oh no you don't, you're far too hurt to go," Fluttershy said as she ran in front of Superman. When he tried to push past her, Fluttershy unleashed the stare upon him to stop him. But she quickly found out what happened when somepony tried to get between Superman and innocent lives, as she was quickly subdued by the glare he gave her, that shattered the stare completely.
"Hold on Superman, I agree with Shy," RD butted in. "You're in no shape to be flying off into the unknown. Come back to Ponyville and let's see if we can fix you up a bit before you fly off." Superman looked down at her with attitude, but he knew that she was right in saying that he was in no shape to be fighting. And him being even a little less than one hundred percent could be bad. But still...
"I'm sorry, but I have to-"
"What is going on?" The ponies and Superman turned to see princess Luna land next to them, looking from the crater in the ground, to the dirt on Superman with a raised eyebrow. "I wondered what caused that massive earthquake that I felt back in the town, but the answer should have been obvious. So what did the ground do that envoked the wrath of Superman?" she asked with a smile.
"Not now Luna, there are ponies in danger," Superman said as he floated into the sky, but the pain coursed through his body again and he fell back down with a thud. Luna and the ponies raced over to him as he forced himself back up.
"You are in worse shape than I thought," Luna said as she looked over his body, seeing the areas where the magic had damaged him. "Tell me where the danger is and I'll go deal with it. You need to heal as fast as you can. After those last two attacks, I'm afraid what would happen if another beast showed up and you weren't at one hundred percent.
"I won't let anypony die," Superman growled as he pushed himself back up. "And I won't let any of you stand in the way of me protecting them, even if it is for my own good."
"You are no longer able to make statements like that in your current condition," Twilight said with a smile. "In fact, I think that I could-" Her words died in her mouth as Superman appeared in front of her faster than she could register.
"Still think I can't do it?"
"Nope."
"Superman please, let me handle this," Luna begged as she stepped between him and Twilight. "I want you here in case something else goes wrong or another enemy attacks. Let me handle this, trust me." Superman opened his mouth to answer, but as the pain ran through him again he found that her argument had its valid points. So far they had been attacked by three of the most dangerous creatures in his universe, and if Darkseid were involved, this might be the tip of the iceberg. If he were off somewhere else, the next attack might come and he wouldn't be able to help. Plus, she was in far better shape then he was.
"I'm still going, but you can come with me if you choose to," Superman said sternly as he turned around and flew off. Luna nodded as she opened her wings and took to the sky after him. The ponies watched as the two flew away before Twilight shook her head with a sigh.
"I think he's more stubborn than you, Rainbow," Twilight said with a sigh. RD chuckled at that as Fluttershy began to ask Twilight if she knew any cures for magical injuries. The group sat and talked for ten minutes when they all saw something interesting. Superman was coming back.
"Why did you come back?" Rainbow asked as Superman landed on all fours in front of them, sweat running down his face.
"The danger wasn't as severe as I thought. I got the situation under control, but Luna can finish the rest," he said with a bit more strength in his voice since the sun's rays were working their magic on him.
"Well, let's get you back to town. You need to rest," Fluttershy said gently, with Superman nodding his head in response.
"Wow, you really got the crap kicked out of you, didn't you?" RD said with a whistle. Superman narrowed his eyes at her as she and Twilight helped him back to his feet and started to float him toward Ponyville, Fluttershy flying behind them. When they arrived back in Ponyville, Twilight and RD dropped him off at the restaurant where the ponies had been eating and helped him into one of the chairs, shooing off the media that tried to talk to him. While Twilight and Shy kept the hounds at bay, RD floated over to Superman and leaned in close.
"Okay, drop the tough guy act and tell me what's going on?" she whispered to him in so quiet a tone that only he could hear. "Who was that guy that beat you into the dirt and why didn't he finish you? And don't say you were holding back because I've spent the most time around you and I can tell when you're serious." Superman sighed as he looked at her with worry written on his face.
"That was supposed to be Black Adam, a god-like being who wields the power of magic, but the person I fought was nothing like the Adam I know. He was...a lot less arrogant than the one I know and he seemed to only be after me, which is rare for him. But what scares me the most is his power. He was nowhere near that level the last time we fought, and I feel sorry for whoever this silver person is...because Adam will be a force to be reckoned with."
"Would he have killed you if the battle went on?" RD asked him with worry in her voice, her frown growing longer when he didn't answer. "How could he have hurt you so bad? You're-"
"Just because I'm Superman doesn't make me immortal. And just because a foe is stronger than me doesn't mean I won't fight." Rainbow didn't like the idea of there being somepony that could hurt Superman, but what she didn't like even more was that Superman seemed to think he had been toyed with. Who could toy with Superman?
"Will you face him again?"
"I don't know. From the way he was speaking it seems that he's hunting someone," Superman said with a frown. "If I run into him again, I will stop him, but I don't know if I can track him at the moment. His skills with magic are impressive and that's just the Black Adam I'm used to. This one...is much more dangerous. That's why I took Luna up on her offer, so that I could rest in the sun and recharge in case he comes back. Plus, from what I hear, she's doing alright." RD wanted to ask him another question, but a hooffull of fillies chose that moment to come running over to him in.
"Hi Superman!" they all said at once with smiles, smiles that turned to frowns as they saw the damage on his suit and face.
"Are you okay, Superman?" Dinky asked him.
"I've had worse," Superman said with a smile as he got down on one knee so he could talk to them face to face. "What can I do for the six of you?"
"Well, we all thought of a great way to get our cutie-"
"The answers are no and don't try it," Superman said quickly.
"But you haven't even heard what it was yet!" Scootaloo protested.
"Fine, what have you thought up to try and kill yourselves with this time?" Superman asked as he crossed his arms.
"We're going to be...Cutie Mark Crusaders Superheroes!" All six of them yelled out at once. Superman was surprised. He had expected something stupid like dragon taming or playing chicken with a train, but superheroes?
"I don't want to rain on your parade, but aside from Insectum being able to fly, none of you have anything that really counts as super powers," Superman said, immediately on guard when he saw all six of them look at him with smiles.
"Oh, we know we don't...but you and mommy do," Insectum said with a smile as she looked over at Chrysalis, who was glaring at the ponies that were too afraid to get close to her. "Between her magic and everything you can do, we figure that we have more than enough powers." Superman didn't want to admit it, but that was one of the more sensible ideas that they had in a while. And since he would be the one using the powers, he could control them so that none of them got hurt. He also figured that if he turned them down they would do something dangerous. "So will you do it?" they asked.
"Fine..." Superman said, gaining him a number of cheers from the fillies. Insectum waved over her mother and gathered the fillies around once Chrysalis had joined them.
"Is this another attempt for their foolish cutie marks?" Chrysalis asked Superman when she was told what they planned to do.
"If we don't do this, it will be something that might hurt them," Superman pointed out. Now that they were ready, the fillies started choosing their hero names, some of which made Superman chuckle.
"I'm going to be the Icemare" Sweetie Belle yelled out. "Beware my arctic breath!" She indicated for Superman to use his breath attack and he did so with just enough power that their manes got a bit of ice in them, gaining him an angry glare from Chrysalis. Once the fillies were done laughing and getting the ice out, Dinky went next.
"I am Gravi-mare! I can levitate objects with my mind!" It was Chrysalis' turn and she levitated the small filly with a roll of her eyes.
"And I'm that Mare-Bat!" Scootaloo said with an evil laugh as she pretended to wrap a cape around herself. "I sit in the darkness of the night and prey on criminals, but I'm also dark and vengeful." The fillies had no idea why that made Superman laugh so hard, but it took him a few moments to stop. The rest of the girls went on with their names, some of which reminded Superman of heroes back home, and Chrysalis helped out with the powers. Superman had to admit that he was having fun as the fillies ran around and pretended to battle each other, smirking as he saw Chrysalis smiling as well, although she quickly hid it when Superman looked at her. They played for a while longer before Superman noticed that another pony was watching them play, Cadence. When Superman waved for her to come over, she did so slowly, unable to look Chrysalis or Superman in the eyes.
"Is something wrong Cadence?" Superman asked her. She didn't answer him but pointed to Chrysalis and indicated for her to join her over by a small stream. Chrysalis gave her a wary glance, but figured that she wouldn't try anything with Superman around.
"So what did you want to see me for?" Chrysalis asked with a smirk as she and Cadence came to a stop next to the stream, Cadence looking down into the water. "Look, I don't bite...not anymore, so you can talk to me."
"Why?" Cadence whispered.
"Why what?"
"Why did you throw yourself in front of his attack like that?" Cadence asked her with tears in her eyes. "We're supposed to be enemies, but you nearly got yourself killed to protect me! Why did you do it?" Chrysalis blinked twice before she chuckled to herself.
"I simply was tired of having lightning shot at me and-"
"Don't lie to me Chrysalis, there is no way you would throw yourself in front of an attack that could stop Superman without good cause, especially to protect me. Why?" Chrysalis frowned for a second before she rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Don't assume I was protecting you, I'm still holding a grudge about that whole wedding fiasco and what you almost did to my larvae," Chrysalis said with a smirk. "No, what I was protecting was that little ball of joy down there." As she said this Chrysalis pointed to Cadence's womb, the alicorn's eyes widening in shock as she quickly wrapped her hooves around it.
"How...?"
"I'm a mother of four myself, you think that I wouldn't notice that little bump you have there?" Chrysalis asked her with a smug smile. Then the smile turned into a small frown as she thought more about why she did it. "Look...the reason I helped you is because I almost lost my own children a few days back (from you), and even though all of them were saved, for that short time I thought that I lost them. THAT was living hell for me, making me wish I was dead. While you might have survived the blast, I couldn't be certain that your precious cargo would. And as a mother who almost lost her larvae...I couldn't let you go through the same pain, even if I don't like you." When she heard what Chrysalis had said, Cadence broke down and started to cry, stunning Chrysalis, who looked back at Superman to make sure that he didn't think she did this. "Hey, buck up. Superman might flatten me if he thinks I hurt you."
"I'm sorry, it's just...after everything we've been though, that you risked yourself to save my child--and me...it's too much," Cadence said through tears as she started to cry again. "Thank you, thank you for saving us." Chrysalis was dumbstruck. A pony she considered to be her enemy had broken down in front of her and was weeping in gratitude for what she had done. It was a new experience for her.
"...I appreciate the gratitude and the love, really, it's delicious, but I'm not the one you should be thanking," Chrysalis muttered. "Thank Superman. He's the one who showed me what it was like to receive kindness for once. He helped me in my time of need when my larvae were in danger...and what kind of mother would I be if I just stood by and let what almost happened to me happen to another?" Cadence shook her head free of tears as she looked up at her "enemy" with a smile.
"He may have shown you the way, but you are the one who decided to act," Cadence said with a smile as she slowly extended her hoof. "I know that we have a history together and that we've both done some things that we hate each other for, but...I would like to try and start over. Can you forgive me for seeing you as a monster?" Cadence asked, remembering what Superman had asked of her. Chrysalis looked down at the hoof for a moment before she sighed and grasped it with her own hoof.
"Only if you forgive me for trying to take your husband," she said with a sad smile.
"Fine, but only after you forgive me for nearly trapping your larvae in a dark dimension."
"Only if you forgive me for trying to kill you...again." The two went on like that for another minute before they both laughed together and let go of the other's hoof. "Does that mean we've buried the hatchet?" Chrysalis asked.
"It's buried," Cadence replied. And even though neither of them saw it, there was still a massive smile on the face of a certain Kyrptonian who had heard every word. "I'd like to stay around longer, but...with all of the attacks as of late, I figure that it's best to return to the Crystal Empire. Especially with my cargo," Cadence said as she stood back up.
"What dangerous attacks?" Chrysalis asked with a sarcastic smile. "Do you mean the being of lightning or Sombra? So how will you be getting home? Most of the trains have stopped for today."
"Hmm, if only there was a certain flying alien that could be anywhere in the blink of a eye," she said as she placed her hoof on her chin, glancing over at Superman.
"I heard every word and I think I'm up for it," Superman said with a smile as he put Tiara down, (she was the wingless flier) and floated over to Cadence, scooping her into his arms. "We'll be at the Crystal Empire in no time."
"Bye Chrysalis and...thank you, from the bottom of my heart," Cadence said again.
"Enough, you're embarrassing me," Chrysalis said with a wave of her hoof as Superman shot off into the sky towards the Crystal Empire. Along the way he felt the pain go through his body, but he had healed to the point where he could ignore it. He landed on the balcony of the Crystal Castle, setting Cadence down as her husband came running over to her. Superman smiled as he saw the two embrace and took back off into the sky as he heard Cadence begin to tell Shining about what happened.
"That's funny, I thought she said that ponies and changelings couldn't get along," Superman said with a smile as he headed back to Ponyville. He flew with a smile on his face until he reached the airspace over Ponyville, where he prepared to land...until the sounds of something else entering the atmosphere caught his attention. With a scowl he looked to the sky, only to let loose a sigh of relief when he saw a green light. He flew up to meet the Lantern, startling the wielder of the green ring. "Surprised to see you out here Hal. Did the guardians send you?"
"The guardians picked up on yellow lantern energy in the sector and sent me to investigate," the Green Lantern, known as Hal Jordan said as he held a hand to his chest to steady his heart beat, looking at the devastation of the land with concern. When he had finished, he offered his hand to Superman, which Superman shook. "I've been flying for quiet a while to get here and I was ready for a fight. What I didn't expect to find was you. Why are you here?"
"Decided to take a detour on my way home and started to bond with the locals," Superman said with a shrug, to which Hal rolled his eyes in response.
"Clark, that's the third time you've done this," Hal said with a sigh, placing a hand on his face when Superman shrugged in response.
"How are things on Earth?"
"Chaotic. We've been working for nearly two full days now without sleep. Batman keeps telling us to suck it up," Lantern said with a sigh. "I don't know how he manages to work for fifty six hours like he says he does."
"Bruce can be a machine sometimes. He worried about me yet?"
"Actually, he said that you were probably off somewhere saving aliens. I hate it when he's right."
"I swear that he's psychic sometimes and he just hasn't told us. But to answer your question, Sinestro was here but I dealt with him already. Something that you and the Lanterns may want to know is that Sinestro got his hands on a fake boom tube generator."
"And that means Darkseid," Hal said with a scowl. "Wait, you already dealt with Sinestro? Where is he? And what do you mean fake?"
"Used the same generator to send him to the Watchtower. By the way, he's missing a hand now," Superman said, Hal raising an eyebrow in response. "And I meant fake as in a duplicate. A very convincing duplicate, but it wasn't the real deal."
"It got to the point where you had to take his hand off?"
"He had hostages and I wasn't at one hundred percent. I had to do it. But some things just don't add up. Why was Sinestro here without his forces or why was he holding a fake boom tube generator. Darkseid isn't the type to send other supercriminals at me without facing me himself. He prefers to fight me himself." Hal looked at Superman's face while he said this, noticing all the bruises and the black eye from which Superman was still recovering.
"Did he do this to you?" Hal asked with concern.
"No, this was caused by another villain. Black Adam," Superman said seriously, Both Hal's eyes went up in surprise this time.
"That can't be right. Adam's still locked up with his voice paralyzed. There's no way he could have gotten out of prison and here without one of us noticing."
"I don't think it was the Adam we know. He was a lot stronger than last time and he seemed more...caring." Hal placed a hand under his chin, not liking what Superman was telling him.
"That can't be a good sign. Are you coming back to the Watchtower? I know you don't need it but I can give you a lift."
"No thanks, I still need to get my shuttle back," Superman said with a thin smile. "Plus, this place has been in a lot of danger lately and i'd like to stick around until everything's safe. But when you go back, make sure you get the strongest leaguers we have and put them on standby. I have a feeling that one of the criminals on Earth may try something soon with me gone. Also, tell Batman what I told you. He might be able to make sense of this."
"Understood," Hal said with a nod as he turned and prepared to head back into space. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay? Sounds like things have been pretty busy here."
"You have an entire sector to protect, I think I can manage a single planet," Superman said with a smile. "Oh, if you see Grundy floating around in space, give him a lift. I don't want him coming back down and becoming the ponies' problem." Hal looked at Superman in confusion when he said ponies and Grundy in the same sentence, but he shrugged and figured the two had been through weirder stuff. "Also, if you don't hear from me in about a week, send the Justice League here...And be ready for a fight."
"Stay safe, Clark," Hal said as he turned and shot off into the sky, Superman watching the green trail for a moment until it left the planet. He sighed to himself and wondered if he should have asked Hal to stay, knowing that he might need backup. But then the sounds of ponies in trouble reached his ears and he turned to where the danger was, shooting off into the distance to save the day.