"I did it! I actually did it!" Luthor screamed out into the sky as he placed his hands on his head, looking down at Superman's corpse with disbelief--and a massive smile on his face. The ponies of Ponyville all looked at their fallen hero with tears in their eyes, not wanting to believe what they had seen. But it had happened. Somepony had managed to kill Superman.
Luthor gloated, "I didn't actually think it was possible. He's found a way to defeat me so many times that I was beginning to think that it was impossible to kill him. But now I stand supreme! No one can challenge me!" Luthor screamed with sheer delight in his voice as tears began to stream down his face, tears of joy that he had never thought he would shed. Then he regained control of his emotions and stood back up, looking towards the spot where the princesses had been watching the battle. "It is time for a new world order." Luthor shot off towards the princesses, wondering if they would accept his terms of surrender, or if he would have to make an example out of them. Luthor came to a halt in mid-air in front of them, sneering at their horrified faces.
"W-what are you doing here?" Chrysalis growled at him as she started to back away. "Superman should have dealt with you by now!" Luthor then laughed, sending chills down their spines as they heard it.
"Your Superman is dead, and so is any chance you have of stopping me from leading your ponies," he said with a smile as he landed in front of Celestia. "And I owe all of it to you, your Majesty," he said in a mocking tone as he performed a half bow, smiling as she looked at him in disgust.
"What do you want?" Celestia asked with sheer venom in her voice.
"Simple; the complete and utter surrender of the ponies and changelings," he said. "And if you don't, I will wipe out another one of the five Elements of Harmony until you do."
"We will never...wait, five?" Luna asked in confusion. "There are six Elements of Harmony!"
"There WERE six," Luthor said with a venomous smile of his own, the implications of what he was saying made Luna's rage shoot to the surface, and she would have attacked him right there if Celestia hadn't held her back. "Now then, the terms of surrender, if you please."
"What is going to happen to us?" Celestia asked.
"I'm glad you asked. First, you're going to sign a paper saying that you will hand over all of Equestria to me. Then, I am going to kill all of you," Luthor said with delight.
"Wait!" Celestia cried, causing Luthor to look at her with a raised eyebrow, "you cannot kill both of us. It may not work the same in your world, but in mine, my sister and I control the sun and moon! If you kill both of us, the planet will quickly die. Kill me, if you must, but spare my sister, for everypony's sake!" Luthor glared at her for a few seconds before a huge smile broke out across his face.
"Oh, very well, Celestia, I'm in too good a mood to refuse. But we get this done now, or I will start killing again." The three rulers looked at each other, knowing that they had no choice but to do as he said. As they prepared to work out terms of surrender, Luthor was oblivious to the fact that five little fillies and a changeling had run over to Superman's body. No pony had dared to go near it, in case they drew the eye of Luthor, but the six didn't care. Their hero was hurt and they needed to help him.
"Is he alright?" Sweetie Belle asked as they looked down at Superman's body, having to look away when she saw the blood seeping from the wounds.
"No, from what I can see he's dead," Insectum said with a shaking voice, removing her hoof from his neck when she couldn't find his pulse. "And judging from the green blade in his chest, I think that we know why." She looked behind at the fillies, who were horrified to see that she had brushed off death so well, especially since it was Superman. "Back when the changelings were starving," she explained, "I was used to seeing death every day...even in my family sometimes." The girls didn't know how to respond to that, so they simply focused their efforts back to Superman.
"So how do we...bring him back?" Dinky asked, tears falling down her face. She and the other girls had never expected to see this day. Superman, to them, had always been the unbeatable force of good, the one pony that would never fail them. So, to see his broken and bleeding body laying in front of them was...hard to swallow, to say the least.
"We can't bring him back, he's dead!" Scootaloo said with raw sorrow in her voice, ignoring the tears streaming down her face as she let despair grip her heart. "You can't bring the dead back to life! It's-"
"Don't you dare say it!" Tiara yelled before Scootaloo could finish her statement, making all the ponies look at her with their faces full of despair. She, too, was trembling with emotion, but she refused to let her fears impair what she knew. "Don't you dare say it's impossible, especially when we're talking about Superman! We thought it was impossible for there to be aliens, yet he proved us wrong! We thought it impossible for the changelings to be our friends, but he brought about peace with them! So don't tell me it's impossible; don't tell me that there is something that Superman can't do!" Tiara's words spoke for her emotions, but the others just didn't see a way to help. Except for Dinky.
"Didn't he say...that no matter what happened, he'd be there for us if we called?" she asked the five of them with her last strand of hope on the line. "He even made a Pinkie promise. And nopony breaks a Pinkie promise, especially him." The girls all looked to her, knowing that she was grasping at straws but wanting to believe her any way. They knew it was hopeless, but just as they had done before, they all put their hopes in Superman one last time.
"Superman," Dinky whispered to his body, praying to any pony out there that he would hear them. "Please. We need your help."
{------}
Superman blinked twice and opened his eyes, realizing that he was staring at nothingness. He sat up and looked around the empty white space, noticing that nothing in his body hurt any more, and that the Kryptonite that had killed him was gone. He was glad for that, at least. What he didn't like was that he couldn't hear the sounds of anything other than his own breathing; no cries for help or sounds of battle. It was quiet...and Superman hated quiet. He stood up and scanned in all directions, scowling as he saw nothing for miles. He was just about to fly off when he became aware of a presence behind him. He turned around to find...
"And who are you six?" Superman asked as he turned to see six deities floating before him. One was a pony that radiated power, another was a griffon that stood proud and true. The dog next to it judged Superman with eyes that bore nothing false, and the changeling next to it had a smile on its face that was more peaceful than dangerous. A zebra watched him with loving and caring eyes, while the dragon beside her snapped his fingers and repaired Superman's suit. "And just who are you six?" he asked. They did not answer, but instead stood back to show Superman something that he saw in his dreams. It was a small ship crashing to Earth and a farmer's family taking the baby out of the small capsule. "Why are you showing me my past?" The six then stepped back again to show a person falling from the top of a building with hundreds screaming in terror. The image zoomed in on the mans face, which was covered with tears and silently saying his goodbyes before he hit the ground...but he never did, as an angel in red and blue caught him before the impact. The man looked into the angel's face, which gave him a smile to tell him that he was safe and everything was going to be alright.
"I know that scene, it's the first time I revealed myself as Superman," he said with a nod, remembering that day well. The six stepped back one more time to show him all of his acts since then, from teaming with Batman to sacrificing his life to stop the monster that was Doomsday. "I don't know what you're trying to tell me, but there are lives in danger out there that need me. So if you could hurry up."
'We do not know what to make of you Superman,' the stallion said. 'As the original wielders of the Elements, we have watched as you have saved this world and believed you to be a force of good. But when we extended our search to all the different realities with you, we saw what you could become: A killer, a tyrant or a god. We were not certain whether or not we should help you.'
'But this one here convinced us other wise,' the zebra said as she stepped back to reveal...Derpy. 'Somehow, she got lost when heading for the afterlife and managed to stumble upon us. And this one has been telling us, ever since she passed away, to help you in any way we could. But we did not trust you. However, she convinced us to watch you while you were alive and we were stunned by what we saw.'
'Indeed we were,' the pony said as it landed in front of him. 'In our infinite years of watching over all of the ponies, we have never met one quite like you...so willing to help others, even if pain is all that awaits you.' The pony stepped back to show him the CMC. 'Making friends with those who needed a new friend to help them through tough times. Staying by them no matter the mistakes they have made; Always there to catch them if they fall.' The pony stepped back to allow the griffon to step forward, showing him Rainbow Dash.
'Staying loyal to protect others, even those who sought to out-do you or to bring you down, and to help them get through their own problems despite the ones that you yourself faced; Always keeping true to the beliefs that powered you even in your darkest days...for helping them soar to new heights.' The dog was the one to step forward next, revealing all of Ponyville.
'Being honest with others even though they do not trust you. Giving them no reason to fear, even though your powers are far beyond any of them...and never letting any evil escape your gaze, despite the harm it would cost you.' Next was the dragon, who snapped his fingers and showed him Dinky.
'Generously giving your time to one who needed it, even though there were other things that concerned you. Always putting others first, never being selfish or stingy. For giving yourself to the worlds and never asking for anything in return. For helping to heal a young filly's heart.' The changeling was next to walk up, changing itself into the image of Diamond Tiara.
'Helping a young one to smile again, despite the pain and hurt she felt in her heart. For being a symbol, not through just power and strength, but by happiness and laughter. For giving a small filly something to smile about.' Finally it was the zebra's turn and she faced Superman with a smile on her face, with her power growing brighter than any of the others.
'And finally, for this,' she began as she waved her arm, showing Derpy with a smile on her face. But behind her were hundreds of thousands of ponies, all of whom looked upon Superman with beaming smiles. He looked around with disbelief as the numbers continued to grow, going from ponies to earthlings to creatures for whom he had fought all throughout the galaxy. 'For caring for all who needed it, no matter who or where they are. For showing all of life that even in their darkest days, and when they were scared, there was someone out there who is willing to fight for them, is willing to care for them. Fighting for others that you don't know and risking your life for all who hate you. For never overlooking a cry for help, no matter how small.' Then she stepped back to show Sombra. 'Even caring for your enemies, who may not deserve it. For being the greatest symbol of compassion.'
"And what does this all mean?" Superman asked them as the images vanished into the whiteness, leaving Superman alone with the six. "What does all of this mean for those who need me?"
'We have seen so many would-be champions,' the dragon said. 'Those who take the easy way to defeat their enemies by killing them; forgetting that they are living beings as well; forgetting that there is still hope for everyone, no matter how far they have fallen. But you never did. You never changed who you are, no matter how badly all of the worlds demanded that you do and instead changed the worlds by giving them someone in whom to believe.'
'You are not any of the Elements of Harmony, Superman,' the pony in the front said with a smile. 'You are not Friendship or Honesty, Laughter or Generosity. You have done what no other creature could do in all our infinite years of watching over the world. You, Superman, hold within you all six of the Elements and are the truest embodiment of Harmony. You are the only creature in all our infinite years of living that has embodied all that is good. We need not judge if you are worthy to return to the world of the living. You have shown that you are worthy with every action you take. But we can give you something else.' Superman watched as six golden items began to float around his head, each one resembling one of the Elements that Rainbow and the others had worn. He closed his eyes as their powers went into him, filling his body with a strength that he had never known, When he opened his eyes he saw that his suit was a blazing gold and the "S" had been replaced with all the cutie marks of the Mane Six.
"I thought the Elements were destroyed?" he asked as he looked down at the six golden Elements on his arms.
'No, only their physical forms were. They live on in the ponies...and in you,' the stallion said with another smile. 'You may not like to accept rewards, but sometimes the righteous need to be rewarded. And with these, you will be able to do the impossible, more so than you already do. Use them well.'
"Then there's only one thing left to do," Superman said with a newfound power in his body. "Send me back."
'The choice to send you back is not ours. It is yours. The question is, will you answer the call?' Superman wondered what they were talking about, as they too vanished into the air before the sounds of a filly's voice reached his ears.
'Superman. Please. We need your help.' Superman heard the cry as tears started to fall down his face, smiling to himself as he knew now how to get back.
"Don't worry girls, I'm on my way," he said as he started to channel the magical energies through his body, preparing to open a portal back into the land of the living. The he stopped and turned around to see Derpy looking at him with a smile.
"Thank you for taking care of my daughter," Derpy said with a smile. "And for giving her somepony to believe in again."
"And thank you for convincing these six to believe in me," Superman responded. "And I'm-"
"There's no need to apologize. But can you do me a favor? Rainbow Dash still has her whole life ahead of her, and it's too early for her to die. Do you think you could...?"
"Of course I will."
"Then go. Save them."
Superman nodded before he shot off into the unknown, building more and more speed until the very fabric of reality warped around him. Then with one last push, he shot out of the confines of death and made his way back to life. He groaned again and opened his eyes, the sight of twelve pairs of shocked, tear-filled eyes being the first thing to greet him back into the land of the living.
"S-superman?" they all asked him in disbelief, all tackling him as he nodded. He held them as they sobbed into his golden symbol, unable to speak for a minute. "H-how did you...?"
"Like I promised. Whenever you call," he reminded them with a smile that stopped all their tears. They jumped off of him as he floated to his feet, looking off towards Luthor and narrowing his eyes.
"It's like I said, not even death can stop Superman," Tiara said with a tearful smile.
"You're going to go stop him, right?" Dinky asked him with a glowing smile, her hope restored.
"I'm going to stop him," Superman said with a smile before turning towards the castle and shooting off towards it. He arrived just as the princesses finished talking with Luthor, and Celestia was about to sign the terms of surrender. He narrowed his vision and sent fire lancing out towards it, startling the four leaders as well as burning the parchment. Luthor was the first to look up at him and his face turned white at the sight of him, as if he were seeing a ghost. Luna and Chrysalis both cheered and started to taunt Luthor, while Celestia just sighed with relief.
"NO!!" Luthor screamed as he threw himself at Superman, throwing a massive right that Superman caught before punching Luthor in the gut and doubling him over. "How...are you alive?" he hissed at Superman as he slowly rose back up, glaring with all the hatred in the world at Superman and his glowing outfit. "WHY DO YOU CONSTANTLY COME BACK!? NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I KILL YOU OR YOU DIE, YOU KEEP COMING BACK! WHY?!"
"Why, Luthor? You know the answer to that," Superman said calmly as he let go of Luthor's arm. Then Superman's eyes began to glow gold as he let loose the powers that he had been granted. "To stop those who would seek to take the lives of the innocent. To help those who have no one to help them. To show the world that there are those who will fight for good even if all seems lost!" Superman drove his fist into Luthor's face and shattered the glass completely, rocketing Luthor into the sky. Superman shot after him to receive a punch to the gut that didn't even faze him. Lex roared in fury as he started to throw punch after punch, none of them affecting Superman.
"Do you think yourself as a savior?!" Luthor roared as he fired his own heat vision into Superman's face, the golden power of the Elements protecting Superman from any harm. "All you have done is take away humanity's ability to grow! Whenever we used to see a tragedy such as an earthquake or tsunami, we all asked what can we do to help or if those people were alright! Now, whenever there's a tragedy, all people do is say, 'Superman will handle it!'
We no longer care, all we do is rely on you!" Superman caught his next punch and cracked him in the face with his elbow.
"I am not trying to be the savior of any race. If humans want peace, then they will have to be the ones to decide that themselves," Superman said back as he drove his foot into Luthor's knee. "Humanity must be the ones to rush forward to grab hold of peace."
"Then why are you even here?!" Luthor roared. Much to his anger, Superman smiled in reply.
"To catch them if they fall." Superman roared as he slammed his fist into Luthor's stomach and sent him flying skywards into space, shattering his chest armor and imploding the sun in his chest plate. Superman shot after him and caught him in the gut with his knee, stunning Luthor as he shot across the globe, flying by Luthor again and again until he had built up enough momentum to deliver a cataclysmic punch to his jaw and send him shooting into the moon. Before Luthor could recover, Superman rammed his shoulder into Luthor's gut and drove the both of them through the moon, blasting through the other side as he grabbed Luthor by the leg and began to spin, building up more and more power with each rotation. He then aimed Luthor at the planet below and let him go, watching as he soared off down towards the planet. Superman flew off after him, quickly overtaking him and landing near a certain town, where he brought back one fist and waited.
"And because, Luthor, I never ignore a plea for help, even if I have to fight the forces of death to do it." Superman then swung with all his might into the falling face of Lex. He vanished into the horizon as Superman shot off in the other direction, flying around the planet to meet Luthor on the other side above Ponyville with his fist raised.
"Never."
One last punch to Lex's face sent him crashing towards the ground, Superman flying underneath to catch his foe and to transfer most of the energy into him. Despite him taking most of the force, the ground still shook enough to tear apart mountains in far off lands and create massive damage to the towns nearby. But as Superman dropped Luthor to the ground, the ponies of Ponyville all watched with awe as Superman stood triumphant, looking up towards the clouds that covered the land with a blast of golden heat vision, blasting them apart and allowing for light to shine on the land once again. Then the ponies began to cheer and all rushed around Superman, crying with joy and relief as they each wished to thank him personally. But as he began to walk forward, they parted like water while he walked over to the five frozen Elements of Harmony, letting his heat vision thaw them out.
"S-superman?" Twilight asked as she shivered in place. "W-why are you gold. And what about...Rainbow Dash!" The five ponies all rushed over to their fallen friend, who lay where she had died. Fluttershy began to cry while AJ covered her eyes with her hat. Twilight as well began to sob as she looked up at Superman with her tear-filled eyes. "She's gone...isn't she?" Superman looked down at his hand that was filled with the power of the Elements of Harmony and smiled, knowing that this was not the end. This was one of the instances where he'd have to go against something he said.
"No, Twilight, she still has a life to live," Superman said as he placed his hand on her and concentrated the Elements' power into her body. It was impossible to bring the dead back to life, but Superman dealt with the impossible every day. To him, impossible was something that hadn't been achieved yet. He closed his eyes as he concentrated the Elements' power and when he re-opened them he found himself in a different place. It was a completely white area with nothing around for miles, a place that he had recently visited. And standing in the center of it all was a very confused RD, who was looking around with fear in her eyes.
"Hello? Where is everypony?!" she called out into the whiteness, curling up into a fetal position when no pony answered her, and she began to cry. "Why am I alone? Is any pony there? Can any pony hear me...?" she sobbed to herself. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see the smiling face of Superman.
"Don't worry, Rainbow. I hear you," he said with a smile. RD threw her hooves around Superman and began to cry again, Superman gently patted her on her back. "Come on, I don't think it's your time yet. Let's get you home." Superman closed his eyes again and when he opened them, he smiled to see that he was back in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash stirred and sat up, looking at the joyous faces of the ponies in confusion.
"What's going on?" she asked her friends who were doing their best (and failing) not to cry. "Why are you all standing around me looking like you're trying not to-?"
"RAINBOW!" the five of them screamed as they tackled her all at once, burying her under their crying bodies. While she fought to escape her swarm of friends, Superman turned his head to see the fillies and the princesses both come running towards them, the fillies tackling Superman with another hug while the princesses were content with simply smiling at the sight.
"And somehow, you do it again," Chrysalis said with a grin as she watched the celebrating ponies, kneeling down as her daughter came running over to her and picked her up into her arms. "The day is saved, the villain is beaten and no lives were lost. You are truly a superman." Superman smiled in response before looking over at Luthor, who had forced himself back to his knees and glared at them with all of his rage in his eyes.
"NO! I AM NOT FINISHED YET!" Luthor roared as he shot back to his feet and rocketed off towards the sun, planning on making himself stronger than even Superman. Superman watched him go with sad eyes, knowing that Luthor would be the one foe that he would never be able to change.
"Shouldn't you be going after him?" RD asked him as she walked up beside him.
"I should, but I don't know if I can handle him alone," Superman said with a smile as he looked down at RD, remembering what the six deity's had told him about letting heroes know that others cared. "I might need some help on this one. Care to join me?"
"B-but I'm not you. I'm not like you," RD said with a shake of her head.
"But you are," Superman said as he knelt down in front of her, extending a hand. "As you said yourself, it is not the powers that make the hero, but the heart. That is something that Luthor will never grasp, but you already have. You already have the heart of a hero; I'm just going to complete the package if you want me to." RD looked into his gold eyes in awe, realizing what he was offering her. Then she gently extended her hoof and took his hand in it, closing her eyes as she did so. A massive beam of light shot up from the two of them, causing all the ponies to back away. RD felt an amazing power going through her body, filling it with a strength she could have only dreamed of. She heard her friends gasp and opened her eyes to gasp as well when she looked down at herself. She was wearing a golden suit over her coat that crackled with power, feeling as light as a feather and as strong as steel. But what caught her eyes more than anything else was the symbol in the center of her chest. It was a red "S" on a red shield.
"So what do you say now, Rainbow?" Superman asked her as he stood back up. "Want to help me go save the world?" RD looked up at him with a smile on her face, telling Superman all he needed to know. Both of them lifted their arms towards the sky and shot off from the planet, clearing the atmosphere in a manner of seconds and shooting into the vacuum of space. RD was a blazing gold trail just like Superman as she rocketed into the void, laughing to herself despite not being able to hear it. This was the speed she had always dreamed of, the speed that allowed her to watch planets race by in a blur. Then she looked over at Superman to realize that he wasn't there. Looking behind her, she found that he was actually having trouble keeping up, that she was going faster than he was. Her natural born speed combined with Superman's powers made her faster than him; finally gave her the speed to outrace him. For the first time, she had finally achieved what she had always wanted: She was beating Superman.
'But that doesn't matter anymore,' she thought to herself as she smiled and shook her head. 'I'm perfectly happy to fly alongside him.' She slowed her speed as she thought this so that the two golden heroes could fly side by side, blazing towards the sun at speeds that no one could match. The two of them came to a stop in front of the sun, finding Luthor resting there with his eyes closed and arms crossed. His eyes opened as the both of them came to a stop in front of him, an evil smiled filling his face as his eyes crackled with power. Since neither party could be heard in the vacuum of space, they did the only thing left to do.
They fought.
RD shot towards Luthor faster than she thought possible and slammed into his chest, staggering him back a bit as Superman flew in and drove his fist into Luthor's gut. Luthor roared silently and began to fire his nova vision at the two. Superman saw it coming and flew out of the way, while RD smiled wickedly and fired her own rainbow colored heat vision back into his, her beam overpowering his and shooting it right back at him. Luthor cried out in silent pain as his own heat vision hit him in the eyes, leaving him open for RD to come flying in at super speed and smash into his chest with both hooves, breaking off the chest plate on his armor.
Luthor grabbed her by the throat before she could fly back and tried to break her neck again, but this time she was the one to break something as she drove her hoof into his face, breaking his jaw. Superman flew up from behind Luthor and placed him in a 'Full Nelson', winking at RD as Luthor struggled to escape. RD knew what he wanted her to do and shot off around the sun, passing by the two every few seconds as she built up speed. Finally, when her speed was at max and she was a single blazing trail around the sun, Superman let go of Luthor and kicked him in the back, sending him flying towards Equestria. RD finished Luthor off as she came flying around the sun to slam into him at top speed, driving him through space and into the planet's atmosphere, Superman flying past her to the ground below. As RD came in with Luthor, Superman brought back one fist, preparing himself to strike. And when RD let go of Luthor to shoot over to Superman's side, the both of them struck in unison.
WHAM!
The sound of both Superman and Rainbow Dash punching Luthor in the gut could be heard all over the planet, and the shockwave could be felt the second after the sound of the punch. Blood shot out of Luthor's mouth as he felt his organs get pulverized and he collapsed to the ground, where he lay unconscious. Superman looked down at him and let out a sigh, his x-ray telling him that he was still alive.
"So, do you wanna take him back or should I?" RD asked him with a smile. Superman smiled in response and bent over to pick up his fallen foe, throwing him over his shoulder as he rose back up into the sky, RD joined him as they both sailed back to Ponyville faster than a pair of speeding bullets. The ponies let out a chorus of cheers when they saw RD and Superman return with Luthor defeated as Superman dropped him to the ground. The ponies all wanted to rush Superman, but stayed back when Luthor began to move.
"The day isn't done yet. I have one last thing to take care of," he said to the ponies as he walked over to Luthor, stopping in front of him as he crossed his arms with a frown. "Still trying to fight me Luthor? Don't you know when to give up?" Luthor spat at the ground at Superman's feet and threw a punch, one that Superman let hit him in the stomach. Superman shook his head and kicked Luthor in the chest, knocking him back to the ground.
"So what do you do now, Superman?" Luthor asked him with a weak chuckle as the ponies all gathered around him. "I have the powers now as well as the brains. If you simply lock me up I will escape and I will continue to come after you until the day I kill you for good. Or you can do the smart thing and kill me, but then you would be breaking your little credo, wouldn't you? So what will you choose Superman? Death or death?" Much to Luthor's and the other ponies' surprise, Superman simply chuckled as he walked forward and placed a hand on Luthor's forehead.
"You still don't get what I've been telling you after all these years, Luthor," Superman said with a smile as he started to let his magic course through Luthor. "I choose life." Luthor started to scream in pain as the magic coursed its way through his body and started to destroy all of Superman's cells that he had absorbed. With his super vision, Superman was able to watch as the magic burned away all of his Kryptonian cells. Once the scrubbing was done, Superman let Luthor fall to the ground. Lex got up and threw his fist into Superman's gut, but this time his fist only broke under the force of the blow and caused Luthor to scream in pain as he looked up at Superman in confusion.
"What have you done to me?" he screamed at Superman. "Where are my powers?!"
"They're gone. Permanently," Superman said. "The power of the Elements has destroyed all of the cells that you stole from me. And with those gone, you are back to the same old Luthor that I know and hate." Luthor looked down at his hands with disbelief, not beginning to fathom that he had been beaten yet again, and even after he had killed the Superman. Then a thought occurred to him and he started to chuckle, looking up at Superman with determination in his eyes again.
"So, you have beaten me. Now what?" Luthor asked with a smile as he stood back up, holding his broken hand. "Are you going to throw me in jail back on Earth? What evidence do you have? Will you bring one of the ponies with you to stand trial against me? I have the greatest lawyers in the world on speed dial and I can own the jury with a single swipe of my pen. It's your world against mine, Superman."
"And whose word do you think that our world is going to believe?" Superman asked Luthor with a raised eyebrow, watching as Luthor's face paled again. "Besides, we have a few telepaths on hand, who are more than willing to say what exactly you tried to do while you were here. Twilight, take a letter." Twilight used her magic to bring out a pen and paper and held it in front of her as Superman began to speak. "Dear Justice League, During my time on this strange but peaceful planet, I have discovered a whole new civilization that will need to be added to the index. They are a peaceful race of ponies that only seek to live in harmony with others. And Luthor has once again tried to upset that harmony. So if you wouldn't mind using J'onnz powers to read his mind and see what happened, I would greatly appreciate it.
Superman."
"Alright Luthor, time to go home," Superman said as he picked up Luthor by the back of his suit. "So which one of you brought him here? I assume that it was you Celestia." Celestia nodded and started to concentrate her power into opening the dimensional portal. Superman grabbed the parchment from Twilight and pinned it to Luthor's chest with a bit of ice before flicking him in the face to knock him out. Celestia finished with the portal and Superman looked into it with a smile as he saw the watchtower as well as the stunned face of Batman. He then threw Luthor through and told Celestia to close the portal, watching with a smile as Batman picked up the letter off of Luthor before looking at Superman while mouthing the word,
'Ponies?'
"So...what now?" Superman turned to look at all the ponies that had gathered around, each of them looking at him with awe in their eyes. Then one of them began to bow to him, followed by another, until nearly all of Ponyville was bowing...even the Elements of Harmony, even the princesses. All, except Rainbow Dash, were bowing and she was looking around at all the ponies with confusion.
"That is enough," Superman said to them in a stern tone, waiting for them to all get back up. "Let me get this out of the way. I do not need to be worshipped or bowed to. Your happiness and safety is enough for me." The ponies all got off of their knees and started to crowd around Superman again, looking in awe at his new golden suit and feeling his radiating power.
"So, what's with the upgrade?" Rainbow Dash asked him a she started poking his gold suit. "I mean, it looks good on me, but you're more of a red and blue guy," she said with a sad sigh as the suit on her faded away, along with the power he had given her.
"The original wielders of the Elements of Harmony gave this to me," he explained as Twilight's jaw dropped. "They said that with this power I'd be invincible. Considering how fast Rainbow and I disposed of him, I'd have to say they were right."
"Well...that's great then," Rainbow said with a forced smile. "I know we're the Elements if Harmony, but you can keep them. If you're always off fighting evil or risking your life, being invincible wouldn't be such a bad thing. Use them well Superman, you're the true wielder of the Elements now." Superman looked at her and the other Elements, seeing the sorrow behind their smiles. He knew what being invincible could mean for him--that he'd never have to worry about Kryptonite or magic again and he'd be stronger than ever before. But there was a downside to it as well.
"Girls, please link your hooves together," Superman asked the Elements. They looked at him in confusion before doing as he asked, with him placing his hands in the center once they had linked theirs. He concentrated the Elements again and felt the great power leaving his body as it flowed back into theirs. He opened his eyes when he felt the last of the power leave and he opened his eyes with a smile as he saw the six ponies all with their restored Elements again. "There, everything's back to the way it should be."
"I...I don't understand," Rainbow Dash said in confusion as she looked at the Element of Loyalty on her neck. "You were chosen to be the embodiment of all Elements. You deserve to hold onto these more than any of us! You're invincible with them on! Why would you...?" Superman noticed that all of the ponies were looking at him with the same confused expression, wondering why he'd give all that power back. He knelt down in front of RD and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm strong enough as it is without those additional powers. But if a danger ever comes up in Equestria again and I'm not here, I'd like to know that the six of you still have your greatest weapon to defend yourselves," Superman explained. "And besides, I was chosen to be the true wielder of the Elements just to defeat Luthor. You were the six that were chosen and you are the six that should wield them. You are the Element of Loyalty and you proved that not just today, but everyday." RD looked at Superman with no idea what to say as he let out a sigh and sat down, collapsing to his back as he stared up at the sky. "Man am I tired. I think that I'm just going to lay here for a while." The ponies looked at him with confusion before six fillies laughed and joined him on the ground, all of them staring at the sky. While they lay there drinking in the peace, six beings watched them from above.
'It seems we truly did choose well,' the stallion said. 'For him to use the full power of the Elements is incredible, but for him to give them back up? Unheard of.'
'Yes, he truly is the embodiment of all the Elements,' the dragon said with a smile. 'What luck that he decided to pay attention to a small, out of the way planet.' Five of the six beings vanished with the breeze, leaving only the zebra to turn around to look at Superman one last time.
'Truly you are the greatest hero of them all, Superman,' she said with a smile as she too vanished into nothingness. 'If anyone can bring about everlasting peace, it will be you, Element of Harmony.'