//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: My Little Avengers // by koolerkid //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash pumped her wings, trying to gain altitude. Her wings burned, and she gasped for air as she tried to climb high enough for her signature move, the Sonic Rainboom. Surely, nopony could keep up with her then... It didn’t matter, actually. Long before she reached the required height, she felt a heavy impact on her side, sending her spinning through the air as her tormentor laughed. Dash barely managed to right herself before crashing, glaring at the pony who had been toying with her for the past ten minutes. “What’s wrong, Rainbow Crash?” Heavy Weight teased, grinning so wide Dash felt hope his head might split open. “Can’t keep up?” He cackled evilly. Something had happened to Heavy Weight. He was much larger than a Pegasus - than any Pony, really - had a right to be. His wings were the size of an Alicorn’s, and he was just a few inches smaller than Princess Celestia herself. But these mere changes in appearance were nothing compared to the one fact that wouldn’t leave Rainbow Dash’s mind. He was faster than her. Stronger too, but that was nothing new. He’d always been stronger, but Rainbow Dash had never met anypony faster than her, especially not ‘Dead Weight’. She’d always been the fastest, ever since her first Sonic Rainboom back in flight school. But now... Dash went into a dive, trying to escape the larger pegasus, but Heavy Weight just laughed as he chased her. They zoomed down low through Ponyville, startling ponies who scattered from their path. Dash tried to ditch him by zigzagging through the streets, hoping he’d get lost, but Ponyville didn’t have a very complex layout. Finally, as she ducked around Rose’s flower shop, it seemed she’d at last lost her pursuer. She landed to catch her breath, only for Heavy Weight to, impossibly, burst through the wall behind her, smashing it to splinters. “Come on, Rainbow Crash!” He taunted as Dash took to the air again. “Don’t tell me you’re running from a fight! Come on, hit me!” Rainbow didn’t stop fleeing, but she glanced over her shoulder to spit back, “I would if you’d just hold still and fought fair, Dumbbell!” With a snarl, Heavy Weight launched himself at her, smashing into her hard enough to send her sprawling on the hard cobblestones. “MY NAME’S NOT DUMBBELL!” He roared, and the windows of the surrounding buildings shook from the force of his roar. A crowd was beginning to gather, but the terrified ponies kept their distance. “And it’s not Heavy Weight either! I’m THE WRECKER now!” He reared up, as if preparing to stomp down on Dash with his front hooves. “‘Cause I’m about to wreck your flank!” “I SAY THEE NAY!” The air suddenly whooshed from the self-proclaimed Wrecker’s lungs as a sudden impact sent him sprawling. “What kind of coward would attack a defenseless mare, while she lies stricken on the ground no less!” Ignoring Rainbow’s protests at being called ‘defenseless’, The Wrecker righted himself to glare at his attacker, only to splutter slightly. Hovering several inches above the ground was an enormous Alicorn stallion, a stone hammer tied to his hoof. That must’ve been what hit him, he thought vaguely. “Who... who the hay are you?” The Wrecker spluttered, trying to cover his nervousness. The Alicorn merely glared at him. “I am the God of Thunder, one of the last of the Old Gods. I am the son of the God-King Odin and master of the skies. I am Thor!” He rose higher in the air, pointing his hammer at the pegasus. “And you, mortal, are NOT welcome in Ponyville.” The Wrecker felt a surge of irrational anger shoot through him. He wasn’t certain why, but he was suddenly filled with an all-consuming hatred for this Alicorn. The Wrecker was not a pony given to introspection, and so reacted the only way he knew how. “Well, Sore or whatever the hay your name is, butt outta this! This ain’t any of your business, and if you don’t move your flank I’ll drive it into the ground!” Thor gave him a contemptuous look. “If thou truly thinks thyself the equal of the Lord of Storms, thou art welcome to try thy strength. Be warned, however. I will show no mercy.” “Oh just SHUT UP!” The Wrecker roared, launching himself at Thor. He kicked the ground as he took off, leaving a small crater behind, and the wind from his wake knocked out several nearby windows. He shot across the street at the larger Alicorn, and they collided with a resounding thud. Thor slid back several feet, but his hooves on the Wrecker’s shoulders held the oversized pegasus at bay. The Wrecker glared at his foe as he struggled to gain leverage, but his strength could only match Thor’s, not overpower him. “Your strength is commendable.” Thor commented as he grappled with The Wrecker. “It is a rare pony who can match an Alicorn in strength.” “Strongest Pegasus in Cloudsdale.” The Wrecker grunted, beating his wings in an attempt to push the larger pony back. “Impressive. However...” Thor’s horn began to glow with golden light, and his eyes took on a similar color. “You are still a mortal. And I am STILL A GOD!” There was a loud CRACK and a smell of ozone as a point-blank lightning bolt leapt from Thor’s horn and landed, point-blank, in the chest of The Wrecker. The powerful pegasus was propelled backwards, twitching violently for several seconds before he recovered, beating his wings to keep from hitting the ground. Before he could fully recover, however, a vicious underhanded swing of Thor’s hammer caught him under the chin, sending him into the air. The Wrecker righted himself mid-flight and desperately tried to flee. The pegasus turned into a brown blur as he used his incredible new speed to try and leave Ponyville before his more powerful foe caught up with him. Thor was having none of that. Rather than chase the Pegasus, Thor lifted his hammer to the sky and focussed. The skies darkened with storm clouds, the ominous rumbling of thunder filling the air as the wind began to howl. A powerful crosswind blew over The Wrecker, sending him tumbling through the air and driving him back to the ground. The Wrecker glared at Thor as he recovered from his emergency landing. “Oh, that’s how you wanna play it? Fine!” He launched himself at Thor, but rather than attack him directly, he spun about the Alicorn at breakneck speeds, stirring the air into a furious tornado. After several revolutions, The Wrecker exited the vortex, grinning broadly. “Get outta that one, sucker!” He laughed, though he doubted Thor could hear him over the winds. Suddenly, a blue streak shot out of the top of the hurricane, the powerful wake of the Alicorn’s flight tearing the hurricane apart. Thor ascended up past the clouds, vanishing from sight for a moment. Then he suddenly shot down from a storm cloud, a bolt of lightning following closely in his wake. The Wrecker, realizing what was about to happen, flared his wings and tried to escape, but it was far too late. Thor passed just over his head, and the bolt of lightning in his wake slammed into the Wrecker’s body, knocking him clear off his hooves. The powerful bolt sent The Wrecker tumbling, before he collapsed to the ground in a smoking heap. Thor walked over to him calmly, standing over him as The Wrecker feebly tried to fly away. Thor gave him a casual swat with the hoof that didn’t have a hammer, knocking him back to the ground. The Wrecker trembled feebly as he looked into the pitiless eyes of the Thunder God. “P-please... don’t kill me.” He whimpered. “I... I just wanted... just wanted to be the best...” “I told ye before. I have no mercy for cowards and braggarts like you.” Thor growled. The crowd of terrified ponies that had been watching all drew in breath at once, like a single creature. After a moment, Thor sighed. “But I cannot kill a helpless foe, not even one as pathetic as ye be. You fought well for a mortal, so I will grant you your life.” A wave of Mjolnir caused the winds to calm and the skies to clear, returning the weather to its’ sunny state. He turned away from The Wrecker, scanning the crowd. “Twilight Sparkle? Art thou watching?” A clearly nervous purple unicorn stepped forward from the crowd. “Um... t-that’s me. Uh, sir. Your highness.” “Thor will do, Lady Sparkle. I am no king, and even if I were I hold little patience for formality. Come forth, I require your assistance. I believe this pony’s strength comes from an enchantment, and I have little knowledge of such matters. I will require your aid to undo it.” “Oh! Uh, yes, of course!” Twilight hurried over, leaning over the beaten pegasus. The Wrecker didn’t even stir as Twilight’s horn lit up. “Okay, I can feel the enchantment. It’s... wow, I’ve never seen a spell this complicated before. Or this powerful. I can probably unwind it, but it might- WOAH!” There was a sudden flash of sickly green magic from the defeated colt’s forehead, as a strange symbol traced itself in green on his brow. It was familiar to Thor - a twisting green snake in the shape of a stylized S. The mark of Loki. The powerful magic contained in the symbol leapt from The Wrecker’s forehead towards Twilight’s horn, but Thor was faster. His hammer intercepted the bolts of magic, and they fizzled harmlessly against it’s surface. “Art thou alright, Lady Sparkle?” Thor asked, lowering his hammer. “Y-yes, I’m fine.” Twilight replied, shaking her head clear of the magic’s disturbing influence. “That was... intense. I’ve never felt magic that... that...” “Evil?” “Yes. That’s it exactly. There was something very WRONG about that spell.” Twilight shuddered. “I think... I think it was designed to attack my magic. To shut it down, I think. But ponies need that magic to live...” Her eyes widened in realization. “Ohmygosh... that’s... that’s horrible! Who would even think of such a spell?” “Loki.” Thor said flatly. “Can you undo the enchantment now?” “Who’s... no, never mind. There’ll be time for questions later.” Twilight steeled herself, and her horn began to glow again. “Yes... a lot of the power in the spell is gone now; I think that... defense mechanism was a last resort kind of thing. It drained most of the power out of it, I think I can cut it now.” There was a brief moment of concentration, then suddenly the Wrecker’s body was awash in sickly green light. “I... I cut the connection between his body and the magic.” Twilight said, backing away. “But the magic needs to go somewhere. I thought it would just defuse harmlessly but there’s so much!” Thor didn’t reply, but held out his hammer. Nothing happened at first, but then the disturbing aura of magic slowly began to drain off its’ victim and into Thor’s hammer. After several moments, The Wrecker was merely Heavy Weight again, though somewhat older-seeming than before. Mjolnir glowed a bright green for a moment before returning to normal. “It... it worked!” Twilight said, grinning happily. “That weird magic sure took a toll on his body, though - I’d say he aged at least a couple of years. Now, maybe you can explain what’s... going... on?” Twilight turned to face the god who’d been there mere moments ago, only to find he’d already vanished. “Holy Celestia, he’s fast.” Came Rainbow’s voice. The injured pegasus hobbled out of the crowd. “I wonder if he gives lessons.” ----------------- Big Macintosh stowed the staff away in his saddlebags, which he’d left just outside of town. The last time he’d transformed, it had ruined his best pair of saddlebags, so he’d taken them off beforehoof this time. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, and he felt as though he could barely breath. Had he really just done all that? It felt... separate from him. Like it had been Thor fighting the Wrecker, not him. It was an uncomfortable feeling. “Mac!” Came a joyous cry, and he felt a sudden weight on his back. It took his brain a second to recognize Pinkie’s voice, but he was able to restrain his urge to buck her off. “That was awesome! I missed some of it but I showed up in time for that awesome thing with the clouds and the wind and the lightning and it was SO COOL!” Pinkie leapt down from his back and hopped around him in circles. “I was kinda worried about you at first ‘cause you’d never been in a fight before but you were all like ‘rawr!’ and than you were like ‘woosh!’ and than you made a big ‘BOOM!’ and-” “Pinkie!” Mac barked, stopping the painfully cheerful pony mid-bounce. “Cut it out, will ya? Somepony’s gonna hear ya.” He turned away, not looking at her. Pinkie gave him a concerned look. “What’s wrong, Mac-ey? You did great! Your a real hero!” “No, Ah ain’t.” Mac said dejectedly. “At least, Thor ain’t. Ah did TOO good, Pinkie. Ah hurt another pony. That ain’t somethin’ to be proud of. It was almost like Ah wasn’t me, like Ah was Thor an’ not Big Mac anymore. Ah wanted to hurt him. Ah don’t think I’d’ve cared much if Ah killed him. Hay, I think Ah was tryin’ to kill him, or at least hurt ‘im real bad. What kinda pony does something like that? What kinda pony wants ta hurt another pony?” Big Mac lowered his head in shame. “Ah’m no better than that Wrecker feller.” “That’s not true!” Pinkie insisted, her face suddenly very close to Mac’s. She had an unusually serious expression on her face. “Wrecker was a bad pony, Mac. He wanted to hurt other ponies just to make him feel better than them. You stopped him! That makes you the good pony.” “But... Ah wanted ta hurt him!” Big Mac protested. “Ah wanted to make him hurt for what he tried t’do. That’s not what a good pony does.” Pinkie shook her head violently. “No, you don’t get it! You were mad that he was hurting somepony you knew. You wanted to protect other ponies, and that’s exactly what a good pony does. I think maybe Thor is a little more violent than you, but he comes from a different time. He’s a warrior, that’s what he does. That doesn’t make you a bad pony. It just means you have to be careful. Okay?” Big Mac was surprised at the party pony’s insight, but smiled. “Thanks, Pinkie. Ah think... I think Ah needed to hear that.” Than he frowned again. “Thor and Ah are pretty different. What if... what if one day Ah don’t change back? What if Ah loose mahself, and forget how to be Big Mac?” “Don’t be silly!” Pinkie said, suddenly all smiles again. “That’ll never happen!” “How can ya’ be so sure?” Big Mac asked, giving Pinkie a quizzical look. “Simple! Your friends!” Pinkie said, giving the large stallion a hug. “As long as you have friends, you’ll never ever ever forget who you are, because they’ll always be around to remind you!” Big Mac gently pushed Pinkie away. “Ah... Ah don’t have a lotta friends, Pinkie. Ah mean, me an’ Carrot Top get along pretty well, and Ah’m friendly with Feather Down an’ Cheerilee an’ a few other ponies in town, but... not a whole lotta real friends.” He sighed. “No time fer friends when you’ve got a farm to take care of.” Pinkie’s eyes got wide and teary. “That’s so sad!” She exclaimed. “You must be sooo lonely!” “Not really. Ah got my family an’ mah farm.” Big Mac just shrugged. “That’s not enough! Everypony needs friends!” Pinkie insisted, than grinned broadly. “Oh, oh, I know! I’ll be your friend, Mac-y Pack-y! I’m already friends with Applejack so I’m already down on the farm all the time, only now I’ll come and visit you too!” She hugged him again, and this time Big Mac didn’t push her away. “We’ll be the bestest best friends FOR-EV-ER!” She cheered. “And if you ever forget who you are, I’ll just throw you a party until you remember! And that’s a Pinkie Pie promise! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Big Mac smiled at her, and something suspiciously like a tear formed in his eye. “Thanks, Pinkie.” He said, hugging her back. “That... that means an awful lot. You’re a good friend, Pinkie.” “Thanks!” Pinkie said, letting go. “Oh! You know what this calls for!” “Ah have an idea...” Big Mac said, smiling. “A PARTY!” ----------------- “Sister?” Luna poked her nose into Celestia’s room. “Is something the matter? Your presence was missed at dinner.” Celestia was laying upon her bed, facing away from the door, but she turned towards her younger sister, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, Luna! Just the pony I wanted to see! Look at this!” She levitated a scroll over to her sister. Luna took hold of it with her own magic, recognizing the handwriting as that of Twilight Sparkle, her sister’s student and Luna’s personal friend. Luna’s eyes went wide as dinner plates as she read the letter. “This... this cannot be. A new Alicorn? Fully grown? In Ponyville? Surely one of us would have noticed, in our many visits.” “You and I both appeared fully grown from nowhere, sister.” Celestia reminded her. “It’s not implausible that this stallion did the same.” “Our birth was caused by the magical spike that gave Equestria magic.” Luna retorted. “One of us would have noticed such an surge... oh!” “Yes, don’t you remember? That magical surge a few days ago. A new kind of magic! We thought it was the birth of an Alicorn - and it was! We were just wrong about the age - a stallion, not a foal.” Celestia frowned. “What worries me is this ‘Loki’ Twilight says the new Alicorn mentioned. Considering the complexity of the enchantment laid on young Heavy Weight...” “You think there is another?” Luna asked incredulously. “Two new Alicorns?” “There is much we don’t know about our own nature, Luna.” Celestia said thoughtfully. “Perhaps Alicorns always come in opposing pairs, as we did. You and I represent the night and day; perhaps these two represent something similar. Good and evil, perhaps.” She sighed, frustrated. “Or I could be entirely wrong, and this ‘Loki’ could be something else altogether.” “The only one who would know would be this ‘Thor’ himself.” Luna agreed, laying next to her sister on the bed. “If only there was a way to contact him...” “Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem.” Celestia said with a bright smile. “You forget, sister, things have advanced somewhat in your absence.” Her horn glowed briefly, ringing a nearby bell to call a servant. Mere moments went by before a butler appeared in the doorway. “Proper Etiquette, be a dear and contact the editor of Equestria Daily, would you? I believe his name is Seth. Tell him I wish to put an advertisement in his paper for a formal celebration to be held here in Canterlot, and have him contact me for details.” “At once, Your Majesty.” Proper Etiquette said, bowing his head before hurrying away to obey his ruler’s order. Celestia smiled at her sister. “All we need do is place a formal invitation in the paper, inviting Thor to come visit us here. If his flair for the dramatic is as prominent as Twilight’s letter made it seem, a party in his honor to formally welcome him to Equestria will be just the thing.” “A clever plan.” Luna agreed. “But what if he chooses not to attend?” “Don’t be silly, Luna.” Celestia giggled. “A true gentlecolt would never turn down the invitation of a lady.” ----------------- Trixie returned to the clearing where her master had made his home, appearing in a flash of green light. The clearing seemed empty, but a small garden snake slithered up to Trixie and raised its’ head. Its’ flesh seemed to shimmer and bulge, until suddenly it grew into the dark green Alicorn that Trixie called Master. “Report, my apprentice.” The god called Loki said quietly. Trixie bowed humbly before Loki, before speaking. “Everything went exactly as you hoped, Master.” “I don’t hope, Apprentice. I plan.” Loki admonished gently. “Remember that.” “Yes, Master.” Trixie said with an apologetic tone she did not feel. It rankled her, to call this pony ‘Master’ like some subservient being. But the benefits of serving as Loki’s apprentice far outweighed the disadvantages; Trixie could suffer serving a single pony if it led to her dominance over all of Equestria. “It appears you were correct; Thor’s mortal form resides in Ponyville, and he leapt to its’ defense when its’ inhabitants were threatened. The Wrecker put up a good enough fight to be impressive, but he gave Thor little trouble.” “Excellent.” Loki grinned. “And the Princess’s student?” Trixie scowled at the mention of her nemesis. “The little witch survived. I suppose it was too much to hope for that the Soul Seal would kill her. But a puff of green fire left her library earlier this evening and went towards Canterlot faster than the eye could track, so I assume she’s told the Princess.” Loki didn’t seem terribly disturbed. “It is a shame the student survived, but in the end it is immaterial. Her death would’ve forced the Princess to take action, but since she lives we will require a more... direct method to force her hoof.” He grinned. “Trixie, my apprentice. I believe it is time we woke an old friend of mine. He has slumbered beneath the surface of Equestria for far too long.” “Of course, Master.” Trixie said, raising her head. Loki bent down and touched his horn to hers, transmitting the teleport coordinates and instructions for dealing with his ‘friend’ into her mind in a flash of green magic. Trixie immediately teleported away, wasting no time. Loki grinned in the darkness. “Soon, Equestria. Soon. The pieces are moving into place... soon, Equestria will have a new hero... and then...” His laughter echoed through the Everfree Forest. “All shall bow before LOKI THE MAGNIFICENT, KING OF ALL EQUESTRIA!”