//------------------------------// // The Madness Spreads // Story: And That's Terrible // by InsertAuthorHere //------------------------------// The force of the explosion was so great that even Luthor's underground bunker shuddered under its might. Fortunately, Luthor's ingenious foresight had convinced him to reinforce his hideout's supports, and the only casualty was a lone, sad cherry that rolled off a cupcake and bounced against the metal floor. The genius himself remained rigid in his seat for several seconds after, waiting patiently for a sign that he was free to breathe easy again. And fortunately for him, that's exactly what seemed to happen. There was no sign of Celestia on any of his monitors, just the slowly tumbling ash and debris left by his probes. Luthor slumped back in his chair. “Well, dear princess. I can't say you didn't put up a good fight, but now you know that even flying unicorns must bow to the intellectual might of Lex Luthor.” He sighed and folded his fingers together. “A shame I had to waste so many of my resources to destroy one horse. It will take months just to make this venture profitable at this rate. But it shall all be worth it once Superman is finally...” That was when the alarms began. All of the images on the monitors switched to a black screen before flashing the same message: “WARNING! SUPERMAN APPROACHING.” And with the picture change came the crashing ring of alarm bells, echoing through the bunker with an intensity previously not thought possible on Equestria. But that didn't stop Luthor from practically falling out of his chair in excitement. With a devious cackle, he pressed a key on his console, bringing up the cannon's controls. The systems all displayed full power, the magic and Kryptonite were still working in perfect unity, and the firing sequence was prepped and ready to go. Luthor's fingers tapped along the switches on the keyboard, and the cannon began to rise up. Before long, it was almost completely hidden in the ceiling, not unlike an assassin preparing to drop onto an unsuspecting victim. And it was just in time, as well; another switch to his satellites revealed the Man of Steel barreling towards his now-exposed bunker. The site of his old adversary made Luthor's hands curl up on his armrests. “Look at him! So gallant, so powerful, so arrogant in his superiority! Were it not for that accursed Celestia wasting my defenses...” He paused for a moment, then grinned. “It doesn't matter. I've already won, and he doesn't even realize it yet.” Any further gloating, however, had to be put on hold, as the bunker's door suddenly went flying off the wall and into the rest of the lab, small pieces of shrapnel embedding themselves into the walls and furniture from the sheer force of the explosion. Luthor didn't even wince, instead opting to just rotate his chair and face his oncoming attacker head-on. And sure enough, standing at the other side of the broken entrance was Superman himself, floating in mid-air with his arms crossed as a final insult to gravity itself. “About time you got here.” Luthor leaned back just enough to give him a triumphant slouch, even as Superman slowly floated until he was just about where the villainous fiend needed him to be standing. “I do apologize for those explosives at the museum, but it seemed to be the best way to contact you. Emails and business cards just aren't appropriate for people of our professions.” Superman's eyes shifted to the cakes. “Those? Treats from the local inhabitants. I had planned to make my presence known in a more powerful way, but it seems hunger won out in the end. Of course, I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand such things.” Superman's eyes shifted back to Luthor. The bald genius' hands were inches from the fire button. “And I apologize for the mess. The local ruler of this Principality thought she could interfere with my plans. To her credit, she did quite well, but now her ashes are spread halfway around this little fantasy land, while I am still sitting here.” Superman smiled. “Oh, really?” The first thing to strike Luthor was just how wrong the voice was. His hated enemy's was loud and echoed with his incredible strength, but while this one still betrayed great power, it was much higher pitched, much softer. The second thing was that it was a distinctly feminine voice, far from what he was used to hearing. The third thing was that he had heard the same voice not too long before... And the fourth thing? The person that voice belonged to was dead. Luthor shot up from his chair just as Superman's entire body exploded in a burst of white light, not unlike the rising sun peeking into a person's eyes at the dawn of a new day. When the brilliant spectacle had faded, in Superman's place was Princess Celestia, hovering just above the ground, her forelegs crossed and her eyes half-shut in righteous fury. There were small bruises and burn marks on her body, but otherwise none of the damage an explosion like the one she was trapped in would have caused. Lex could hardly believe his eyes as she set herself upon the ground, her golden footwear tapping and scrapping against the metal floor. “Tell me, Luthor, do I look dead to you? Because I don't feel dead. And if you play your cards right, you won't feel that way, either.” Lex Luthor's leaned back so hard that his entire chair tumbled with him, crashing against the ground and spinning about a few times before coming to a halt. Its former occupant, however, was fine just remaining motionless, mouth agape. “B-But how is this possible?” ---------- Two… Celestia's horn began to glow with the only spell she could think of. Come on, hurry, please... One... Got to- She felt something hot, like a thousand fireballs pressing against her body. And in an instant, the sensation was gone. Celestia's body jerked suddenly as she plopped against the hard earth of Equestria Firma. Fortunately, the distorted ringing in her ears – a byproduct of both her winking spell and the last vestiges of Luthor's poison – saved her the full sonic force of the massive explosion above, but she could still feel a gentle warmth bathe her backside as she struggled back to her hooves. As her vision cleared and she regained a tingling in her taste buds, she shook her head with a furious snort and turned to the cloud of dust and debris that was now descending upon her land. She shook her head. I doubt even I could have survived an attack like that. Such an explosion could have leveled half of Canterlot in an instant. Her head gradually lowered the far-away remnants of the Foal Mountains. She had not the time to be picky in her destination, but fortune had smiled on her once again, as the spell had not taken her too far. But I cannot risk another frontal assault. If Luthor has any other weapons at his disposal, he might turn them on me – or worse, my subjects. She tapped a hoof to her chin. There must be a way inside. He must have some kind of weakness, some enemy, some... Then she remembered. ---------- “I have been casting illusion and concealment spells since before you were born,” said said, despite not knowing (or caring) about how this species procreated. “The only thing I could not emulate was your enemy's voice, but that didn't matter. I've fought far too many egotists like you to not pick up on your similarities. Just show them what they want and they'll give right in.” Luthor's jaw twisted into a sneer of contempt. “Do you really think you've won? Have you any idea what I've accomplished on my own world? I am Lex Luthor, and I-” “Enough!” Celestia's hoof struck the floor with the speed and fury of a sledgehammer, leaving a dent two inches deep in the steel. The impact was enough to break Luthor's final villainous speech and shock him back into silence, which by this point was heaven to Celestia’s ears. “As ruler of Equestria, I hereby place you under ar-” “SISTER!” Celestia’s own speech shattered as a dark blue mass hurled into her at the speed of sound, causing her to lose her footing and topple to the ground. Princess Luna paid no heed to either Luthor or the other alien creature hovering behind her; she just kept hugging/attempting to strangle her big sister until the Alicorn managed to crawl free. “Luna? What are you doing here?” Luna coughed and wiped at her reddened eyes. “Oh sister, I- we were so worried! We saw the explosion and assumed that-” She stopped, took a deep breath, then continued. “We came here to avenge you, and…” “I was in no danger,” Celestia said, chuckling a bit towards the end. “Luthor’s tricks were certainly inventive, but nothing that couldn’t be defeated with some ingenuity and a little applied magic.” That was when she noticed the peculiar creature in the red-and-blue suit. Its eyes were locked on Luthor, who was apparently wishing this was all a bad dream and he would wake up at any moment. “I have to say, getting defeated by a unicorn? I don’t think anyone in Metropolis is going to believe that.” In an instant, Luthor’s composure made a miraculous recovery. That sneer once again crossed his lips as he spat at the massive figure. “Laugh all you want, Superman, but this is far from over. Once we’re back in Metropolis, I’ll-” “Halt!” Both figures turned to Princess Celestia, standing tall and proud once again, her eyes burning with the intensity of a thousand candles during a total eclipse. “I have no idea who you are, but Luthor has committed crimes against the ponies of Equestria and must answer for them.” “He’s also several billion dollars worth of proprietary technology from S.T.A.R. Labs and other organizations.” Superman crossed his arms. “And that’s only his most recent crimes on our Earth.” “And in the span of only a few hours, he has assaulted my palace, injured my guards, nearly destroyed Ponyville, and has made his plans to conquer all of Equestria known. Whatever feud you two may have with each other, I will not allow the both of you to encroach on Equestria’s safety for the sake of grudges.” Superman’s eyes narrowed as he caught the last word. “What are you talking about? I’m only here to bring Luthor into custody. This is the last time he’s escaping…” “You mean he’s eluded you before?” Celestia snapped. “I do not know what passes for a prison in your bizarre dimension, but I would imagine that Tartarus would be far more secure location for such a criminal. Do you not agree?” Superman shook his head and clenched his fist. “No, Princess. He shall pay for his crimes here as well as on our world, but he belongs back in Metropolis. If he is left here, he might escape and cause more destruction, and our world may not know until it’s too late...if ever.” “Um...sister?” Celestia turned to Luna, then followed her eyes to the background. Her sister was staring at the spot Luthor was at. Both the Princess of the Sun and the Man of Steel charged at the empty spot, the latter forcing his eyes into a squint as he did so. There was nothing to mark that Luthor had ever even been there. “I don’t understand,” Celestia muttered. “How could he have gotten past all three of us?” Luna fluttered over, her head drooping in defeat. “He must have fled while we were distracted.” She punched a hoof down at the ground, and the floor gave way, breaking apart to reveal a deep shaft. “A trap door.” “There’s a switch running from the floor to the console.” Superman straightened himself. “It was quiet enough to escape my super-hearing, too. This must have been his backup in case that new weapon of his didn’t work.” Celestia poked her head into the exposed shaft. “Then where does this tunnel…?” “No need to concern yourself with such matters.” The princess pulled her head out of the hole, her worried gaze joining those of her two companions. Luthor’s voice boomed from every corner of the bunker, and yet, there was no sign of him. There was not even a visible loudspeaker; at least then Celestia might have understood the origin of the sound, and perhaps know what wall he was hiding behind. “I apologize for my quick exit, but you don’t become the most powerful man in Metropolis without a little forward thinking.” “Come out here and face us, Luthor!” shouted Luna. “Do not make us hunt for you, coward!” “Do not worry your puny equine brain about such matters. I have no intention of galloping away.” Both Celestia and Luna bristled from the insult. “Come on outside, both of you. I have a special...surprise for you.” ---------- It didn’t take long to figure out what Luthor’s surprise was. The bald creature was standing in the middle of the great grassy fields surrounding the Foal Mountains, in a metal booth that had not been there before. His attire had also changed remarkably fast, as he now wore a suit of armor just like the automaton that had attacked the National Dessert Competition. The only difference was the helmet; instead of a solid mass, the face covering had been removed., Luthor’s head was completely exposed - save for his eyes, which were covered by what appeared to be black straps of glass and glowing machinery. “So, it would seem I am outnumbered.” Luthor shouted. “I admit, I had not anticipated this much opposition, nor that princess forcing me to waste my resources. But you should know by now that Lex Luthor never does anything without having a backup plan." “Give it up, Luthor,” shouted Superman. “You’re completely outmatched this time.” “Surrender, and we may yet be merciful,” added Celestia. Her own words were twinged with no small amount of poison, to the point that even Luna could feel a shudder run down the length of her spine. “On the contrary…” Luthor’s finger finally pressed on a dark red button. “I have yet to even show my hand.” The first sound to greet them was the distant pounding of machinery, not unlike the dull beating of a clock tower as heard from the cafe outside. The second was like several glowsticks lighting up, growing louder in tempo with every passing second. And finally, there was the sound - and sight - of the very ground ripping open all around, as even more metal booths rose up. These ones, however, were far more rectangular in shape, and not to mention significantly larger. By the time the crescendo of noise was over, at least two dozen had emerged at every possible corner, trapping the princesses and the strange creatures. And then the doors opened. The Alicorns’ eyes opened in horror at the things that emerged. They were creatures not of flesh and blood, but metal and light. Their claws were sharpened into vile talons, each of which glimmered with a dull green light. Their eyes were little more than gemstones, not unlike those harvested from the mines underneath Canterlot long ago, and within them shined a minute - but still frightful - amount of magical energy. Each of the monstrosities stepped forward in perfect synchronicity, and no matter how many poured forth, even more seemed to follow. By the time it ended, there seemed to be well over a thousand of them, and they were all looking at Luthor’s enemies. Superman raised an eyebrow. “Robots, Luthor? Really?” Luthor let out an evil cackle. “Not just any robots, Superman. These have been modified to store more minute amounts of the magical energy this whole blasted universe excretes from its every pore! Nowhere near as sophisticated as what was back in my lab, but still more than enough to finish the likes of you.” He turned to the princesses, his hands once again reaching for the controls on his arm. He pressed a switch, and a black visor slid down to block out his face. “I was going to save these for a surprise, but since Celestia has seen fit to waste my resources, I have no choice but to spoil things a bit. Once you’re dead, my machines will spread to wreck havoc all over this country and bring it under my control!” The next words were almost drowned out from the sound of the fires erupting underneath his boots, raising him higher and higher into the air. “Don’t feel too bad for your ‘subjects.’ I’m sure there will be a petting zoo or two that will pay good money for a real unicorn!” Celestia shouted something most decidedly un-lady like, but it was drowned out by the roar of Luthor’s engines. The armored megalomaniac took off like a launched firework, his laugh echoing against cold night air. At the same moment, the eyes of the robots began to glow red, no doubt signifying their readiness to strike. The three were surrounded by an army larger than any that had ever threatened Equestria - two princesses and an alien against a possibly unstoppable foe. Pulsating red beams erupted from the eyes of the monsters closest to the heroes, each ray burning as hot as those that had singed Celestia earlier this night. The beams collided with the earth, and when they were done, nothing remained but a burning black circle of dead ground. Celestia’s eyes watered as she laid witness to the fate that no doubt awaited her beloved land should they fall, as they would have if she hadn’t conveniently remembered that she could teleport and got herself and her companions out of the way while also making it look like they had been destroyed. The three floated above the battlefield, the alicorns perched on a cloud and Superman - whose flight abilities apparently did not include cloudwalking - hovering behind. “It’s only a matter of time before they realize what happened,” Celestia whispered. “And even if they don’t, their orders are to spread destruction across all of Equestria. We have to stop them and Luthor now.” “Agreed, sister,” said Luna. “But how can we fight such an overwhelming force?” “If what Luthor said about these things is true, then they were obviously mass-manufactured only recently,” said Superman. “That means they likely aren’t up to the standards of the usual Lexcorp mechanized weaponry. With enough force, we should be able to break them apart easily enough.” Celestia nodded. “That seemed to be the case with his other devices. Two of us should be able to delay them long enough for the other to stop Luthor.” Superman nodded. “Agreed.” “And I will be the one to go after Luthor.” “Not agreed!” Superman snapped. “I can’t allow you to...throw him into Hell or whatever it was you suggested! He needs to stand trial for…” “I will not banish him yet.” Celestia sighed. “You’re right. He has obviously committed great crimes against your people as well. But this is a fight I must win. He attacked my ponies and destroyed one of our most sacred celebrations. And for that, he shall pay dearly.” She turned her eyes in the direction Luthor had fled. “I need to go before the trail goes cold. Once I have incapacitated him, and you and Luna have dealt with his army, we shall meet again in Canterlot to discuss the terms of his extradition.” She turned to Luna. The younger princess had a look of fear in her eyes, but it was no match for the reassurance emitting from the wise old mare. “I know you will succeed. And no matter what happens, let it be known that Equestria shall never fall to tyranny without a struggle that would shake even the heavens.” Celestia spread her wings and flew off, quickly vanishing into the distance. Superman smiled as she left. “Your sister...she cares about her subjects, doesn’t she?” Luna sighed. “Yes, she does.” She turned to the robots. Their heads were beginning to turn upwards; apparently they were finally figuring out what had happened. “Very well, then. Let us not keep our enemy waiting!” The two fell from their hiding space, the pony’s horn glowing with unbridled power and the alien’s eyes glowing red... ---------- * SQUAD ALPHA-3 ENGAGING ENEMY * Luthor smirked as the transparent red text filled his helmet’s display, followed by several identical messages highlighting the rest of his squads. The Luthor Bots were a bit crude to be sure, and he would have loved to have spent more time perfecting the symbiosis between the Kryptonite and magic, but he could not argue with the efficiency of their production. “I don’t doubt that the Kryptonian and those princesses could dismantle a few dozen or more, but the numbers are clearly against them this time. Even if they did escape, there would be no place left to hide before dawn. And once they’re disposed of, I can easily rebuild my-” That was when he felt something hard crash into him, buckling against the armor like a raging bull at a rodeo. He didn’t even need to hazard a guess as to what the source of this was, as the face of Princess Celestia was soon pressed against the helmet. Luthor gasped in surprise, both from the many warning signals and messages popping on his HUD and the realization that the pressure he was feeling was a winged unicorn wrapping her body around his combat armor. He pulled himself upright while willing his arms to grab the princess by the midsection and begin pulling her off. Alas, even the enhanced strength the suit granted him was no match for an angry princess’ kung-fu grip, and she remained stuck to him like a bug on a windshield. “Wh-WHAT?! But...But you were…” “We have unfinished business, Luthor!” Celestia’s growl was only marginally underscored by her grunts of pain from Luthor’s pulling. “I have seen what you have planned for Equestria, and as long as I draw breath, I swear that it shall never come to pass!” Luthor scowled. “Do you think your threats scare me, princess?” The rockets in his legs kicked off their ignition sequence again, sending the two roaring into the sky. The combined weight of Celestia brought down the front a bit, but his velocity was such that he still had almost total control of the suit’s piloting systems. “I’ve faced aliens, sorcerers, terrorists, and tax accountants, and I have defeated them all time and again! Do you really think a ridiculous creature such as yourself could hold a candle to my genius!” Celestia grimaced. Their rapid ascent was taking them far above even a natural cloud level. The air was getting colder, far more than any pony - even her - could stand, while Luthor remained perfectly protected in his armor. There was only one way she was going to survive this...and it was going to hurt. “Luthor,” she groaned. “I have faced many threats in the past, but never one as egotistical as yourself. I believe it’s time I brought you down to earth.” Luthor had barely enough time to digest the pun before his suit detected a massive surge of power on its back. On the front, Celestia pulled the full weight of her body backwards, causing the rocketing armor to tip downwards even more. Her horn was glowing all the while, as she used as much of her telekinesis as she could on the armor’s rear section. It did not take a great criminal genius like Luthor long to realize exactly where the princess was taking him: straight down. Panicking, he willed the suit to right itself and continue its ascent, but the armor resisted. Between the princess’ magic and her considerable weight, she had managed to obtain complete control of the suit. He couldn’t switch off the rockets, as that would just have the same effect. His eyes furrowed as he stared at the mare through his helmet. “Are you mad? You’ll destroy the both of us!” Celestia grinned as they broke through the actual cloud level and began to make out the pastoral fields of Equestria. “I’ve survived worse, Luthor. Let’s see how much damage your little armor can take.” That was when they crashed. The impact was something to behold. The very earth erupted in a geyser of dirt and stone, while the resulting explosion could be heard for miles around. Beneath a dust cloud the size of a three-story building, a deep crater was now blighting Equestria’s once-pristine beauty. Celestia was the first to emerge, teleporting out of the hole faster than Twilight Sparkle going to class while late for a test. She had acquired a few new bruises, her coat was covered in dirt and gunk, and her barrel was not feeling all that well considering the amount of pressure Luthor had applied to it, but was otherwise surprisingly well for somepony that had just fallen out of the stratosphere. She sucked in one taxing breath after another as she turned to face the dissipating dust. The screen cleared...and there was no sign of Luthor. Celestia’s eyes widened as she surveyed one inch of the crater to the next, finding no sign of her opponent besides a few small shrapnels of metal that must have chipped off his armor. No…this isn’t possible! Could he have been driven into the ground? Perhaps he’s hiding underneath… “Excuse me, princess.” A surge of pain ran from Celestia’s withers through the rest of her body, accompanied by the sickening crackling of electricity. The mare let out a scream of agony and tried to run, but the agony had caused her limbs to turn uncooperative and she only managed to tumble face-first to the ground. She struggled and squirmed, but the current coursing through her was just too strong, too disruptive, to escape. After what felt like an eternity, the crackling noise died. The princess’ muscles were still burning in agony, but she was well enough to turn her head towards her attacker. Not that it mattered, as his metal boots would have come into view anyway had she waited just a bit longer. “Did you really think you were the only one who could teleport?” said Luthor. “This armor was not designed just for Superman, after all.” Celestia began channeling her magic into her horn, but stopped as Luthor’s hand gripped her by the back of her neck and pulled her head upwards. At the same moment, his right knee - or at least, the joint these monsters had that functioned the same as a knee - crashed into the earth, bringing him even closer to his prey. “You see, the alien has friends. Powerful ones, in fact. Some of them can even use magic, just like you. And when I finally cut that Kryptonian’s heart from his chest, there’s a good chance they’ll be coming after me, next.” He raised his right arm to the mare, his left tightening around her throat as he did so. The increasing pressure only made concentration more difficult. “This armor was designed to stay put in the middle of an atomic explosion. The metal shielding can withstand temperatures hotter than an erupting volcano. The helmet is equipped with light-amplification devices, so I can see even if they blot out the sun itself. And of course, it comes with the most advanced weaponry LexCorp has ever produced.” One of the armor panels lifted upwards. As it ascended, a long, metal tube began to unfold out of the suit’s innards, not unlike a jack-in-the-box. “For example, this rifle fires rounds capable of tearing through an entire city block’s worth of metal bunkers without stopping.” Celestia coughed and hacked out a few bizarre mutterings before finally forming a coherent sentence. “Th-This is...isn’t over, Luthor. I will…” “No more words,” Luthor snarled as he pressed the tube against the side of Celestia’s head. “You have made my greatest triumph into a mockery. You have set back my conquest of this world by months. I admit that fighting a magical flying horse has been an intriguing diversion, but it is late, I am tired, and I have someone to destroy.” There was a click. "Goodbye, Princess."