Sometimes They Call Me Super

by KorenCZ11

Harmony Days V: Training Day

Applejack

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“Is everypony awake?” Ah asked my sleepy comrades. Around the living room table gathered all five of us, some more awake than others. Ah was excited fer what was about ta happen, but Pinkie was barely awake, Fluttershy was practically a zombie, Rarity was deep in a cup of coffee, and surprisin'ly, Twilight was just about as awake as Ah was, but she just looked worried.

“No...” Ah heard Fluttershy moan.

“Perfect! So here's the deal. There's a ship comin' in on Thursday and chances are high that we'll end up havin' a monster like the one from last night runnin' loose around town if we don't do anythin' about it.” That got everypony's attention. Pinkie and Fluttershy rubbed at their eyes, Rarity almost spit out her coffee, and Twilight just turned ta me wide eyed.

“What!?” Collectively came from everypony.

“Y'all heard me. More out of spite than anythin', Ah went and talked ta Goose last night after everypony had just about gone ta bed. Based on what he said, he'd already dealt with a monster like the one we fought yesterday due ta these mirrors. Twilight, if ya would.” She shook her head and magic'd up a picture of the original 'Mirror.' Ah kept myself from grindin' my teeth too hard. Even the image of that monster brought rage in my heart. A stallion dressed in black with white stripes that all converged at the center of his chest, where a mirror about the shape of a hoofball and the size of a smartphone sat. It reflected more than it looked possible ta, and as far as we know, it was the source of his power, the power ta steal the powers of others and kill them with their own abilities, my father included.

“Who is that?” Pinkie asked.

“This was the stallion who really earned the title super villain, whom went by the name, 'The Mirror.' He terrorized this city for a week and killed supposedly around sixty heroes... including Red Hoof. We believe that he either went into hiding afterward, or died in the fight with Red Hoof that destroyed the trade center twelve years ago. Nopony knows where he came from, or even why he killed so many. His kill count is higher than any other villain to date, but what's important here is the mirror on his suit.” Twilight zoomed in on his chest ta focus on the actual mirror.

“Oh. That looks just like the one...” Pinkie started and trailed off before her ears flattened against her head.

“Right. Ah don't know if this is the same kind as the ones we're dealin' with now, or maybe it was the first one ta surface, but as it stands, there's at least one of these out in the wild and we don't want any more. After talkin' ta Goose about it, these thin's can affect a pony one or two ways. One, they'll give the pony a power, effectively turnin' them inta a power pony, or addin' a second power ta 'em. Or two, cause the virus ta go outta control and turn em inta a monster in the same way that Fluttershy transforms. The mirror, when makin' contact with the body, integrates itself inta the skin of the user and creates blood vessels within itself that connect directly ta the heart.

Over time, it starts ta merge with the user even further. The one Goose used has become apart of his skin and grew hair over it. At the moment, he looks like he has some kind of mirror like coat on his chest. The mare that we fought had her mirror broken after the fight while it was still like this, and she bled out almost immediately afterward. However, this caused her transformation ta revert.” As Ah spoke, Twilight followed up with images of what Ah was talkin' about, usin' memories she extracted from me earlier. Her depiction of the mirror on Synchro Noise crackin' was more graphic than Ah remembered it, but it was probably good that Ah could see it again. It was like poppin’ a mosquito that’d just finished up fillin’ its carryin’ capacity.

“In the event you do come across this, there is a chance to save the user, but only if you can stop the bleeding in about the same second that the mirror is destroyed. We have the capability of that, but this also means we need to have the medical equipment on standby and somepony who can perform the first aid other than myself.” Pinkie raised a hoof and Twilight awkwardly nodded at her.

“Okay, but I've got a few questions.”

“M-me too,” Fluttershy said through a yawn.

“Well, before any of that, do you expect me to be able to fight as well? I still haven't been treated. I'm not normally that great as an attacker to begin with, but I'm only so mobile while I'm down a leg,” Rarity said. Twilight nodded.

“I spoke with mother this morning about all of this, and she has offered to treat you personally when she gets the chance on Tuesday. Can you be here around eight PM?”

“Oh, of course! If Celestia herself is taking time out of her day for me, then I simply couldn't refuse.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Right. None of you grew up with her so you all still see her as some political figure.”

“So, first question, Why, just... why did you talk to him? Alone? Ugh, that means you watched him take his shirt off too. Why?” Pinkie complained. Ah dead eyed her.

“It's not like Ah'm gonna screw him, and like Ah said, spite. He gave me valuable information, and that is somethin' that we're in desperate need of. It's about time we were the ones ta set up a trap fer once and that's exactly what my goal is. Besides. He's not that bad.” Pinkie dropped her head on the table.

“Eww, was that a hint of affection? Whatever. How do you know he was telling the truth? Why should we listen to him anyways?” Ah glared at her, but Twilight took this one.

“By cross referencing of course.” She pulled a schedule for the Manehattan Harbor out of thin air in her magic, then outlined a few names in red. “This is a list of all the ships that have come in for the past two weeks. The ship at the top of the list is the one Goose is said to have first taken over, and as you can see, it was reported that it never made it to port. All the other ships the Boneheads robbed were Argent owned, but these were reported to have docked in the right place before then. If the ship wasn't carrying contraband like Applejack says it was, then it would have been reported stolen like the others were.” Rarity tilted her head.

“It was carrying contraband?” Ah nodded.

“Yes ma'am. Specifically, liquid Mercury”

“Wasn't that outlawed almost thirty years ago? What would Argent want with that?”

“Indeed. That's something we still don't know. I asked Mother about that this morning, but she said she couldn't take the time to explain it right then. She did say that it was outlawed because it does something to the virus though, so we believe that it's an ingredient in making these mirrors. Based on what Applejack said, there was a lot of mercury in that ship. If what Aunt Luna said is right, we're a little more than screwed if Argent starts mass producing these.”

“Okay... S-so, the mirrors are bad, and I get that we'll p-probably have to deal with somepony in a transformed state... m-more or less like mine... b-but, how do we plan to do that? W-what if I lose it during one of those fights? I-I don't think Applejack could handle d-dealing with me and another monster at the s-same time... d-don't we need more help than we have? A-are we good enough to even a-accomplish any of this?” Fluttershyhad slowly moved her hooves ta her ears until she was just about coverin' her head, progressively gettin' more worried about what would happen next in her chain of unfortunate events.

“That's more or less why Ah gathered everypony today. Look, Ah'm just gonna rip off the band aid here, y'all suck.” A collective look of shame started ta grow on everypony, most of them turnin' their eyes ta the floor. “But, that doesn't mean we can't get better. Ah can't fathom how ya managed ta get as far as ya did just relyin' on Rarity as Diamond, but ya managed some how, and that is impressive on it's own. As it stands, y'all couldn't handle somepony like the Crow without me and thin's aren't about ta get easier. Honestly, if it weren't fer the cable braces the princess gave me, Ah'm not sure Ah coulda even stopped Synchro myself. We need ta get better in a hurry, and we can't have ourselves gettin' hurt again like this with as little as we are.

So, today we're gonna train. Twilight spent the last few hours shiftin' rooms in the castle around until we had a big enough spot ta call a trainin' room. Come on in!” Ah called ta the hallway. Much ta Pinkie's dismay, and the surprise of Fluttershy and Rarity, in walked Goose Fang. “You two don't know him, but this is Goose and he's gonna be our trainin' villain fer now on.”

“Hello Ladies♥ The name's Goose Fang, and I am positively throbbing to be here.” Goose said in time with a collective eye roll. Then Pinkie's eyes widened.

“We're not wearing costumes! Why would you...? Oh for fuck's sake, you didn't!” She yelled at me, even though the pony in control of that was Twilight.

“She did. I wouldn't call myself one of you, but I'm bound by the rules now too♥” he said presenting his branded tongue. Pinkie let her face sink into the table.

“Oh, my goddess, what is my life even coming to?”

“I might not know the details, but is it really a good idea to just 'let him in' like this?” Rarity asked.

“Well, to explain it to you myself...” Goose began. He blinked from his spot then next to Rarity in an instant. “I can go anywhere I want at any point I feel like it, magic be damned. So as a compromise to keep the night princess from mutilating my corpse for science, I'll be staying here as my prison sentence.” Twilight tilted her head away and nodded.

“Without a curse of some kind, there isn't really any way we could have contained him, and he knows too much, on top of being one of Argent's targets. I can give you the full details later, but after speaking with Mother, we both thought this was the best way to deal with him. Well, while keeping his life in tact. Luna had some nasty things to say about that, but Mother overruled her. However, he should remember that he is a prisoner in my castle, and he should not be using his powers whenever he pleases.” Twilight glared at Goose. The stallion took a few steps back and raised a hoof in submission.

“Woah there, take it easy princess. I was just giving a demonstration of what I could do.” Ah rolled my eyes.

“Whatever, ya damn creep. Tone it down a notch or Ah'll make sure ya feel a different kinda throbbin'.” Ah glared at him, then turned my attention back ta the table. “Anyways, let's head down ta the trainin' room. We've got a lot ta cover and only five days before the next ship arrives.” With a reluctant moan from Pinkie and shrugs from the other two, the six of us made our way down ta the trainin' room underneath the livin' room. It was about half the size of the library, but still big enough that it would take at least thirty seconds fer me ta run across at full speed. A hoofball field was about the right size ta match it.

At this part of the castle, even in the daylight, the crystal walls were almost as dark as they were at night holdin' that dark indigo, almost violet color. There were eight half sphere lights at several points on the ceilin' that lit up the entire room like the sun, and otherwise, it was just a big empty box of crystal. When we all finished pilin' in, Twilight stepped forward and her whole body started ta light up with her violet magic aura. The empty room started ta vibrate as shapes began ta erupt from the ground. Larges boxes the size of storage containers and a depression all around the edge of a predetermined space formed in blue crystal. When she was finished, the empty box looked more like a replica of the harbor.

“Now that the stage is set, this is the plan. Goose is gonna play antagonist, and you're gonna try and stop him.” Ah had Goose take his spot at the other end of the room, then Ah noticed Twilight began ta walk toward the staircase, but Ah stopped her.

“Where do ya think you're goin'?” Ah could see her brow furrow as she turned ta me.

“What? Back up to the library, why?” Ah shook my head.

“No ya don't. You're gonna play number four today. Ya said ya haven't practiced attack magic and the like in a while right?” Twilight reared back.

“Huh? Well, no I haven't, but why would you even want me to do this?”

“You're our last line of defense. Look, if somethin' happens, we're not replaceable. Callin' one of us back ain't enough anymore, the time might come when you have ta fight ta keep one of us alive. If Pinkie and Ah had somepony else with us yesterday, thin's might not have gone as bad as they did, but y'all were the only one healthy enough ta help.” Twilight looked away.

“But... I'm not a hero...” Ah shook my head.

“Maybe not, but ya are a Power Pony, and ya coulda saved a whole bunch of ponies just by bein’ there ta negate her magic. Yer power has an application, and if ya train yerself, ya might find that yer not so incapable of usin' it.” Twilight sighed.

“Well... maybe. It can't hurt to try, can it?” She perked up a little and Ah nodded.

“Attagirl. Now then. Since Goose is a pussy bitch and won't fight a mare,”

“Hey, what the hell!?” complained Goose at the back of the room.

“Ah'll be the one actually tryin’ ta hit ya. Yer job is ta defend yourselves and try and take him down. Any time he gets shot or tackled we'll call a win fer ya. Don't worry, Ah'm not tryin' ta hurt ya, so Ah'll only be playin' at a quarter strength. Ah will however, take y'all out systematically if ya don't get ta Goose quick enough though.” Ah could feel a smile creep up on my face. Ah'm not a bad liar, but Ah might just be a little too excited ta hide the ball right now. The four of them started ta form a similar look on their faces as they looked at each other.

“I-I don't like what that implies...” Fluttershy said. Ah smiled even bigger.

“Perfect. Take yer places and elect a commander. Y'all can have yer weapons, and those of ya that don't normally use any can decide on if ya want one or not now. Y'all have ten minutes ta form a strategy before Ah make a move.” Ah trotted off all merrily and the other girls very quickly started talkin' ta each other. “It's not smart ta let yer enemy hear ya makin' plans♥” Ah'm gonna teach them a lesson, even if Ah have ta beat it in their little heads. Ah made my way over ta Goose and whistled while Ah counted down minutes.

“Hey man, what was that all about?” he asked angrily.

“What was what?” Ah sang.

“You know exactly what I'm talking about. Come on, you don't have to call me names just because I have chivalry.” Ah rolled my eyes.

“Y'all can have whatever ya want, but in my eyes, the fact that ya won't fight a mare doesn't make ya anythin' but a bigot.” Eight minutes.

“What? That's just crazy. I won't hit mare because I was raised not to. Stallions are supposed to protect mares. Stallions and mares were only meant to have sensual contact.” He used a weird kind of plain tone as opposed to his normal emphasis on any word relatin' ta sex.

“And Ah think that's wrong in certain cases. Black and white don't exist in this world, it's all just shades of gray with some thin's brighter than others. Wrong can be done fer the right reasons and right can be done fer the wrong reasons. You havin' some superiority complex has nothin' ta do with whether or not somethin' is good or bad.” Ah shot back. Five minutes.

“Oh yeah? And why would it be okay, huh? Unless she's trying to kill me, I don't see a reason to, and even then, I'm strong enough on my own to deal with any one mare.” This made my little smile that Ah had goin' on get a little sharper. Ah came up beside him and eyed him.

“Is that so? Why don't y'all go join them and just find out if yer 'strong enough' ta deal with any mare♥” Ah whispered. Two minutes. Goose took a rather quick step away.

“Ha ha, fuck that. And you call me a creep.” Ah raised my snout.

“Oh ho ho, don't think you're gettin' off that easy. Because Ah want ta train myself, we are gonna have our own match.” One minute.

“What!? Why!?”

“One, ta take out my frustrations. You're the only one who can take my punches at full power, and Ah've been meanin' ta test some thin's out. Two, Twilight is our last line of defense. Now that you're stuck with us, Ah'm gonna put ya ta use if Ah need ta. Now get yerself ready. Here they come.” Goose blinked ta above one of the crystal storage containers, and Ah got ready ta start takin' out some of my new friends. As predicted, Pinkie charged forward first in an attempt ta do what she couldn't last time; punch Goose in the dick. Ah'd just about got a measure on her speed and Ah close lined her as she approached. She gagged at the sudden force on her neck and coughed a few times.

“Predictable. Use yer speed ta the fullest and make it so yer opponent doesn't know what yer aim is.” Ah picked her up by the scruff of her neck and threw her in line with the bullet that Fluttershy had aimed at Goose's head. Pinkie yelped when the rubber hit her in the side.

“Goose, get behind the container, they have a sniper fer goddess sake!” Ah jumped on the container as Goose blinked behind it, and took hold of Pinkie again.

“Oh please, not again!” Ah spun her around and tossed her inta Fluttershy. The bodies collided, then Ah blinked and everypony had repositioned themselves.

“That's better, now come at me! It's just one and a half against four!” Ah heard Goose make some kinda complaint, but mostly ignored it. Walls of violet magic came at me as Ah watched Rarity and Pinkie come from either side and Fluttershy took aim from above. Now they're startin ta get it... With a quick step back, Ah lunged forward and broke the solid wall of magic that looked ta make Twilight a little dizzy. My first instinct was ta go fer Rarity. The Crow wasn't wrong when we fought her, and havin' time against ya isn't exactly the most advantageous way ta go about it. Ah came in close and loosed a punch at her, but she blinked a few steps ta the right and Ah could hear the whistle of a bullet comin' right at my head.

Ah dropped ta the floor ta watch the thin' sail through my mane. Ah got back up quick and noticed that Rarity had retreated ta Twilight's big magic wall, and Pinkie and Fluttershy were linin' up in front of me. They'd made it ta about a third the way down from the end of the mock pier. This time Pinkie came at me again, but instead of actually tryin’ ta hit me, she just circled me about a billion times. Ah figured Fluttershy was about ta take a shot and Pinkie was just playin' distraction. With a quick step, Ah tripped Pinkie inta the wall, and then started ta charge forward. Twilight spawned more magic walls ta slow me down, but they broke with every time Ah bull rushed 'em down.

Finally close enough, Ah made a step ta look like Ah was goin' after Rarity and that was enough ta trick em inta usin' her power. Like Ah thought, they'd surrounded me and everypony was where Ah wanted them. Ah leapt off the ground backwards and watched as a bullet came sailin' right where Ah was less than a second ago. Ah landed behind Rarity and rotated my body ta lightly jab her in the stomach ta knock the wind out of her. Ah used my new meat shield ta stop another bullet and once again, tossed her at Fluttershy. Without time on their side, Twilight quickly caught Rarity with her magic, and Ah took the chance ta go after Fluttershy. Usin' Rarity held by Twilight's magic as a step, Ah hopped from the ground ta Fluttershy and lightly threw her at the crystal floor.

“Oww...” She landed with a thud and a clack as her rifle fell away. Ah kicked the gun off ta one of the depressions and then Ah looked at Twilight. Ah scraped once at the ground with my forehoof and smiled.

“Eep!” she yelped and started runnin' toward Goose, effectively droppin' Rarity. As she galloped, she started ta spawn walls of violet magic behind her, these much smaller but thicker than the last. They took more effort ta break, but didn't slow me down enough. When she saw me lunge after her once Ah was close enough, Ah felt as if she experienced fear again because her magic flared and she warped on top of a storage container. Ah twisted around and stomped the ground, just about crackin' it and leapt ta Twilight, who was breathin' heavy. She yelped again and spawned a shield around herself, but it didn't take too much effort ta break. With a hard kick ta the shield and a sweep ta the legs, Twilight was out fer the count.

Ah stood up and looked over the room. Goose was still sittin' where Ah told him ta, Pinkie was still in a ditch from when Ah tripped her, Rarity was layin' in the spot she landed in after she got shot, Fluttershy was on the floor with her wings splayed out, and Twilight was tryin' ta get back up.

“Okay, that's enough fer now.” Sighs of relief came from the four mares in various pitches of moans, but slowly, they all got back up ta their hooves. We all gathered back at the front of the Trainin' room and Ah went over what they did.

“Well, fer starters, y'all didn't really make a plan at the beginnin' did ya?” The girls looked from one ta another, then all nodded.

“Well, we did decide that Twilight should lead...” Pinkie began.

“But she wasn't quite sure what to do initially and targeted Goose,” Rarity continued.

“I thought If we could take him out quick enough, it would be over faster, but...” Twilight followed.

“That o-only really ended up getting P-Pinkie shot with a rubber... s-sorry about that...” Fluttershy finished. Pinkie shrugged.

“I can't really blame you. You would have hit the creep if I didn't get caught so easy.”

“Speaking of, you mares sure are happy to belittle me. Cut me some slack will ya?” Goose said. He was ignored though.

“So what was yer plan after ya regrouped?”

“After seeing how you fight, I figured I'd try and copy your tactics. You were quick to predict what we were doing and even faster to use us against each other. So I though using our numbers against you in combination with trying to confuse you with my magic and everypony else's powers would be enough to let Fluttershy take you down so we could go after Goose,” Twilight explained.

“But that wasn't enough apparently. How is it that you dodged everything we threw at you?” Rarity asked. Ah shrugged.

“Ah've been in one on several fights more than a few times. As much as y'all did well, this was more or less predictable fer me. First off, Fluttershy was never hidden. At all. There were places ya coulda hid her, or even Twilight coulda hid her behind a wall of her magic and that woulda obscured my line of sight. Pinkie shoulda been makin' attacks at me instead of just tryin’ ta distract. If she were actually hittin' me, then maybe Ah woulda paid attention. Now, were this somepony else, that woulda worked, but Ah know how she acts. Yer dealin' with me, so try and get in my head.

Ya can't underestimate yer opponent because that'll get ya killed, so always think they're as smart as y'all are or more so. If ya wouldn't fall fer it, then they probably won't either. Traps have ta be disguised better than that. Twilight coulda provided cover fire ta get me ta move the way ya wanted, and then Fluttershy coulda gone in fer the hit. Ah didn't dodge anyhin' she shot but by a hair's length or with a meat shield, which Ah'm sorry about by the way.” Rarity and Pinkie shrugged.

“We're the ones who got caught, that's not really your fault...” Pinkie said.

“Ta use her more effectively, let her close the gap between her target, or me in this case, durin' Rarity's frozen time while Pinkie or Twilight is attackin' me. That leaves one of ya open ta start dealin' with another target, or the one that'll be even harder ta hit. Even if Ah was outta the picture, Ah don't really think y'all coulda taken him down anyways. Right?” Ah turned ta Goose and he nodded.

“Yeah. I've had all my girls mad at me for some reason or other before and try to get me at the same time, and let me tell you, you do not make seven power ponies angry without having a plan of escape. I didn't have my teleportation power at the time, but even with seven of them, they never caught me. It always blows over in the end though.” Ah frowned.

“Ah figured as much. Anyways, y'all are slow and if yer opponent gets on ta yer tricks too quick, ya need ta adapt and change yer tactics in a flash. Ah won't always be able ta direct ya at a moment's notice. Take a half hour break and come back down here once that's over. Oh, and after ya leave, put a barrier on this room ta make sure ponies with yer brand can't leave it.” Twilight furrowed her brow.

“What are you going to do?” Ah smiled.

“Goose and Ah need ta talk.” Twilight took a step back. Fer a moment, she looked at me like Ah was some kinda predator.

“Um... okay then. G-girls, why don't we go make a plan upstairs? Good luck, Goose!” Twilight just about ran out of the trainin' room and everypony else followed just as quick. Goose however, was stopped by a violet force field at the door. He swallowed.

“Oh, mother of the goddess, please don't leave me in here alone with her!” He said as he seemed to blink in a few spots around the door.

“Sorry! Not my decision!” came from further off. Ah smiled.

“Ah suggest ya find the ability ta fight a mare real quick, because Ah'm tired of beatin up my friends at a quarter strength and Ah have some pent up anger ta let loose. Come 'ere!” Lettin' my muscles push with all the force Ah could managed, Goose looked on in fear as the crystal floor cracked under the sheer pressure of my hooves. Ah lunged only ta find him a few steps away, and then an idea began ta pop inta my head. He can't teleport very far without chargin’ it or somethin’, can he? Ah made quick motions ta turn on him and made sure ta watch his movements as he did.

Ah swept at him again, only ta watch him blink another few steps back, but closer this time. After three more attempts at him without losin' a second of pressure, his warps weren't all the way out of reach and Ah started grazin' his shirt. With that, Ah let off. He looked real tired.

“So why don't ya tell me the truth. How far can ya warp?” Ah asked. He took the moment ta catch his breath and take off his jacket. After he finally caught up, he sat down.

“I would never... lie to a lady... I can go... wherever I want. Goddess, you are relentless,” he said between breaths.

“So, lets say Ah believe that. What does it take fer ya ta jump from here ta say, Ah don't know, Canterlot? If ya had the ability ta, Ah figure you'd just jump from one side of the room ta the other with my every attack, but that's not the case, now is it?” His lip twitched.

“...No. With enough time, I can warp anywhere in the world, that's a fact. But, I can't do it too much or I start to run out of it I guess. Like, it's almost like a stamina bar in a game. If I let it charge for an hour, I can be anywhere in a second. I've warped from here to crystal with another pony before. But trying to dodge you with it is like reusing a fixed amount of stamina over and over, more so than my recharge rate can keep up with. But you figured that out on your own, didn't you?” He let the haughty tone slide out of his voice, soundin' almost normal. Almost.

“Ah did. Ah can't have ya broken after all. Now why don't ya defend yerself so Ah can take my mind off some stuff fer a while?” It was a framed like a question, but at this point it was a command.

“What? Why? Can't you just talk about it like a normal- oh shit!” Ah took a step and watched Goose's eyes go wide as my left forehoof came rocketin' in from below. He warped just before Ah made contact, and this time, he did go ta the other side of the room. Now he was up on a storage container and Ah started after him.

“Normal ponies talk about their problems!” Ah leapt with a hoof aimed fer his face and he blinked out, a little closer now, but still on my opposite side. Ah'd expected that, so Ah used the momentum Ah'd built with my left ta spin in mid air and launch from the spot where he was.

“Fighting away your problems isn't going to help!” Ah tried ta predict where he would go next, and he'd warped in front of a wall this time. Ah made a motion like Ah was gonna sweep his legs out, and like Ah thought, he warped behind me again. Usin' the wall as a spring, Ah kicked off and rocketed at him. Ah didn't give him the chance ta teleport this time, so with what little he could do, he blocked. Goose flew off toward the wall, but blinked just in front of it.

“Oww...” He shook the steam off his forelegs again and huffed.

“Maybe if ya fought back, Ah wouldn't have the chance ta hit ya that hard!” Ah ran after him again, and finally he looked like he was gonna fight back. He made the motion like he was gonna throw a punch, but just as he did, he blinked behind me again.

“Even if I fought back what's the point? If all you're doing is blowing off steam, why don't you get a punching bag or something?” Fer a single second, Ah had hoped that he was really gonna do it. Now Ah was just mad and disappointed. Ah twisted around again and hopped off a nearby storage container ta go after him.

“The point is, ya are my punchin' bag!” Ah didn't need it against the others, but now Ah was getting' tired of him. Ah flicked my right fore hoof back and shot my remainin' cable at the ground by his hooves, movin' faster than Ah had previously. Once again, Goose didn't have the time ta warp and went ta block his side. Angry enough not ta care, instead of goin' after his face, Ah swept his hooves out from under him and bucked him across the room.

“Son of a bitch!” He blinked out of motion and on top of a storage container, now clutchin' his side where Ah kicked him. “I don't see how that's fair. Isn't this like, police brutality?” Ah shot the container he was on and reeled in quick. Ah guess he'd learned from the first time and made the decision ta warp early.

“Ah'm not the police! Ah don't have rules ta follow!” Ah pulled the blade back and aimed it just in front of Goose. However, he moved forward and hit the blade up as it came close, reaimin’ it at ceilin’. Ah quickly canceled and retracted the blade again.

“I figure that's your thing now, but that makes it harder for me to dodge. Look, If I fight back will you tell me what's wrong?” Ah charged at him again.

“Maybe Ah will, but you'll have ta do somethin' first!” Goose sighed.

“Fine. Just remember, you asked for it!” Ah got close enough ta hit him, but mid swing, he blinked out. From behind me, my legs were kicked out and with enough force fer me ta feel it, Ah got bucked across the room. Ah reoriented myself ta see what had just happened when he was comin’ up on me. Ah shot the ground ta change my position and saw him blink again. When he didn't show up behind me, my memory triggered that this happened last night too. Sure enough, he was above me, both fore hooves about ta come down like a hammer.

Ah pulled the cable out and ducked just under the swipe, then Ah cartwheel kicked kicked him as he was comin' down. He went across the room ta the wall, but this time, reoriented himself and lunged at me. No time ta dodge, Ah prepared ta take the hit when he warped from in front ta beside me. The hard cross dug and twisted inta my ribs until my body gave inta it and Ah slammed inta the back wall. Well this feels familiar. Ah thought as Ah shook my head. It was a lot like gettin' hit by the Beast. Ah dug myself out of the crystal in time ta avoid Goose slam a hoof in place of where my head was a second ago. Well damn, maybe he is takin' this seriously.

Ah could feel a smile start ta build up as Ah let my muscles loose again usin' all the force Ah could build up. He wasn't so much tryin' ta block now as he was meetin' my attacks. We both kicked high and felt the wind from the forces meetin' shake our manes. A warp and a punch blocked, returned with a kick blocked and warped behind. A back flip ta dodge, jab and a right cross ta counter. A twist and a right cross met mine. Neither of us let go until a shot of pain made me pull my hoof back. Goose mirrored me, and when we looked at our hooves, they were cracked, almost shattered all the way up ta the quick.

“Well... shit.” The waves of pain throbbed up my foreleg and it hurt ta move it. Ah was actually breathin' heavy fer once. Not only could he warp, even if it was only short distances, but he could match me blow fer blow.

“Damn it, that stings! This is exactly... the kind of shit... I was trying to avoid.” He was breathin' just as heavy as Ah was, so Ah guess we're at similar levels. Another pony that can keep up with me. Maybe this pond is bigger than Ah thought... After a few seconds of shakin' his hoof, he sat down and took a deep breath. “Look, can we call this done? I don't want to break any more bones.” Ah let my own breath catch up with me and sat down myself.

“Ah guess. Maybe you're not as much of a bitch as Ah thought ya were. At the very least, ya can throw a punch.” The pain came in sharp waves over and over again, makin' me wince every now and again.

“I'll just write that one down as a compliment and leave it there. So? Come on, spill it. What's your deal?” Damn it. Ah frowned. You'd think he'd forget somethin' like that after all that adrenaline.

“Bah, Ah don't owe you anythin'.” He reared back.

“What!? That's not fair, come on, I broke my hoof for you!” Ah could feel my teeth startin' ta grind. Ah don't wanna talk about this. The whole point of today was ta get away from it.

“Ah... don't wanna talk about it.” Somewhere, buried deep away, somethin' cracked.

“You wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't.”

“You know what? Fine. Ah'm not over it. Ah can't get it out of my head.”

“Get what out of your head?”

“The corpses! The mutilated body, the destruction of the harbor, Ah can't stop thinkin' about it! Every time Ah close my eyes it's there, starin' at me with the one eye Ah didn't rip out in a blind rage. 'You did this ta me,' it repeats itself over and over again. Ah had a dream last night, and Ah know it wasn't mine because it didn't turn inta a nightmare. Ah woke up from another nightmare this mornin', all the ponies Ah'd watched die, all the ones Ah'd killed, they were all comin' after me... That's the kinda dream Ah have, and Ah don't ever forget 'em. Last night only made everythin' worse than it used ta be. Ah just can't stop thinkin' about her. She was just a kid damn it! Am Ah not supposed ta save ponies? Isn't this the kinda thing Ah'm here ta stop? It... It just doesn't ever get any easier ta deal with.” Goose was silent fer a while, and Ah didn't really expect much of a response from him anyway. Ah should know better. It isn't my fault that half of them died, but all the same, Ah can't stop thinkin' that it was.

“Hey.” Ah took my eyes off the floor ta find Goose scratchin' his head. “I don't like to tell the girls straight all the time, but you're a special case. You think it's your fault all those ponies died, right?” Ah tilted my head.

“Well, yeah. Were ya payin' attention?” He put a hoof up.

“Let me finish. And it's been like this for years right?” Ah eyed him.

“Yes.” He nodded.

“Then just own it. It might not actually be your fault, and if we're honest here that was my fault, but you moping about it doesn't help anypony. Just take it. You did, you didn't, it doesn't matter either way. It's in your head that you did, so just come to terms with it. So you killed Synchro. Synchro killed a bunch of kids, and if you didn't kill her, she would've kept killing, and I would have had to do it. So what's worth more? Knowing that you killed a teenager, or knowing that you stopped a rampaging monster?” Ah wasn't sure how ta respond. Ah just sat there and thought about it until he started talkin' again.

“And for that matter, who did you kill in the past? Ponies that were trying to kill you? Ponies trying to hurt your loved ones? Ponies destroying things in the city? You're Marevelous Red. Nopony thinks of you as anything but a hero and that's coming from somepony who used to be a gang boss. So you didn't save everypony, but that's not your job. Just by doing what you do, you're a symbol of something this city needs to keep it stable, and that is peace of mind. A deterrent to crime, a punishment for doing wrong that the police can't punish on their own. If I were you, I'd wear my own cape and walk around town in it. Kids would look at me and say, 'Look mom, that's a Super Hero!' because that's what you are. Death is just part of the job description, so don't beat yourself up about it.”

Damn it... Damn it, damn it, damn it. Why is it that nothin' he's sayin' sounds wrong? Because none of it is? Or because that's what Ah want ta hear? Just then, the rest of the girls came back.

“Applejack, we thought about it and we... Did something happen?” Twilight asked. Ah let out a puff of air and shook my head.

“No. Ah finally got Goose ta fight back and he's just stronger than Ah'd anticipated. We broke our hooves and that's gonna need ta be fixed before either of us can do anythin'.” Twilight surveyed the damage ta the trainin' room. A good number of spots had pony imprints in them, there were several broken floor pieces, one of the containers was smashed ta shards. This crystal was hard, but not indestructible.

“Well, if it's just that, Rarity can fix it for you. I'll have to repair this place before we do anything else...” The word repair triggered a memory and Ah realized that Ah'd forgotten Ah still had errands ta run.

“Uh... one of y'all wouldn't happen ta know what time it is would ya?” Ah asked, rememberin' that there wasn't hardly any food in the apartment.

“I-It's about four thirty... is there s-something wrong?” Fluttershy answered. Shit.

“Ah need ta get outta here. Uh... while y'all are together, run that same exercise we did before, but just with Goose.” Ah turned ta face him. “Ah don't expect ya ta hurt ‘em, but Ah do expect ya ta make it hard ta get shot.” Goose raised his hooves.

“Yes ma'am, boss lady,” He said with a smirk. Ah rolled my eyes and made my way over ta Rarity while Twilight went ta fixin' the trainin' room.

“Now then, let me see your injury.” Ah raised my hoof and watched as her pale blue magic cover it. The hoof almost seemed ta glue itself back together. Once she was done, Ah shook it around and stamped it a few times and it was like nothin' ever happened.

“How'd ya do that? Ah thought ya couldn't really 'do' magic,” Ah said with air quotes. She waved the question away.

“Fixing a hoof is the simplest healing magic there is. If I can do it, all unicorns can. It's one of the first things unicorns are taught, even before school.”

“Most healing magic is built off that spell, but hooves are just hardened dead skin cells that cover up the more sensitive skin just above them. All that spell does is collect the dead skin off your body, fills in the holes, and gels it together at the seams. More complex spells actually involve manipulating your regenerative capabilities at the cellular level, and that not everypony can do,” Twilight explained as she continued with her repairs. Most of the walls had been fixed, and now she was workin' on the floor.

“Ah'll keep that in mind. My next day off is Tuesday, so Ah'll come check back in then.” Ah made a sweepin' motion ta point at Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight. “Ah expect you three ta get better by the time Ah get back. Ah'll see y'all then.” The three of them sighed.

“Yes ma'am,” they said in unison. Satisfied with that, Ah headed with the staircase, but was stopped at the door.

“Don't forget what we talked about, alright? No more of the nightmares okay?” Goose said. Ah gave him a look and kept walkin'.

“We'll see.”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

What is My Hero Academia?

[KorenCZ11]

7803598 I have enlisted Arkada to explain that for you.