Sometimes They Call Me Super

by KorenCZ11

Origin Story IV: Gratitude

Applejack

---

“So. Tell me. What exactly were you about to call me?” the white unicorn asked. Ah swallowed. Ah don't know exactly what her power is, or at least, what the extent of her magic can do.

Back when we were partnerin', all Ah knew she could do was warp from one place ta another sorta kinda without ever turnin' her horn on. She always carried some kinda weapon on her too, like a baton or somethin'. Ah hadn't said anythin' else, and she just kept circlin' me, sizin' me up and tryin' ta figure out who Ah was.

“Uh… Darlin'?” Ah said. My attempt was in vain.

“Mmhmm. And… how often do you actually use that word? The way you just said it makes it seem foreign to you. Oh, and let's not forget, we've never met before, so that would make me a stranger to you now wouldn't it? Speaking of, where exactly are you and Applebloom from? You clearly aren't from a northern city like Manehattan with an accent like that.”

Ah tried my best ta keep a straight face, but Ah think she knew I was beginnin' ta break. “Uh, Ponyville, Palomino. Ah moved here when Ah was about four or so.” Ah tried ta keep as few details as I could in my sentences.

She was pickin' up on things Ah probably wouldn't have noticed just by lookin' at me. “Mmm... strange. I was born in that town, and I’ve never heard of you. But, you know, there was a hero once who had an accent like yours that’s found in that town. It was always quoted that he was from Manehattan, but many reporters always said he sounded like he was from the south. Another interesting tidbit is that there is a hero around now with oddly similar powers and that same southern accent. Ever heard of a mare who goes by the name Marevelous Red?”

Ah swallowed again. She was catchin' on quicker than Ah wanted, or at all really. She knows what I was gonna call her. Ah needed a convenient escape. Luckily, one showed up.

“Rarity! Can come help me in the kitchen? I think I did something,” her sister said from inside.

Oh thank Celestia.

“Just a moment, Sweetie.” Ah spoke too soon. She turned her head ta answer her sister, then she stared me down. Her body started ta glow with a faint gray aura, and suddenly, the world lost color. Everythin' but me and her was in some kinda light-less black and white world. The streetlamps were lit, but it was more like they sprayed white over everything that wasn't black. Once it was done, she started circlin' me again.

“H-hey? What's goin' on? Are you doin' this!?”

She stopped. “Well, yes. But the question I asked you is still in the air, darling. Do you or do you not know of Marevelous Red?”

Instinctively, Ah took a step away from her. Ah cursed under my breath for it. “Well, yeah. My sister is a big fan of hers...” Ah let my voice trail off.

“Mmhmm... so how about you? What do you think of this Marevelous Red character? Some say she's just a Red Hoof copycat, other say she'll cause just as much destruction as he did twelve years ago.”

Ah nearly froze in place. Ah had ta remember ta breathe after a few minutes. Her mentionin' Pa was one thing, but ta talk about that… “Ah… Ah don't wanna keep talkin' ta ya if ya don't mind. You're startin ta freak me out. You're one of them power ponies right? Look, Ah don't want no trouble…” Ah tried ta change the subject, maybe even get her to take pity on me.

She didn't. “I've had just about enough of this act of yours. I'll put it bluntly; you know who I am, and I believe I know who you are. So, Miss Red, tell me what you were going to call me and I'll release my world.”

Ah know it was cold outside, even colder in this weird black and white zone, but Ah was sweatin'. Should Ah just tell the truth? If Ah keep tryin’ ta deny or change the subject, she may not ever let me go. Ah don't know how long she can keep this up, but if she was willin' ta let me see her power, then she's probably willin' ta go as long as it takes.

Ah bowed my head and sighed. “Diamond. Ah was gonna say Diamond.”

“Ah ha! I knew it! You are Red! It's been so long, how have you been doing? You weren't very friendly earlier today. I've heard you've been in a kind of rut lately,” she said in a completely different tone, approachin' me and puttin' on a friendly air.

Ah wasn't quite prepared fer this kinda change in tempo. “Uh... what? Ah nearly exposed ya ta yer sister and ya just... wanna know how Ah've been?”

She made a bunch of mouth noises and waved my question away. “Sweetie is far too oblivious to catch on to me. Considering what my power is, she likely wouldn't think me as Diamond anyways. Come now, tell me what's been happening with you. You always seem so lonely when I see you work.”

Why is she so concerned? Ah just don't get it. Ah've always been told ta keep ta myself by the ponies who got me where Ah am today, and she just want's ta throw all that away. But… she's not wrong… maybe it would be good ta have somepony Ah can talk ta about work…

“Well… Ah guess… Ah don't know. Can Ah really trust ya? If Ah spill my story out here, do Ah have yer word you'll keep it ta yer self?” Honestly, Ah was putty in her hooves at this point. Ah needed a friend so badly, Ah woulda opened up ta Mac next time Ah saw him. The nightmares won't stop, work has been slow, Ah'm having trouble keepin' up with school payments. Ah feel like Ah need somewhere ta put all this stress, and she's offerin' ta help me hold it.

“Of course. Cross my heart, hope to fly, put a cupcake in my eye,” she said making motions ta follow her words.

“What?” Ah blinked.

“Oh, it's a saying that one of my friends has. You aren't the only other hero I know, after all.”

“You know others? Who they really are?” Ah asked, amazed that there were others crazy enough ta trust their secrets ta somepony else. As inconspicuous as this kind of job is, that's almost more of a shock than her figurin' out who Ah am.

“Obviously. I've been trying to get you to join our guild all this time, but you always rejected me after that, um, incident. We help each other. You can't keep the weight of the world on your back alone, after all.”

With one sentence, Ah suddenly felt lighter. This is probably what relief feels like. “Thanks, Dia- er, Rarity right?”

She nodded. “Anything to help a friend. After all, we're share the same goal don't we? Keep this city a safe place for our families?”

Ah nodded. “Yeah.” Ah looked around and noticed that nothin' had moved. The clouds, the banners, any kind of cloth that would flow in the wind that had been blowin' stuck in place like a picture. As a matter of fact, Ah hadn't felt that recently either.

“Didn't yer sister ask fer yer help like, a while ago?” Rarity rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Well, sort of. My power? I can freeze time for about ten minutes. The price for that however, is my magical ability. As far as unicorns go, I'm about as pathetic as one can get, unfortunately. More or less limited to simple levitation spells and one that relates to my cutie mark. Little and less more. Sweetie had more ability as a filly than I do now. That is why I always carry some kind of bludgeoning tool around when I do my job.” She looked a little disappointed. Her power is pretty amazin', but bein’ a weak unicorn probably has more drawbacks than Ah could know. Ah figured Ah'd tell her what my power is ta try and cheer her up.

“Well, Ah'm really just a strong earth pony. Sure, Ah can punch through a buildin' but Ah can't do nothin' special like this. Y'all can stop time! Even if it's just a few minutes, that' another ten minutes ya can add ta yer day. Ah can only imagine how nice that must be ta have around. Have ya ever thought about usin' projectiles when the world is all frozen like this? There are just so many ways ya could use this…” The more Ah thought about it, the more Ah liked the idea of what she could do. If she could keep me in her frozen time like this, then maybe…

“It... doesn't quite work like that. Believe me, I've tried, but things will only go a few meters before they get caught in my field. I'm not quite a mathematician like Twilight, and I can't quite handle a gun like Fluttershy. Basically, I'm not very cut out for that sort of calculation driven thing. Bringing other ponies into my world also cuts down the time I can use it, so everything would need to be done at about the speed Pinkie moves. I know it's crude, but whacking somepony across the head with a nice thick club is the best way for me to handle things. That is, while I'm alone, of course.”

Ah wonder who all these other ponies are. Ah bet they're part of her club or whatever she called it. “Well, why don't we go talk inside? This cold is startin' ta get at me, and Ah'm sure yer sister probably needs the help.”

Rarity sighed. “Oh right. That's what she said isn't it? You know she's almost burned my boutique down on more than one occasion. I keep telling her to stay out of the kitchen, but no, she needs to be independent and cook for herself. Ugh, I just wish she would try to rely on me more.”

Ah laughed. “Ha, you and me both. Applebloom is just about as stubborn as they come. She don't want my help half the time she needs it. Too smart fer her own good Ah reckon.”

She lost her look of disdain and smiled. “Well now. We might just have more in common than I thought. I'm just about out of time to freeze, so when it comes back just head upstairs and to the left. I'll tell Sweetie to keep to the first floor so we can talk without extra ears around.”

“Alright.” Just as quickly Ah agreed, the color, sound, and forces of the world that were sucked away returned. The wind started ta blow again, the world wasn't white and black with just outlines of thin’s anymore, and Ah was disoriented. It felt like the air had been knocked out of me and then returned just as fast as it had gone away.

“Oops, sorry. Nopony ever takes it well the first time. You get used to it,” she apologized, tryin' ta keep me standin' on all four hooves. Ah shook my head ta get a grip, and finally Ah wasn't dizzy anymore.

“That... didn't feel good.”

“Oh, you'll be fine. I'm coming Sweetie.” She released me and then we walked inside the boutique, together.

---

Citrus Root

---

It had been two weeks since the news that Glistening Dew was pregnant became known to her relatives. The happy couple had told just about every friend and family member they could and were busy preparing for the new baby who was just months away. It was bright in their world, and Citrus envied it. His had only grown darker.

It wasn't a normal series of crimes. Nothing was ever stolen, there was never a ransom or a hostage, it was just homicide. Not of civilians, but heroes. Power Pony after Power Pony, each murdered in cold blood, the same way, one after the other. It was one of the most gruesome series of deaths that the city had ever seen. Even Shark Tooth had quick deaths for his victims, but these poor heroes… The killer always left a message above the body written in the victim's own blood.

The first one read as such; 'Green means go, Yellow means watch out, Red means kill. Do you see me? What color am I? What color are you?'

The police couldn't figure it out. Red hoof couldn't figure it out. None of the other heroes could think of anything but traffic lights, or why they asked so many questions in the first place. Then the next murder happened.

The new message read; 'Green is gone, Yellow means watch out, Red means kill. You can't go anymore. Have you seen me yet? Red should watch out. What color are you?'

Then Citrus began to get an idea the he himself was the one all these messages were directed at. The first kill was a mare who went by Wild Cyclone. Cyclone was one of the first heroes to show up in Red Hoof's wake after the Brute Force arrest. She was very good at her job, but even though she was a Pegasus, she had real difficulty flying. She could control winds with her mind, and one of her signature moves was to spawn a small tornado within a fixed radius which she used to draw in her targets and then send them flying wherever she wished.

She wore a two tone green suit and had bright pink wings with a bright blue mane and tail. She was a good friend to Red hoof, but she was also reckless. She typically went after the largest bounty she could find, whether or not she was suited for the job, and this had almost gotten her killed more than once if not for the intervention for other heroes. And now… she'd never be reckless again.

The killer's second message said that green was gone, referring to Cyclone. This helped him narrow down who the third kill might be, but he couldn't know where that hero was. The second death was Burst, a Unicorn with the ability to kick his spark producing hooves against a hard surface and cause explosions wherever he pleased. He wore a bright yellow suit, had a dark black mane and tail, but until his death, nopony knew that his coat was navy blue.

Burst showed up not too long ago. He was still a teen, but he was very good at his job and his power of controlled explosions made him one of the more dangerous heroes around. Citrus thought he'd be in this game longer than himself, but now, that wasn't the case. He was angry over Cyclone's death, and he was furious after he found out about Burst. The next two days were devoted to figuring out who red was going to be. The first two colors matched the Power Pony's suits, so red was himself or Octofish. He had Octo stay at his house, since the two knew each other's faces, but when Octo was fine and a new murder had been announced, neither of them proved to be the target.

The scene was swarming with police officers when Red and Octo arrived.

“What happened? Where's the body?” Citrus angrily asked.

The officer looked very nervous and shuffled his hooves with every word. “I-it's over at the b-back of the alleyway. Oh, Goddess, I'm gonna be sick…” The young officer quickly headed off away from where the bulk of officers were, probably to vomit. The smell in the air was rather strong…

“Poor guy. He looked green,” Octo said.

“Scales, Ah need ya to focus on the task at hoof. Somepony is runnin' around killin' our friends,” Red Hoof said to his much more relaxed associate. Octofish was known to stay calm without changing his demeanor and never letting his emotions show. He was an earth pony like Citrus, but his power was to change his whole body composition into water. He could slip between buildings, take gunshots and drop bullets where they landed. He was good at his job, but completely unreadable. His real name was Transit Scale.

“Don't call me that. And besides, these officers deserve some kind of break. These killings are all… horrible.” For what was likely the first time, Red Hoof saw Octofish frown.

Red sighed. “Ah apologize. All this has just been gettin' me worked up. Ah hate ta admit it, but Ah think this is all my fault. None of y'all woulda ever put on a cape if Ah hadn't showed up, and now yer bein' targeted fer it.”

The disgruntled hero stood and ground his teeth together when his friend put a hoof around his neck. “We made our own choices. You just gave us the courage to do something good with our powers. We all know the risks associated with this, it's just finally happened to catch up with us now.” Octo was smiling again, and that put Red Hoof at ease. He was always a relaxing agent, always knew what to say.

“Thanks. You're a good friend Octo. Ah-” The two were approached by an officer before he could say anything else.

“Mr. Red Hoof, Octofish? I think you should come see this…” the young mare said. The two looked at each other, and then followed the her to the scene. Much like Burst, this hero had her organs liquified, and her brain fried inside her skull. The smell indicated it was fresh.

“Holy hell…” Octo mumbled.

“Yeah, it's bad. Poor Light Bringer… how did this happen to ya?” Citrus said as he looked over the corpse. Painted on the wall in her blood was the new message.

'Green is gone, Yellow is gone, Red is flashing mad. Does it hurt to show your color? Stop says you can't move, but you do so anyways. If only Red was as simple as Apples and Oranges…'

Red Hoof froze. He didn't move, he didn't even breathe. The last sentence repeated over and over again in his mind.

Octofish finally managed so settle his stomach and read the message. “Oh, goddess… Red…”

Red Hoof finally breathed. “Ah know. Well, he has my undivided attention now. Do ya mind goin' back ta the house and keepin' an eye on the kids? Ah need ta go talk ta my diviner… Ah'm gonna find this guy before he can hurt my family.” A new kind of fury had built up inside Red Hoof, and now his control on it was beginning to loosen. Octo was about to take a step away from the 'hero' before he remembered he was on the same side. Red Hoof was not one quick to anger. That was probably a good thing.

“Okay Red, I'll keep an eye on them. Are you gonna be okay on your own?” The concerned hero asked. Red Hoof puffed out his snout.

“Ah'd be more concerned about the other guy if Ah were y'all. As mad as Ah am… Ah don't know how well Ah'll be able ta control myself.” With a quick crouch, Red Hoof leapt to the top of the apartment complex they were behind, and was now out of sight.

Octo shook his head. “He's gonna get himself killed one of these days. Vengeance isn't the right way to go about this…”

---

“Oh goddess…” Star Slate said as he dropped the fabric bolts he was holding, startled by the sudden crash. “Red, ya gotta give us a warning before ya jump in like that, man.” He started to pick up his brightly colored fabrics as Red Hoof walked inside from the second floor balcony.

In the last two years, Star Slate had become a popular designer and photographer, making costumes for heroes that would pop up shortly after receiving them, and getting some of the best pictures of them Manehattan has ever seen.

Brightness on the other hoof, had further developed her powers, all the while opting to help her brother rather than enter school. She had become increasingly more accurate with her ability to connect with the Power Ponies Red Hoof was after, and she could talk to anypony she'd established a physical link to as if they were right next to her.

“Oh is that Red? I figured he was on his way here,” called the filly from down stairs.

“Yeah,” Star called back. Then he turned to Red, who hadn't said anything since coming to a standstill in Star's office.

“Hey, buddy? Ya okay? You're bein' awful quiet over there.” Red Hoof was breathing heavily, just standing in place. Feeling something was wrong, Star went to put his fabrics down, and then Red Hoof he collapsed.

“Holy shit! Bright, get up here! I think he's hurt!” Star dropped everything and rushed to Red Hoof's side. After getting close, he noticed that the whole of his right flank had been seared and cauterized. The suit looked like it was coming apart down to the fibers where it wasn't melted to his bare skin in that spot.

Brightness had finally flown up the stairs and nearly dropped out of the air when she saw the wound. “Good Goddess! What happened!?”

“I don't know, but he's hurt real bad sis. We need to get him in a bed and try and cool him down, he's burning up.” The filly nodded and helped Star load Red Hoof on his back. The two made their way down stairs and gently placed the wounded warrior on their couch. Several replaced bags of ice later, Red Hoof had finally reached a normal body temperature and stopped sweating. It was early in the morning when Red Hoof had arrived, and it was about noon before he finally woke up.

“Applejack!” Citrus sat up too fast and started to scramble for his right flank.

“Star. Star, wake up, he finally came to,” Brightness said from nearby. Citrus turned his head to the white filly shaking her sleeping brother in his chair.

“What!? Oh, good goddess, you're okay,” he said with a jolt, then a sigh. Star got out of his chair and the two approached the now suit-less hero. Citrus' head was pounding, his flank was throbbing with pain, and most of his body ached.

“Red? Citrus? Are ya okay?” the filly asked, suspended in the air next to his head.

“Ah... Ah think so... Everythin' hurts, but Ah reckon that's just about normal.”

“What happened? Your suit was ruined and your flank...” Star trailed off, staring at the blackened part of the hero. Citrus was beginning to recall that he was on his way here when… he met the killer. He let out a breath. Just thinking about him was enough to make his legs shake.

“Ah was ambushed… he was waitin' fer me by the last murder. He got my side with whatever power he has, and then…” Citrus' ears started to ring. He kept seeing flashes of his children's faces, calling out for help. He was in no condition to fight, but he needed to find and stop that killer before he made it to his kids. Octo wouldn't stand a chance if he really was after them. Citrus tried to get out of bed, but his back right leg kept flaring in pain with every movement. “Gah!”

“Hey man, ya don't need to be moving around. Just rest for a few hours alright?” Star said, trying to help him lay back down. Citrus pushed him away, almost too hard.

“Ah can't just sit around, he's after my kids! Ah need ta…” The pain was starting to overwhelm his vision. Darkness was closing in, and soon thereafter, he passed out. The siblings were silent as the hero's breathing started to slow.

“Star,” Brightness said, sternness in her voice.

Star was concerned now. “Yeah?”

“We need to take care of this.” She turned to face her brother slowly, making the blazing determination in her eyes known.

“What!? How are we gonna do anything!? You're the only one with powers here, and we can't fight! This guy blew a hole in the Red Hoof! What are we supposed to do against somepony like that?” Brightness made her way over to the telephone on the wall and pointed to it.

“We aren’t! You know more heroes than anypony in this city, and most of them still haven't paid ya back yet. He helped us stay alive, and it's about time we returned the favor.”

Star shook his head. “Bright, I can't just call ponies out for favors like that. I know they owe us, and they're all good for it, but this… This isn't just me needing more materials or something, this is ponies lives we're dealing with.”

Brightness stomped her hooves. She could always stun her brother like that because he never thought her capable of making such a loud noise. “That's right, and it's his life that's in trouble! Are you really gonna let three little foals die because you're too much of a coward to make a few phone calls? He is in trouble, and he came to us. It's our turn to be his heroes.”

Star gritted his teeth. She was right. “Damn it Bright! You're doin' it again! Oh goddess, why does this keep happenin' to me?” With reluctant steps, Star made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a small black notebook. He flipped open the first page and started to dial.

---

When Citrus woke next, the sun was on the horizon, and Star Slate's house was filled with ponies he didn't know. Most of them he didn't recognize, some of them he felt he'd heard speak before, but all of them were being ordered around by a ten year old white pegasus with blue to yellow gradiated mane.

“Black Wing, I want you positioned near the south district toward 245th and 140th Street. A reminder to everypony, we're trying to corner an orange-brown coated earth pony with dark brown hair and lots of driving experience. He may be in a car, so keep on the lookout for that. Octofish, what does it look like over there? Nothing to report? Good, let's hope it stays that way. Life Leech!” Brightness barked out. The filly basically had everypony here on leads.

“Yes?” said a yellow green… bat pony? She had dark violet wings, but not the normal kind, and fangs. Visible fangs. She was about six inches away from Citrus.

“How is he? I felt a spike in his consciousness,” Brightness said, keeping her attention focused on a map with several ponies near her at the kitchen table. The mare turned to look at Citrus and they stared at each other for a few, unusually long seconds.

“Oh, he's awake now,” she said after managing to break away from the staring contest.

“Good. Get him up to speed, we need him out in the city. What? You found him!? Get him where we want him to be!” the filly said, then began to give more orders to names Citrus only half recognized. Citrus sat up and realized he wasn't in pain anymore. In fact, he felt fine. He tested his flank, and then noticed his suit was covering it again. He checked himself over, and found that his suit looked very different than it had earlier today.

Rather than it being mostly white with his limbs and cape being red, the suit was now more inline with itself, being predominantly black along the body with white sections starting at the top of each limb that turned red as they made their way to his hooves. The whole suit was done in hexagonal patterns that had different colored outlines depending on what color the hexagon inside was, and it looked impressive. Even the false cutiemark had been updated with a more futuristic design to it, while still looking like the old Red Hoof emblem.

Star must've been working on this before Ah showed up… figures. Kid is too kind fer his own good.

“Oh, please wait one moment before you start to move around,” the bat mare said, drawing his attention. Her coat faded from it's green yellow to a muted blue and suddenly, Citrus felt a wave of fatigue.

“Dear goddess, what in the world was that?” he asked, trying to get over the sudden dizzy spell.

“That would be my power. I can heal wounds at the cost of life energy. You might have lost a month or two from your life span, but all your wounds have been healed back to perfect condition.” Citrus could feel his face beginning to twist in confusion, but decided that he needed to figure out what was going on before questioning whatever sketchy detail that was.

“Okay… So, who exactly are all these ponies? And what are y'all doin' here?” Citrus started to sit up. He was sore, but he could live with that.

“Ah, right. Well, I believe everyone here but Star Slate is a Power Pony, and we're all here to help you,” she explained with a toothy smile.

“Help me? Why would any of ya do that?” A black and white stallion a little ways away overheard and joined the conversation.

“Well, because you're Red Hoof. You've done so much for all of us, this is just the least we could do.” Citrus tilted his head at the stallion, which made him realize that his mask was easier to see through than it used to be.

“Do Ah... know you?” He felt like he'd seen this guy before, but couldn't place him.

“You rescued me from a robbery a few months ago. You took a bullet for me if I remember correctly, and that inspired me to try and put myself to use afterward. I can't do much, but my power lets me phase through things,” the stallion said as he put his hooves through the coffee table Life Leech was sitting on.

“Wow. Now that is somethin',” Citrus said, trying to think back to the event the stallion described. It sounded like something he would have done, simply because bullets have a hard time getting past his muscles, but there have been enough robberies to fill a filing cabinet in the last three months, so one specific save wasn't coming to mind. Life Leech took the conversation back.

“You saved all of us at one point in our lives as far as everypony knows, so when Star Slate called asking for help, we couldn't refuse. Brightness has been working everyone like a slave driver, but we've just about cornered the guy at the edge of the southern district. Apparently, he didn't know you had so many admirers.” She flashed her toothy smile again.

Citrus curled his front right hoof and flexed his fore leg to make sure he still had his strength. At the moment, he felt better than he had in the last two weeks, and it was time to solve the problem that started all this.

“Brightness!” Red Hoof called, now standing on his hind legs above everyone else, his voice booming through the house, commanding every head to turn.

“Welcome back, Red Hoof,” the filly said with her trademark devil's smirk.

“Tell me where this guy is. Ah've got a killer ta catch.”

Brightness popped her neck. “It's about time. We have him cornered in a warehouse near the edge of the northern and southern district borders. Right around 202nd and 133rd.” Citrus' eyes went wide and he bolted out the front door.

“Oh, for the love of! Life Leech, follow him please? If anythin' happens, you're the only one who can keep him alive,” Brightness said, accompanied by an eye roll.

“Yes ma'am!”

Red Hoof leapt from rooftop to rooftop, desperately trying to reach the destination.

Damn it, that's a block away from Blood's apartment!

Comments

[saum22]

pretty cool