The Mark of a Hero
“Hnnn,” Rainbow Dash mumbled. Her muzzle twitched, but she did not raise her head from her desk.
Pinkie chortled, straining to keep a full case of giggles for escaping her mouth. She bent close to Dash and brought a feather close to Dash’s muzzle once more. Applejack could not help but chuckle at the display. Sunset rolled her eyes at the whole affair and went back to looking over her notes.
“Um, maybe you shouldn’t bother Dash?” Fluttershy murmured while Pinkie tickled Dash’s nose. “She really likes her na—”
Dash nickered loud enough for the whole room to hear. Pinkie and Applejack burst out laughing. The sudden noise awoke Dash. Her head shot up and she raised her hooves. “Whazzat? Who wants some!?”
Pinkie and Applejack laughed even harder. Fluttershy let out the tiniest of titters.
“What?” Dash said, brow furrowed and face red. “What’s so funny?”
Before she could force an answer out Applejack or Pinkie, the door opened and Twilight and Spike walked into the classroom. Spike’s head hung low while Twilight managed to keep hers up, but she still looked tense. Both made their way to their seats. When Twilight sat down, Applejack, having moved away from Dash along with Pinkie, gave her a tap on the shoulder.
“You doing okay, sugarcube?” she asked. “Don’t blame you if you’re still a little roughed up from yesterday.”
“It’s not that.” Twilight chewed her lip. “It’s… well, there are these two students I know that haven’t talked yet, but I’m sure they’d be great friends if they just interacted a little.”
“I get it,” Pinkie smirked and rubbed her chin. She slid up beside Twilight and crossed her hooves. “You’re nervous about playing friend matchmaker. Totally understandable. Luckily, you’ve got your friendship master friend Pinkie to help you out. So, what are we dealing in?”
“I’m not really sure I can say,” Twilight sighed. “One of them came to me with the problem, and I tried to assure them there was nothing wrong. I thought maybe the other student could help resolve the issue, but they might have heard something and aren’t willing to talk now. I tried everything with them this morning, but I’m at a loss.”
“Wow-wee, that does sound like a major friendship problem.” Pinkie moved back to her seat and leaned back. A fake white goatee and glasses now sat atop her face. With a heavy accent, she asked, “So, tell me, do zese schtudents have anysing in common?”
“From the sound of it, yes.” Twilight lowered her head. “It’s just one of them has this personal problem that I really didn’t feel comfortable asking about, so I’m sort of stuck.”
“Hmmm, eenteresting.” Pinkie scribbled something down in her notebook and looked up, glasses and goatee now gone. “Seems like you’ve got a serious case of can’t say won’t say going on, with a heavy bit of super duper secret keeping and not wanting to hurt anypony’s feelings.”
“Yes, definitely. It’s just…” Twilight took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “I didn’t have a lot of friends before this, so how can I hope to fix somepony else’s problem and get those two to be on better terms?”
“You can’t,” Pinkie chirped. Her hoof shot up and silenced Twilight before she could gasp at her bluntness. “Now hear me out Twilight, it is really super awesome that you want to help, but you can’t do everything. Like…” Pinkie sharply inhaled through clenched teeth. Her smile diminished. “Like yesterday. So, just do what you can, but don’t try to force something.”
“I’m with Pinkie on this,” said Applejack. “You’re a kind soul, Twi, but I’m getting the feeling you ain’t the social type. Hay, I’d probably be in a similar boat if I didn’t help out with business back home. What I learned from that is you can give things a nudge, but push too hard, and something will break.”
Twilight glanced away from Applejack towards the front of the room. She spied Rarity’s back, but even from this distance, she could see she was trembling in her seat. “I just hope it hasn’t already.”
Just then, the door flew open. With everyone in the class accounted for, the sudden motion caught the students’ attention. They braced themselves for Tantabus, but were instead greeted by a glow flowing into the room. Spike perked up a little. Twilight recognized the warmth washing over the room immediately.
“My little ponies,” a warm yet booming voice called out. Golden shoes clinked onto the classroom’s floor. Jaws loosened. Eyes glazed over from the sight of dazzling white fur and a multihued mane that flowed of its own accord. Students leaned forward to take in the royal regalia, its golden chest plate and tiara shimmering in the early morning light. Celestia maintained a serene smile as she strode to the front of the classroom. “Good morning! I hope you are ready, because today I will be overseeing you training!”
The classroom erupted in cheers. Twilight could not determine whether to smile at the sight of her teacher or to brace herself for what she expected was going to be a harsh workout. That left her with a shaky grin and glued to her seat while everypony around her hollered in excitement.
Both Sunset and Rainbow Dash looked over Celestia with sharpened eyes. Dash wore a giddy grin while Sunset furrowed her brow and studied Celestia closer. Still, the edges of her lips curved upwards.
Fluttershy sank into her seat and gulped.
As if sensing her trepidation, shadowy vapors wisped out of the floor. Tantabus coalesced out of the substance. The class immediately went silent.
“Your first class always gets them so intimidated,” Celestia mused.
“A small price for a valuable lesson.” Tantabus scanned over the class. “That said, I am more than pleased to see all of you here today. I know just coming to class today was a harsh ordeal for some of you. So, allow me to award your bravery.”
Tantabus’s body pulsated. Out of it sprouted multiple boxes. They resembled sleek steel briefcases. Each was emblazoned with the School’s insignia. Above the insignia was a name. More and more boxes flew out of Tantabus, far more than even his large body should have been able to hold, until there was a box for every student.
“For passing the first day, you have earned these. Yesterday, you faced your worst fears. Today, you receive an embodiment of your wildest dreams. Take them! Don your marks of heroism!”
Tantabus sent the boxes flying out to the class. While everyone accepted them with widened eyes and giddy grins, Celestia leaned close to him. “You always love doing that bit, don’t you?”
“I reward my students as they deserve,” Tantabus replied. “Plus, if I don’t play it up a little, they’ll never learn to be open around me.”
While Celestia and Tantabus chatted, everyone else opened up their boxes. Capes, masks, boots, and tools of every shape, size, and use were arranged inside. Alongside them were drawings and notes each student had submitted plus additional notes on various items. A sense of awe filled the air. These were something only a hero could have, and were second or perhaps even equal to a license in terms of importance. These were costumes.
With bated breath, Twilight unlatched the locks on her box.
~~~
A sizeable stack of paperwork had arrived alongside Twilight’s acceptance letter. Most of it was standard forms for financing, background, and general information. Although, there was a disproportionate number of disclaimers.
Twilight, Night Light, and Velvet pored over each sheet of paper. Twilight, even with the prior knowledge of her acceptance, basked in the forms, the physical proof of her acceptance. Night Light scanned the forms before taking a quill to the bottom of them. Velvet was the last to look at each piece of paper, and she took in each word, analyzed every sentence, and muttered the form to herself before daring to lift a quill.
They all worked like a processing line throughout the afternoon. The sun was sinking to the west by the time Twilight came across a form that lit up her eyes. She reread it before pushing away from the table.
“I’ll be right back,” she called from the stairs.
Intrigued, Velvet and Night Light peered at the form. They shared and look and whispered to each other. Velvet glanced to the side and gave Night Light a response that made him smile.
When Twilight returned with a stack of papers that dwarfed what had come with her acceptance letter, she found Night Light absent. Velvet was still staring to the side, eyes a bit glassed over and her mind some place Twilight could not determine. Her enthusiasm from coming upon the form diminished.
“Mom, is everything okay?” asked. “And where did Dad go?”
Velvet snapped out of her trance. Her eyes were still a little misty. “Oh, Twilight, your father and I just recalled something.” Getting up from the table, she drew close to Twilight and nuzzled her. “My little Twilight, you really worked hard for this. I just wish I could have supported you more this whole time.”
“Mom…” Twilight returned Velvet’s nuzzle with her own. “… you tried.”
“Trying is never enough for our family. I should have known that was true for you too.” The air crackled near the table. With a pop, Night Light reappeared with a few papers at his side, their edges crinkled and yellow from some age. “Luckily, your father did know that.”
Velvet and Twilight returned to the table. Night Light greeted them with a smile and spread the papers out.
“Well, Twilight, your tastes may have changed a little, but you were always getting so excited about what kind of costumes you’d wear, I thought you might want to look over some of your old drawings.”
For a moment, Twilight scanned over the drawings. Some were in crayon. Some were in pencil. Masks of all shapes, and capes of varying lengths dotted the pages. Design after design was drawn in, with some being shown fitted onto a small purple unicorn. A few of the older looking pieces made Twilight blush from their simplicity. That and the blatant copying of the royal regalia. Twilight had even drawn wings onto herself in a few of them.
Still, Twilight reached out her legs and gave Night Light a big hug. “Thanks, Dad.”
Then, she set her own set of papers down. The table jittered from the weight. Twilight grinned. “Now, I recalled most of those designs being impractical, but there were a few that are still viable. I’ve been working on the technical aspects a lot, and also a way to incorporate my cutie mark into it somehow, but I still need a little help collecting everything together into one costume.”
“Sounds like something our family was made for.” Velvet’s horn lit up and Twilight’s old drawings and her new research floated up. “We may not be designers, but we’ll help you any way we can!”
~~~
Spike inhaled deeply and clicked his cape onto his chest plate. Initially, his costume had lacked the latter part, but the manticore attack had taught him that despite being covered in scales, his underbelly was still relatively weak. Donning it for the first time prickled his skin. Something about armor instinctively felt off with a body that could withstand heat that melted rocks.
The chill had been with him before putting on the costume. It slowed his movements and drew out each of his breaths. Even his desire to see Twilight and the others in their costumes was muted.
He looked down at the black mask in his claw. From afar, it would look no different than a party mask, but Spike felt its density and knew it could take a hit. Sighing, he raised it up to affix it to his face, but a tap on his shoulder stopped him.
He turned and was met with the hulking white pegasus that always seemed ready to break out of his desk. Right now, he appeared ready to break out of his leotard that strained to contain his bulging muscles. Even his mask looked tight around his head, with veins visible through the light blue star studded material.
His enthusiastic shouts of “Yeah!” had intimidated Spike along with a good portion of the class. Watching him buzz around with his tiny wings the other day took away a little of the tension, but that mattered little to Spike when he was looming over him, bright red eyes staring straight at him.
“You okay, scaly dude?” he asked, voice far softer than Spike was anticipating. “I’ll be honest, I’m a little nervous, too. I mean, Princess Celestia, the Princess Celestia is gonna be instructing us. I bet she’s just as tough as our Professor is, maybe even tougher.” The pegasus extended out a hoof. It looked so tiny compared to the rest of him. “Oh, I’m Bulk, by the way. I don’t think I said hi yet.”
“Spike, and I can handle the Princess,” Spike sighed, limply shook Bulk’s hoof, and let his claw flop back to his side. “It’s just… what would you do if somepony didn’t like you, even if you’ve done nothing wrong… or at least, you think you’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Huh, that’s a tough question.” Bulk tapped a hoof to his chin. “Usually, when I have a problem, I just go to the gym and lift stuff till I forget what the problem was.”
Spike frowned. “Right.”
Bulk offered a sheepish grin. “Maybe talk to them?”
“I want to, but she’d never even get close to me at this point.” Spike turned and put on his mask. “Forget it. Just gotta focus on whatever the Princess is gonna throw at us.”
“That’s the spirit!” Bulk exclaimed, causing a few of his veins to throb.
“At least she didn’t quit,” Spike muttered as he shuffled away from Bulk.
~~~
“Uh.” Applejack raised an eyebrow, though the combination of her black cloth mask and hat made it difficult for anypony to see it. She blinked and took in Pinkie Pie skipping into the practice area. “Not quite what I was expecting.”
“What do you mean?” Pinkie giggled. Even behind a skin-tight suit that obscured her mouth, her smile was still visible. On anypony else, the combination of the inky suit and the bright orange goggles would have left them unreadable. “But you’re looking great, Applejack!”
Applejack tipped her hat as a sign of thanks. In addition to the mask, a bandana emblazoned with her cutie mark was wrapped around her neck. A holster rested at her waist, carrying her lasso and various compartments.
“Just thought you’d be a little more colorful is all,” said Applejack.
“Oh, I am!” Pinkie replied. “I’ve got a totally awesome mask on under this, plus a neat little vest thingy for storing my snacks!”
“Tch.” Metal rang against the ground. An armored figure stepped out into the light. Her blazing eyes peered out through her helmet, and her downturned lips, for the time, were unguarded. That and the sun cutie mark emblazoned on the chest piece were enough features for the others to still recognize Sunset. “I don’t know what your game is, but I’m watching you.”
“Relax.” Maud leaned closed to Sunset. With a snort, Sunset jumped back, as nimble as ever despite her armor. She glared at Maud. From under a deep purple cloak, Maud blinked back. When the wind fluttered, it blew the cloak aside, revealing a belt strapped to Maud’s hip.
“I’ll relax when you and your sister quit popping out of nowhere,” Sunset muttered. She marched off in the opposite direction. As she did, she caught sight of Dash making her way outside with Fluttershy trailing behind her.
Dash had donned a simple deep blue flight suit that clung tight to her torso and limbs, and stopped at her neckline. Were it not for the streaks of sky-blue, yellow, and red zigzagging down her sides, the suit would have passed for the standard attire a weather worker in Cloudsdale might wear. The only other piece of her costume was a pair of goggles. Again, nothing that would have stood out in Cloudsdale.
Fluttershy wore something that was a combination of a vest and a cloak, and comprised of splotches of greens and browns. The hood rested under her pony-tailed mane for the moment. Combined with her matching face-paint and angling the rest of her costume the right way, Fluttershy could disappear in a forest or other heavily wooded area. It did little to conceal her behind Rainbow Dash though.
“C’mon, Fluttershy, you look fine,” Dash whispered. Fluttershy squeaked in reply.
With a shake of her head, Dash scanned over her classmates, taking in their costumes and noting what some of them might imply about her classmates’ talents. Then, her attention turned outwards. Beyond the class lay a mock city like the one the entrance exam had been conducted it. Towering skyscrapers and crisscrossing streets spanned off into the distance. Dash made sure to note where the tallest buildings were.
When Spike stepped out of the boy’s locker room, he could not help but take in the colorful display everypony was showing off. Even Sunset’s armor, with its glint, held an allure to him. Then, his heartbeat slowed, and his pupils narrowed.
Rarity stood a few feet away. Her costume resembled a vibrant violet coat that matched her mane. Its neckline and cuffs were made up of a fluffy white fabric of some sort that could have passed for clouds or freshly fallen snow. What truly caught Spike’s eyes though were the gems lining the waist of the costume: brilliant amethysts and shining diamonds that enhanced Rarity’s natural glow. Her mask was the same color as the coat and also studded with gems.
Behind the mask, her eyes moved left and spied Spike. She shivered and then skittered away. A great weight fell upon Spike’s shoulders, making him slacken his back and sigh.
“Spike?” came Twilight’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
Spike turned, and light returned to his sullen eyes. Twilight’s concerned expression clashed with her shimmering purple chest plate. A six-pointed jewel shaped like her cutie mark rested in its center. Matching horseshoes adorned her hooves. Her mane and horn slipped through holes in a helm that reached down to encircle Twilight’s eyes. Overall, she looked like a specialized member of the Royal Guard.
“Twilight,” Spike stuttered, “I was… uh… your costume looks good!”
The helm could not hide the red on Twilight’s cheeks. “Um, thanks.” Her face’s color then returned to normal. “Are you sure you’re okay though?”
“I told you before, it’s fine.” Spike stomped his foot and turned. His next words were hushed. “You’ve done enough already.”
“Attention, everyone!” Celestia’s voice called out. A blinding orb appeared before the loosely assembled group. In a dazzling flash of gold and orange light, Celestia appeared before them. “I hope you’re all ready for the exercise Professor Tantabus and I have cooked up!”
“Yeah!” Bulk shouted. Applejack, Pinkie and a few other students gave a similar cheer.
Dash smirked. “Heh, let’s do this.”
I won’t be tricked again, Sunset ruminated.
It can’t be worse than yesterday, Rarity assured herself.
Please don’t be worse than yesterday, Fluttershy repeated on a loop in her head.
Twilight neither thought nor said anything. Instead, she looked straight at Celestia and gave her a determined smile.
“Well, it certainly is good to hear and see such enthusiasm, especially after Tantabus put you through the wringer yesterday. In light of that, I have something a bit more fun in mind.” With a flash from her horn, a box appeared beside Celestia. “Tantabus got you at your weakest, I want to see what you can accomplish together, and what better way to do that than with a game of capture the flag?”
“Woohoo!” Pinkie jumped up into the air. “I love that game! With a group this size and in a training area like this, it’ll be the biggest bestest game ever!”
Celestia chuckled. “This will be a little different than regular capture the flag. Only four students on teams of two will participate at a time, and there will only be one flag.”
“Huh?” went some of the class. Everyone looked at Celestia in confusion, causing her to chuckle again.
“I’ll explain more once the teams are in order. Now…” She scanned over the class. At the same time, she lowered the box down, revealing a hole in the top. For show, she gave it a shake, causing its content to ping and pop against each other. “Do I have a volunteer to go first?”
“You do, your highness.” Sunset marched forward. After taking a few steps, she stood before Celestia and bowed. “It is an honor, Princess.”
“Ah, Sunset Shimmer, it is good to see you under more favorable circumstances.” Celestia held the box out to Sunset. “Please, go ahead.”
Raising her head, Sunset stuck a hoof into the box. When she pulled back, a white ball with the number four written on it rested in her frog.
“Now, best not to dally,” said Celestia before she called out, “Next!”
Twilight advanced. Her friends watched, all feeling a bit of amazement at the ease and confidence Twilight had when she walked toward Celestia. Like Sunset, she bowed.
“It’s an honor to see you, Princess Celestia.”
“And an honor to see you too, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia replied. There was just the slightest hint of playfulness in her otherwise regal tone.
Like Sunset before her, Twilight raised her head and reached into the box. Unlike Sunset, her ball was black and inscribed with the number two. Keeping hold of the ball, she made her way back to Spike.
From there, Pinkie skipped forward, curtsied to Celestia, and plunged her leg into the box. With a grin, she pulled out a black ball with a one on it. Jittering with excitement, she stuck her face right up to Celestia. “Wee! I’m number one! Do I win something?”
A few students gasped at Pinkie’s audacity. Celestia grinned. “You’ll find out soon.”
“Neato!” Pinkie hopped back into the group.
Following her, both Applejack and Dash stepped up to grab a ball. They shared a glance at each other, then at Celestia. In a blink, they made a mad dash for the box. Dash was just a split second faster in the air and shoved her leg into the box. She managed to pull out a white two.
With an adjustment of her hat, Applejack stepped forward. She froze up for a moment when she realized Celestia was staring at both her and Dash with a grin on her face. Applejack blushed and reached into the box. Her ball was the same as Twilight’s.
“Well, what do you know,” she said upon coming back and facing Twilight. “Guess this means we’re on a team.”
“Maybe,” Twilight murmured. At the same time, she watched Derpy trot up to the box and pull out a white ball with a one on it.
From there, everyone else went up. Tree Hugger matched with Pinkie. Lyra matched with Rainbow Dash. Bulk and Aloe drew black number threes while Bonbon and Lotus Blossom drew white number threes. Maud drew a black number four. Then, only three students remained: Spike, Fluttershy, and Rarity.
Spike was the first to go. When he drew near Celestia, she bent low. “Something on your mind?”
“It’s nothing to worry about, Princess,” Spike whispered. He seized a ball and pulled it out: a black number four.
When he turned around, he did not look to the side to see Rarity step forward. She, however, took an obtuse path to avoid Spike. Celestia blinked at the display.
“It seems you are a bit troubled as well, my dear,” she mused.
“P-please do not concern yourself, Princess,” Rarity stuttered. “It’s… it’s a personal issue.”
“Well, I am your teacher today, so I want to make sure all my students are okay,” Celestia replied. “Hopefully, this exercise will help you a little with whatever is bothering you.”
“One can only dream.” With a sigh, Rarity reached into the box and pulled out a white number four.
Sunset’s jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed. “Oh, buck.”
Finally, Fluttershy inched forward. She was shaking like a leaf by the time she was in front of Celestia.
“It is okay, my little pony,” Celestia assured her. “This is just a simple game. Nothing more.”
“Oh… okay,” Fluttershy murmured. The final ball she pulled out was white with a one on it.
Once Fluttershy had backed away, Celestia looked over the class and broadened her smile. “Excellent! As some of you may have guessed by now, those of you with the same number and colored balls are on a team. You’ll be facing off against the team with the same number and opposite color.”
Dash and Applejack once more exchanged looks and grinned at each other. Twilight gulped. Spike felt a lump form in his stomach. Rarity’s blood ran cold.
“Those that picked the black balls will be in charge of guarding the flag. Consider yourselves villains and the flag your stolen loot! It’s up to the other team, the heroes, to get the flag and deliver it to the proper authorities! Each team will compete for ten minutes. For the first minute though, the villains won’t be able to move from their starting location. They can do whatever they want there though. However, the heroes will be coming straight for you thanks to a one-time tracking spell on the flag.
“The villain team wins if the flag still isn’t brought to the proper authorities within the time limit. Also, if the flag is destroyed, the match is a draw. Consider this a test of your teamwork skills, your battle prowess, and your control of your talents. Are you ready?”
“Yeah!” most of the class screamed.
“No,” Rarity squeaked.
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Really enjoying this story so far!
Interesting match-ups for this game.
Very interesting.
Soooo..... Judging by the descriptions....
Pinkie is Pinkie Stealth Pie (read that, btw)
Applejack sounds like even more of a stereotype than usual
SSunset is Iron Mare
Maud is Mare Do Well
Dash is Supermare
Fluttershy is.... Green Arrow?
Hard to say for the rest.
8707522
If Applejack’s hat is a black gaucho hat, I’d say Zorro.
This should be interesting, I enjoyed this part of the Hero training, in the anime. =3
My heart goes out to Spike.
Interesting to see how Twilight will guard the flag
so, the cover image is just to beat us over the head with the crossover stick. i was hoping you would go with something more original than just copying Izuku's costume so good on you.
Sunset's a hyperbitch, Rarity's a racist, Twilight's a doormat and Trollestia appears to be dying while Lunatic is basically already dead.
Lovely.
Maud has Raven's costume from Teen Titans.