Part 2, Chapter 8
Chapter 22
Rainbow Dash did not visit the Fortress of Solitude as much as she had when she first began being Supermare. Her knowledge of the universe had grown immensely under her father’s tutelage, and now that her friends knew her secret, she never really needed to be alone.
Still, the spires of the Fortress were a welcome sight amongst the frozen wastes surrounding it. The crystals seemed to glow with an otherworldly energy, regardless of angle, and this comforted Rainbow as she flew through the clouds and snow. And while she was mostly immune to heat and chill, the design of the Fortress was a welcome shield from the worst of the elements.
But the business with Brainiac had really thrown her for a loop; she found herself more uneasy as she entered the Fortress, even the slightest breeze putting her on edge. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying her best to calm herself down before proceeding further
“Welcome back, my daughter.” the voice of Jor-El said as she crossed the threshold into the Fortress’ main hall. “It has been some time since you have visited last.”
“I know.” Rainbow stood in the center of the main hall as Jor-El’s hologram appeared before her. “I’ve been trying my best to guide Equestria, but I’ve been having some issues.”
“That is understandable, Kara. Overcoming these challenges will allow you to become a stronger guardian. But I believe that there is more to your visit than just that.”
“Well... What information do you have on Coluans?” there was a long pause.
“... You had an encounter with Brainiac, did you not?” Rainbow Dash blinked; she had thought that Brainiac had been joking when he said that other Kryptonians had called him by that name.
“Wait, how come you call him Brainiac?”
“It was merely a name that some of the younger scientists and military officers came up with when he first arrived, but I suppose the name stuck.” Jor-El’s image faded, replaced by a picture of the same green unicorn from Seaddle. “Brainiac is the only Coluan we ever encountered; the others died out a long time ago, even before we Kryptonians took to space.”
“Then why is he still around?”
“Brainiac is more machine than pony; through various experiments he managed to merge his mind with his ship, giving him access to more information and processing power than anything I could have dreamed of.” Jor-El sighed. “I suppose, in hindsight, that should have been our first warning.”
“What happened?”
“I was dealing with another matter at the time, but Brainiac betrayed our trust and kidnapped the city of Kandor before disappearing into space, with no way for us to know where he went or why he stole Kandor.” Rainbow’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Wait, he kidnapped an entire city? How do you kidnap a city?”
“I cannot answer that question, Kara. I could have found a solution, but Krypton was destroyed before I could get around to it. But if it is Brainiac that you have encountered, then you can assume that his intentions for Equestria are indeed malicious.” there was another pause before Rainbow spoke again.
“What can I do?”
“Find some way to get aboard his ship. Having never directly dealt with Brainiac myself, you must rely on your own skills. I shall provide you with whatever information you might need.” Jor-El’s image faded, replaced by several columns of information. Rainbow Dash scanned through them as quickly as she could, but gave up after a few minutes. She dismissed the information before her frustration grew any further, closing her eyes and allowing her mind to clear.
I should have gone to Twilight and seen if she could spot this guy with her magic or something... No, dragging Twilight into this would only cause problems. She sighed. Although, he said he might try and come back for something else... Maybe he’d try to steal Cloudsdale just like Kandor... Or try and kidnap Mom or Thunderlane or- Her eyes snapped open.
“Thunderlane... I forgot about Thunderlane!” of the potential kidnapping victims that Brainiac could choose from, Thunderlane seemed the most likely; he was not a magic user, or a class athlete (as far as Rainbow knew), surrounded by a gaggle of animals, a world-class whiner, or Pinkie Pie, and that left him vulnerable. Rainbow spread her wings and took off, racing out of the Fortress of Solitude and turning south towards Ponyville.
Okay, I’m panicking... Thunderlane’s fine, I’m just overreacting... Then again, Brainiac kidnapped a city once... Yeah, I’m panicking. She raced over the Crystal Mountains and down into Equestria, increasing her altitude so no one saw her returning home. She slowed down and swung around towards the back of her house, tugging at her cape’s clasps as she came to a stop.
“Tank, are you in here?” she called. The tortoise appeared soon after, a small leaf clutched in his mouth. “Hey, I need you to lay low, and look for unicorns in weird suits, okay?” Tank gave her a slow blink in reply, and continued to munch on his leaf. “Don’t give me that! This is serious; this guy Brainiac is out to get me, and he might try and hurt you.” another blink. “... You just don’t care, do you?” Tank blinked once more and flew off to another room. Rainbow sighed and continued taking off her suit, returning it to her saddlebags for future use. She went back to her room and flopped down on her bed, trying and failing to clear her mind and stop panicking.
She was not helped when she heard somepony land just outside her house.
“Rainbow? Are you there?” a voice called, and Rainbow recognized it as her mother. She got out of bed and hurried to the front door, opening it and letting Firefly in. “I just wanted to see how you were doing after the whole kidnapping thing.”
“... You heard about that?” Rainbow asked. Firefly chuckled.
“It was in the papers. ‘General Kidnaps Supermare; Claims Hero Plans Domination’. I got a few laughs out of that.”
“Yeah, great...” Rainbow shuffled around a little. “Mom, do you think... maybe ponies have gotten the wrong idea about me?”
“Some, but you shouldn’t let that get to you.” Firefly moved closer to Rainbow Dash, lifting the younger mare’s chin with her hoof. “Everypony has to be a critic for something. You know a lot of ponies didn’t think I’d be a good enough trainer for the Wonderbolts.”
“I know.” Rainbow gave a small smile before another thought came to mind. “Mom, have you seen any unicorns in weird suits?” Firefly frowned.
“Why?”
“Well, there’s this pony called Brainiac, and... he kidnapped one of my friends.” Firefly was silent as Rainbow continued. “And... he said that he might come and try to do the same to someone close to me-”
“And you think I might be one of his targets?” Rainbow nodded. Firefly chuckled. “Rainbow, I’ve been through a lot in life; this ‘Brainiac’ is going to have a hard time if he thinks he can kidnap me. But what about your coltfriend?” Rainbow’s face flushed red with embarrassment and anger.
“Mooooom, Thunderlane’s not my coltfriend.”
“Really?” Firefly said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah. I mean, sure he’s cute, and a good conversationalist, and cute, but that doesn’t mean-” Rainbow was stopped by her mother placing a hoof to her lips.
“I get it. Still, what about him?”
“Well... I was probably going to warn him, and... maybe tell him to stay away from me for a little bit.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? He might get the wrong idea and react badly.” Rainbow was silent for a moment before nodding.
“I know... But it’s a risk I need to take.”
...............
Thunderlane was nervous, once again. Now that his father had gotten involved, though, his nervousness had gone through the roof; Supermare said she understood, but something of this scale was not to be taken lightly. The only thing he had going for him was that Rumble was asleep, more or less, so he did not have to put up with any harassment from his younger brother.
He stood near the window, searching for any sign of the superhero. He would have paced, but that would only increase his tension. He sighed and banged his head against the wall, trying and failing to calm down.
I... I really should tell her what I feel about her. She’s nice, she’d understand... or just let me down gently. He sighed again. Maybe I’m being too forward. He looked back out the window, spotting a small shape that materialized into Supermare. She landed just outside and waved to him, and basic instinct told him to wave back. He hurried to the door, opening it and stepping out into the night while she waited.
“Hello again,” she said. “Sorry I was late; I had some things I needed to clear up.”
“That’s okay." Thunderlane took a moment to analyse Supermare. She seemed... off, and nowhere near as happy as she had been last time they had met up. “Is something wrong?”
“Hmm? I... I don’t think so.” she pawed at the ground. “I... I need to tell you something.”
“Really? Because there was something I wanted to-”
“I just-” Supermare stopped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Oh no, go ahead.”
“No really, you go first.” Thunderlane stammered for a moment, trying to compose himself as he stood before the superhero.
“Well, I was thinking... you know, about, what we’re doing. You know, going out like this, talking? And... well, I like it. A lot. And you... you’re one of the most interesting mares I’ve ever got a chance to talk with.”
“Well, I am a superhero.”
“It’s not just that,” Thunderlane took a few steps towards her. “You’re nice, you’re smart, and just being around you, I just... well, I feel happy.” he looked away. “Sorry, I’m not good at this sort of thing but... I think-”
“... You like me?” she asked, taking a few steps of her own.
“... Yeah. Yeah I do. And not just like ‘Hey, you’re cool because you’re a superhero’. I like you as... well, as you.” Supermare was silent, her head tilted to one side. “Sorry if I’m being too forward; I just wanted to say that.”
“No, it’s okay. I... I understand.” she pawed at the ground. “I... I guess I like you too.” She smiled, but that quickly shifted into a frown. “But Thunderlane-”
“Yes?”
“We... I can’t keep seeing you... at least, not for a while.” Thunderlane’s emotions dropped. He was not fully sure what to do, and his mind was on the verge of panic.
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a... pony. He’s an alien, kind of like me, but... well, he’s out to get me. He already kidnapped one of my friends and... he might do the same to you. I can’t risk him finding out and hurting you.” Supermare pawed at the ground some more. “So... I can’t see you, until he’s gone.” Thunderlane thought for a moment before speaking.
“That’s kind of silly.” this seemed to catch her off guard.
“I’m sorry?” she asked.
“How do you know that I’d be the one he’d go after? Does he even know about... well, us?”
“I can’t risk the chance that he does.”
“But there’s still a chance that he doesn’t. You don’t have to just abandon me to fight this guy. You don’t have to abandon anypony.”
“I’m not trying to-”
“That’s what it sounded like you were doing. I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but how are you supposed to be an effective guardian if you just push everypony away like this?”
“But I’m trying to protect you all. How am I supposed to do that when you put yourself in harm’s way?” Thunderlane did not exactly have a good answer for that. He paused for a moment, trying to word his response in the best possible way without insulting her. “Look, I’m sorry if I offended you. I just want to make sure that you and everypony else stays safe.”
“But we have to have a chance, right? You’re a guardian, not a dictator.” Supermare stepped back, a shocked look on her face. She worked her jaw for a few seconds before closing her eyes and turning away.
“I... I’m sorry, Thunderlane.” She said. “I should never have come back.” With that she spread her wings and took off.
“Supermare, wait.” Thunderlane took off after her, but just as he lifted off he spotted a flash of green out of the corner of his eye. Supermare spotted it too, but she did not have time to react before something slammed into her, right between her left wing and her shoulder. With a cry she plummeted towards the ground, Thunderlane watching as she twisted around in the air. Without thinking he dove down after her, his wings burning as he tried to catch up with the fallen superhero.
It was all for naught; Supermare crashed into the ground at high speed, dirt and grass exploding outward as she landed. Thunderlane pulled up just before he hit the ground, sprinting the rest of the way to Supermare.
“Are you alright?” he asked, rushing to her side and trying to pull her up.
“N-No.” she said, coughing as she flopped over onto her side. Now Thunderlane could get a good view of the wound; It was not incredibly deep, but the crossbow bolt embedded in her back was glowing green with some kind of energy. “Kr-Kryptonite...”
“Funny, I wasn’t really expecting this reaction.” a new voice said. Thunderlane turned around just as a third Pegasus landed. The newcomer was clad in black body armor, his face hidden behind a black and copper mask, and strapped to his back was a large sword and a variety of other weapons. “Then again, I wasn’t fully briefed on just what I was dealing with here.”
“Who are you?” Thunderlane rose into the air. “And what do you want with Supermare?”
“I can’t answer the first question.” the Pegasus said. “But somepony has paid me a generous sum to bring in Supermare... alive, preferably. So, if you would be so kind as to leave now, I won’t waste time in hurting you.” Thunderlane looked back to Supermare. She was lapsing in and out of consciousness, although he could tell that she was still in pain. He looked back at the masked Pegasus, who was staring at him with what Thunderlane guessed was a bored expression. I can’t just let him get away with this; she’s my friend, and...
“No!” Thunderlane raised his hooves. “I won’t let you harm her again.” there was a pause.
“Fine.” the Pegasus moved a lot faster than Thunderlane had anticipated. Before he could realize what was going on, his attacker had swung around him and bucked him in the side, knocking Thunderlane away from Supermare. He tried to get back up, but the Pegasus kicked him down once more.
“And here I thought your defiance meant you would actually present a threat.” the Pegasus muttered before tossing Thunderlane aside. He landed with a grunt just outside the crater, and as he tried to get back up, the Pegasus tossed Supermare over his shoulder and took off. “I suppose I’ve had my hopes too high. Guess that’s what I get for leaving Trottingham for this. Here,” the Pegasus tossed something towards Thunderlane. “This might be of some help.” and with that the Pegasus took off, disappearing into the night as the gas grenade detonated. Thunderlane couched hard as he stumbled through the fog, trying and failing to locate Supermare and her kidnapper.
“This is bad...” he said to himself. “What should I do? I can’t just let that... that... nut kidnap her!” he stopped for a moment. “... But what can I do? I’m not a superhero, I’m just a Pegasus.” he looked up at the night sky, searching for any sign of movement.
“... I can’t give up on her. She needs my help.” Thunderlane spread his wings and took off, heading in the first direction he thought of in search of Supermare.
...............
Silversmith was waiting on the balcony of the Silver Tower, Silver Industries’ main headquarters. Most of his employees had left for the night, and he was thankful for that; there would be fewer witnesses to what he was up to. He checked his watch once more before looking back up to the sky, scanning the stars and clouds for any sign of his... “contact”.
This is what I get for dealing with “professionals”. he thought. They always have to run on their own schedule... He adjusted his suit one last time, just as the shape of two Pegasi approached.
“Here is Supermare, just as you asked.” The first Pegasus said, dropping the unconscious superhero to the ground.
“Good work.” Silversmith approached Supermare, carefully examining her to make sure she was still alive. “I must say, I am glad that your services were available, Deathstroke.”
“My pleasure. Now, about my reward...”
“Yes, the first payments should be on their way now, as per our agreement. If you make sure my shipment to Cloudsdale remains intact, then there may be a little extra in the second payment.” Silversmith always considered himself good at picking out details, but he could not tell if his contact was smiling from behind the mask.
“Of course.” with that, the Pegasus took off and disappeared into the night, leaving Silversmith alone with Supermare. He did not have to wait for long before there was a pop of magic behind him.
“I see you managed to acquire Supermare.” Brainiac said as he approached the fallen hero.
“More or less. The synthesized Kryptonite should keep her under for a few more hours, give or take.” Silversmith turned towards Brainiac. “And you will keep your end of the bargain?”
“Of course. In exchange for the Kryptonian, Equestria shall survive unharmed... of course, only after the next part of my plan is complete.”
“The shipment is already on it’s way.” Brainiac did not show any sign of acknowledgement, instead stepping past Silversmith and picking up Supermare in his telekinesis. “One thing, though; if capturing Supermare was your original plan all along, why didn’t you just do it when you first arrived?”
“I could have, but she would still have been fortified in her beliefs. Now, though, she is much more distraught, meaning that she is more likely to make a mistake.” Brainiac looked at Supermare. “She will not have to deal with such petty issues again.”
“Just as long as she is gone, I’m fine with it.” Again, Brainiac remained passive, just before there was another pop and he disappeared with Supermare. Silversmith remained on the roof for a few minutes before heading back inside.
“This is going much smoother than I anticipated.”
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Oh Silversmith!
A word of advice: if your plan is going more smoothly then anticipated, that usually means something is about to interfere with it and completely mess it up!
And I see you were forced to hire Deathstroke the Terminator to carry out your plan. I hope you had to pay most of your money for his services, you bastard!
So Brainiac has managed to get his hooves on our hero, and things are proceeding according to his plan. Of course, that just means it won't be long before a Spanner in the Works completely ruins his plan!
And I believe that just like in Superman canon, Rainbow Dash will save the bottled City of Kandor from him!
Well, have a Rainbow Dash!
fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/282/7/5/rainbow_dash_approved_by_ambris-d4bdn33.png
Later!
2656286 actually, interesting thing, Superman has no resistance to magic at all! never knew that until the death battle with him and Goku
+10 points to Nerdyness
Now we wait for the deus ex machina to strike.
So are you essentially making a DC universe? Because that would be so awesome!
Deathstroke? We're getting serious, huh. Gotta love good ol' Slade.
2686922 Yes I am
This is great stuff you've got going here...! RD, in my book, is tied for Best Pony with Twilight, but all of the Mane Six have their awesome moments from time to time. And I've been a Superman fan since I was at least four. Keep up the good work!
Silver, old son, if you think Brainiac is trustworthy for even one tenth of one second, then you're deluding yourself... Nah, what am I saying? He'll have three plans in place just in case Brainiac tries to double-cross him. Of course, Brainiac is just as likely to be crazy prepared. I think we're about to see a game of Xanatos Speed Chess here! Who has planned far enough ahead and with enough tolerance for variables to have already won the game without the other one have realised it? Brainiac is more likely to have thought the furthest ahead but Silversmith is more likely to have done something unpredictable and, ultimately, pony-like.
Meanwhile... how nice of Brainiac to take Rainbow to his ship! It's saved her a lot of trouble. No doubt the following chapter will be his interminable monologue about his genius and explaining his plans in brain-numbing detail. Meanwhile, I'm wondering if Scoots will get to save the day!
Well, that stink...this will be her second time as Supermare that she got captured (though, the first time was her own choice). And, it is way past obvious that Brainiac is going to break that agreement. Can't wait to see how he will react, or how everything will play out...
C&Cs:
...and now that her friends knew her secret she never really needed to be alone.
> Comma after ‘secret’.
“That’s okay.
> Missing the ending quote.
Hey if your gonna do Bizarro, are you going to make him a changeling?
2701240 That would be awesome
2701240 ...I just had the image of rarity seeing Supermares fort.
Ponies and Gentle-cots! Superman is back!
Mare-Do-Well to the rescue, perhaps?
2696420 BIZZARO AM BEST CHANGELING!!!
I think I might try to make a connection between the changelings and the Green Martians if I ever decide to bring in Martian Manhunter, but that'd be a ways off
at first i was like:
But then i was:
that is some seriously odd choice of words right there...
2739483 I have no idea what you are talking about (does Liarjack's shifty eye thing)
Screw Brainiac, screw Lex, and screw Slade. THEY DON'T KNOW WHO THEY'RE DEALIN' WITH!
Woo, Deathstroke! Nice touch.
Just read Part 2, Chapter 8; can Deathstroke return in a later story? After a crowning moment of awesomeness against Supermare, I think he could take someone cutting him down to size. Also, why is he a pegasus? It's not like he's ever had any inclination towards flight.
Ohhh, it's Deathstroke! I thought it was Green Arrow at first, but this is just as good!
7225957 green arrow is a vigilante, not a bounty hunter!
Awesome chapter, and great intor to Deathstroke.
Go get 'er Thunderlane
.
Not for long you dick
!