In a Flash of Lightning

by Onomonopia

Not What You Think

Billy was dreaming about Doomsday again. He heard screaming and cries for help, felt the heat of fires that burned the town that he was in and once again he saw the bodies of those he had failed to save. He called out SHAZAM and again nothing happened. But unlike the last dream, when he finally shook himself awake, the nightmare continued. He sat up and looked around, realizing that he had fallen asleep on the floor. He yawned and stretched, glad to finally be awake from that nightmare. But when he took a second to listen, he realized that his nightmare had only just begun. The sounds of screaming didn't stop and he could still feel the heat from the fires burning. He stood up and ran over to the nearest window, looking out to the horror that awaited him.

Ponyville was burning. He had barely glanced at the sight before he was out of the door and running through the streets, looking for whatever was causing the fires, looking for Twilight or any of the Elements. He ran past the Carousel Boutique, which was also burning to the ground. He ran past, hoping that Rarity and Sweetie Belle had made it out alright. A group of ponies were trying to help a couple out from under a beam that had fallen from their homes. Billy wanted to help, but without the power of Shazam, he didn't know if he could be of any use.

"Get to Twilight, she'll know what's going on," he said to himself, running back through the streets until he ran across the source of all the fire and death. The Elements of Harmony were in a massive battle against an opponent that he didn't recognize. But while he may not know who the opponent was, he knew that he was far too strong for the ponies. The monster was a midnight black and had pure white eyes, eyes that had no pupils. It was also massive, at least twice his size and a lot more muscular. But what scared him the most was the spikes that stuck out of its body on nearly every joint, making it look eerily like Doomsday. He watched as Rainbow Dash went in for a dive bomb to only be caught by dark magic and slammed into the ground with such force that she coughed blood. The dark pony tossed her aside as Applejack came in with two strong kicks to the side, staggering the pony for a second. But that second passed and the pony turned towards her, emotionless eyes staring at her. It fired a sphere of energy into AJ's chest, which quickly enveloped her in darkness. It then raised its horn which also raised the sphere and flung it off into the side of a building. The darkness vanished and Applejack slid to the ground in a daze.

"This can't be happening," Billy muttered as Pinkie was pulverized into the ground, the dark pony launching multiple dark blasts into her. Rarity had already been beaten and she was lying unconscious on the side of the street. And with Fluttershy helping all the wounded ponies, that left only Twilight to combat the beast. She flew above it as it fired repeatedly at her, but her speed made her untouchable. Twilight also returned fire, but her spells were absorbed into the pony's body and only seemed to increase his size. She snarled and threw up a barrier around him, keeping him at bay for a minute. Billy waved her down and she landed beside him, out of breath and tired.

"Twilight, what's going on? Who is this pony?" he asked her in worry, looking back over at the shield that didn't look like it would hold long. "What can I do to help?"

"Get out of here. Erebus is on a whole other level than the last time Captain Marvel fought him," she panted, reinforcing her shield.

"I’m sorry, I must have heard wrong. I could have sworn you just said that that thing is Erebus," Billy said to her in disbelief.

"It's him alright. Or rather, what's left of him. I don't know how, but it seems he got a huge upgrade in his powers and now he practically unstoppable."

"So what's the plan?"

"I hold him off long enough for Captain Marvel to arrive. As much as I don't like the guy, we're going to need his help."

"Um, how do we know that he's going to show?" Billy asked nervously.

"He's always shown up before when we needed him, I'm sure he'll show up now." Billy didn't know what to do. He had no idea if his powers were back yet and even if they were, he didn't know if he'd be back at one hundred percent, which he would probably need to be at in order to win. And what if his powers hadn't returned yet? He would have no chance against that kind of power.

"You need to get out of here. He's about to break free," Twilight said with a snarl, taking up a fighting stance as the shield began to shattered from repeated abuse. Billy looked from Erebus to Twilight, not sure if he should try to change here or run off to try where he wouldn't be spotted. He went with the second option, running behind a building and watching the battle from there. Monster Erebus broke the shield in one final blast, walking past the shattered remains of the shield and headed towards Twilight. She fired a huge spell at his feet, turning the rocks into magma. Erebus looked down at the magma with no expression for a moment before continuing his march towards Twilight, not even flinching as he stepped on the burning rocks.

"Geez, what are you made of?" Twilight muttered as she took to the sky again, putting some distance between her and Erebus. Erebus resumed his attack, firing a chain gun version of his magic bolts towards Twilight, who had to use all her concentration to dodge the blows. But she couldn't keep it up for long and a bolt hit her directly between the shoulder blades, knocking her out of the sky and straight to the ground below. Twilight slammed into the ground and skidded a few feet, where she lay motionless. Erebus began to advance towards her while Billy watched.

"No, I can't let this happen. I refuse to let any more ponies get hurt!" Billy knew what he needed to do, what it would take for his powers to return. He had figured out that the mare had wanted, she wanted him to protect this world. So Billy planted both feet into the ground and took in a deep breath before tossing his head back and crying to the sky,

"SHAZAM!"

...Nothing. No lightning bolt, no godly powers; just...nothing. Billy opened his eyes and looked down at his hands, realization gripping him as he realized that he was still useless Billy Batson and not the great Captain Marvel. He looked from his hands over to Erebus, who picked Twilight up with his magic and held her in front of him, a dark spear forming besides his head that was aimed at her heart. Billy knew he only had a moment to act. While he may not be able to face the beast head on, he could still be a distraction for the others. So he stole whatever courage he had left and ran out onto the battlefield.

"HOLD IT!" he yelled at Erebus, who turned his head towards Billy slightly. "What do you think you're doing? You don't want to fight her, she's not the one who beat you last time. I was the one who did." He could almost hear Erebus chuckle in disbelief to himself and he turned back to Twilight, but Billy knew how to get his attention.

"You see this?" he asked, showing Erebus the lightning bolt on his shirt. "Imagine this on the center of my chest, combined with a white cape and golden gauntlets. Do you know what you'd get?" Erebus looked at him a little closer this time, narrowing his eyes for a better look. Then the eyes slowly opened and for the first time since he had appeared, Billy saw emotion in them. He saw pure fury.

"Time to go," Billy muttered as he turned and ran as fast as he could. Erebus let out a shriek that could wake the dead and tore off after him, rage fuelling his body. Billy tried running in-between buildings and narrow alleys to try and keep Erebus behind him, but the juggernaut just plowed through all the obstacles like they were made of paper.

"Have to admit, not one of my better plans!" he yelled as he tore through the streets, just barely avoiding Erebus's magic’s and attacks. He dove through a broken window just as a blast of darkness hit where he had been standing a moment ago. He quickly hid under a table and prayed that Erebus wouldn't find him. The dark pony blew the door down and slowly walked into the room, looking around with narrowed eyes for the human. Billy held his breath as sweat trickled down his face, watching the hooves walk right to the table, coming to a stop a few inches from his face. He didn't move, afraid that the slightest movement would alert the dark one. He waited for what seemed like an eternity, his heart trying to punch a hole through his chest. Finally, Erebus walked out of the room, allowing Billy to let out a sigh of relief. That was until Erebus opened fire upon the building, letting loose his terrible power upon the building and brining it down around Billy. Billy looked out from under the desk to see if he was gone when the roof gave out and collapsed on top of him. Erebus stood outside the house for a minute, waiting to see if anything moved. When nothing did, he snorted and walked away, destroying more homes and heading back to the Elements. A minute after he left, Billy pushed the rubble off of him, thankful that the table had managed to hold out.

"He's probably heading back to where Twilight is," Billy panted, getting back to his feet. "I need to get there as well." He started running, following the path of destruction that Erebus had left behind him. He looked around as he ran, his heart aching at all the death and destruction that he was powerless to help against. What had that mare meant that he she said that he didn't need the powers to be a hero? He was useless without them. Billy finally tracked down Erebus on the other side of town, near the Carousel Boutique. Billy rounded the corner and came to a dead stop, his heart freezing in his chest at what he saw. It was the CMC, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom, and they had been cornered by Erebus, whose horn glowed with power that was aimed directly at them.

"Elements of Harmony, prepare yourselves," Erebus snarled, pointing his horn straight at the three. Erebus could only sense magic waves in his monstrous form and the CMC gave of the same Elemental energy as those they were closet to. And that meant that they gave off the same energy as their sister's and mentor, making them look like the Elements of Harmony to Erebus. All three of the girls were pressed up against the side of the Boutique in fear, tears streaming down their faces as the monster got closer and closer, holding each other with terror. Applebloom spotted Billy across the street and looked into his eyes with desperation, believing that he could do something to help. But she was wrong.

'There's nothing I can do! Without Captain Marvel I'm useless,' Billy thought to himself in fear, slowly backing away from the monster. Then he watched as Applebloom and the others closed their eyes, clutching each other tightly and preparing for the end. And he knew he had to act.

"Die," Erebus whispered and went to fire his magic, but a lightning bolt landed on his head. He screamed and backed up, shaking his head wildly. The girls opened their eyes and gasped at what they saw. Billy was holding on to the face of Erebus, blinding him and keeping him from getting to the girls.

"RUN! I'll hold him as long as I can!" Billy yelled, yelping as he almost lost his grip. The girls looked at each other and then took off running, Applebloom stopping to look back at Billy, looking at his face. She could see the fear in his face, but she also saw the determination, the determination she had seen on only one other. The determination of one who fought to protect others with his life.

"Good luck," she said with a whisper and ran off with her friends. They ran until they reached a relative safe area. "Girls, hold on a sec."

"What is it?" Scoot's asked. "We're kind of in a rush!"

"We need to get Twilight and the others. We need the Elements to stop that monster! Billy can't hold it off forever!"

"Billy's a goner! There's no way he can still be alive!" Scoots argued, but Applebloom gave her a glare that would put the stare to shame.

"He'll live, trust me. But he won't last long if we don't get the Elements to help. It's time for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to get in on the action and we always help one of our own. Whose with me?" she asked, putting her hoof in front of them.

"I am," Sweetie Belle said with a smile.

"So am I!" Scootaloo agreed with a grin.

"Good. Ah have a plan, but we need to move fast," Applebloom said with an evil grin. She pulled her friends in close and began to whisper, the other two gaining evil smile's as well as they heard her plan. When she finished, they broke apart and ran off in different directions, each knowing her task. Back with Erebus, Billy had managed to wrap his arms around the demons throat, preventing it from trampling or blasting him for the time being. While insanely powerful, Erebus didn't seem that bright, but Billy couldn't hold on much longer. After a minute, Erebus bucked hard and tossed Billy off his back to the street below. Billy hit the ground hard and had the wind knocked out of him. He could only look up winded as Erebus stepped over him, horn aglow with power and an evil sneer on his face.

"Die, angel," he said in a mocking tone. Billy closed his eyes as Erebus pointed his horn directly at Billy's face. Erebus chuckled one last time before firing. "Not so tough now, are-?" SPLAT! A cake and struck Erebus right in the face, giving Billy the chance to roll to the side and avoid his attack. Erebus roared in rage and quickly wiped the cake off his face, looking around in rage for who did that to him.

"Yoo-hoo, over here you big meanie!" Erebus turned towards the voice to receive another cake to the face. He wiped that one away as well and glared at the pony that did that to him. Billy looked up from where he was lying to see that Pinkie had thrown the cakes, holding another one in her hoof and a huge smile on her face. "Stop picking on my friend you meanie!"

"Pinkie, RUN! He's far to danger-GAH!" Erebus stepped on Billy as he walked over to Pinkie, hate gleaming in his eyes. Pinkie blew a raspberry at him and ran off down the street, with an enraged Erebus chasing her. Billy was struggling to get up when a familiar violet magic surrounded him and carried him over to her.

"Wow, you really don't listen, do you?" Twilight said with a smile, placing Billy on her back. "I thought I told you to get away?"

"I...just couldn't...let my friends get hurt," Billy muttered weakly. "We...have to get Erebus. He's...going after Pinkie."

"I know, but trust me, he'll never catch her. But he will be led right into our trap," Twilight said with a smile, taking to the skies and flying over to the center plaza. "Applebloom ran over when me and the girls were trying to figure out where he had gone. She told us of the situation and the trouble you were in. After she told us her plan, Pinkie and I raced over to save you...that was really brave, risking your life for those three."

"No...problem. What's the plan?"

"Oh, you'll see," Twilight said with an evil smile, setting down besides the plaza where the other Elements and the CMC had gathered. Twilight helped Billy off her back while the others ran up to him.

"BILLY!" all three crusaders cried as they tackled him to the ground at once, crushing him with a multitude of hugs.

"How did you get out of that?" Scootaloo asked.

"Are you hurt?" Sweetie Belle asked before he could answer. Applebloom pushed them both off and offered him a hoof to help him up.

"No, but I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a few days," Billy said with a shrug, taking Applebloom's hoof and pulling himself up. He leaned against a wall for support and trying to block the pain out of his mind while thinking about what had just happened. The silver mare had told him that he didn't need powers to be a hero, so maybe helping the girls without his powers is what he needed to get them back.

"shazam," he whispered, closing his eyes. The lightning never came and he opened them again with a sigh, not noticing that Applebloom was once again giving him a curious look.

"Here he comes!" Twilight shouted and started passing around some odd jewelry to her friends. Billy took a look and noticed that they were all necklaces, with Twilight's being a tiara. While he had no idea what they were for, he did turn to watch Erebus burst in to the town center, chasing the pink pony who managed to keep ahead of Erebus despite the fact that she was hoping and he was in a full sprint.

"Wait for it," Twilight muttered, looking around the corner. Billy peeked around the corner as well, noticing that Pinkie was wearing one of the necklaces as well. Pinkie turned around and came to a stop while Erebus charged straight at her, power flooding through his horn. He had nearly reached Pinkie when she waved a hoof and smiled.

"Bye mister meanie," she said with a huge smile before...vanishing? As incredible as it sounded, Pinkie had just up and vanished, leaving Erebus to skid to a stop in the town center and look around for the pony. Billy took a casual glance around as well and nearly had another heart attack when Pinkie just appeared beside him with a huge smile.

"NOW!" Twilight roared and the six ponies leapt out from behind the corner, startling Erebus and causing him to spin around while firing blindly. Twilight tossed up a mobile barrier in front of her while she ran, deflecting the incoming attacks and keeping bother her and her friends safe. RD blasted past both her and her shield, flying up to Erebus and delivering a swift kick to his jaw, slightly stunning him.

"Take that! Rarity, you're up!" she yelled as she flew back, letting Rarity run past her and begin to let loose with a torrent of gems. Despite not being that big, the sheer volume of gems started to pierce the skin of the dark pony, forcing him back slightly.

"Uncouth ruffian. I hope you enjoy the surprise Pinkie has for you!" Rarity said with a slight chuckle as Twilight teleported her away, letting Pinkie and her massive cannon enter Erebus's field of view. This cannon was much different from her normal ones. For starters, this cannon was nearly three times the size of her other ones and had a picture of a skull and cross bones carved into the side. Carved into the cannon right next to the trigger were the words 'Party Crasher.'

"Hasta la vista," Pinkie said in a weird accent and pulled the trigger, letting loose one of the biggest explosions in the history of Equestria. Some say that they saw the very ground shake when the trigger was pulled, toppling buildings and leveling homes. Others said that they saw cake and other party supplies fly across the sky when the trigger was pulled, raining parties down on cities across the globe. But as far as Billy and Erebus were concerned, they had just been buried under an avalanche of cake that not only covered them, but the whole town as well. Billy managed to push his head through the cake, looking over to where the Elements had been battling Erebus. Erebus had just managed to dig himself out from under all the frosting, but when he looked up Twilight and the others were there to greet him, their jewelry gleaming with other worldly power.

"Erebus, you come to our town and try to kill us?" Twilight asked with a cold rage.

"Try to kill our family?" Rarity asked with an even greater rage.

"And worst of all, try to hurt our new friend?" Pinkie asked in pure disbelief. Twilight stepped forward in front of them and narrowed her eyes.

"For the crimes you have committed against Ponyville and its citizens, I, Princess Twilight, have no choice but to permanently stop you," she said in a whispered. Erebus dug out another hoof as the five ponies made a semi-circle around Twilight, each of them closing their eyes. The jewelry began to glow even brighter, blinding Billy with their powers. From each of the five jewels came a beam of the purest magical energy, which converged on Twilight, bathing her in a blinding light and levitating all six of them with eyes closed. And when they opened their pure white eyes, a blast of magic the color of a rainbow was released upon Erebus and the entire town. Billy could even feel the rainbow go through him, healing all his wounds. He closed his eyes as the magic flowed through him, simply content with just letting this happen. After a few moments, Billy opened his eyes again, not sure what happened. All the cake was gone, most of the destruction in the area had been fixed and Erebus was...encased in stone? Sure, why not? The six ponies slowly descended to the ground, now normal again.

"What...was that?" Billy asked the three fillies next to him, who were just as much awe as he was.

"Those were the Elements of Harmony," Sweetie Belle said in a whisper.

"Yeah, the most powerful magic in all of Equestria," Scootaloo added on. Billy looked at the necklaces with a bit of skepticism. Strongest magic in Equestria? Sure they were powerful, but he had fought ponies with much greater power and force. Heck, even his lightning bolts seemed stronger than that. The three fillies ran off to join the others, with Billy following them, glad that the danger was over.

{S}

He wanted to destroy the ponies so badly that it almost hurt. He had passed several towns and cities on his march where the two most powerful magic were coming from. But he knew from his experience with the man with the s that he needed to destroy the most powerful creatures in this land before he started to destroy the other creatures. It hurt him, having to put off his programming in order to reach the two. But it would be worth it, worth it to watch the two die in his grip and all the hundreds of other targets running in fear. His power was back to its full and he was ready for round two. While he may not feel any emotion, Doomsday still looked forward to when he crushed those targets and then all remaining life on this planet. Doomsday was on his way.

Comments

[Raistlin]

Wait, are you telling me that, after two consecutive attacks by two of the most powerful menaces from ancient times in Equestria, Ponyville has no special force defense nor an evacuation plan?

[DeltaOsprey]

... I'd say Doomsday is mad but that would imply that at some point he had stopped being mad.

I really hope he winds up fighting Sombra and ruining his plans on accident.

[Rated Ponystar]

I'm curious, will Marvel be able to do the moves he did in injustice? You made Batman have his moves is Arkham City, so I'm curious.

[Onomonopia]

2595530
Yeah he will

[chinlamp]

Why is there still anyone other than the Elements and a dozen regiments of guards in Ponyville at this point? They've had two major baddies in a week (one twice, both of them connected), that's way more than usual. They're not stupid enough to not realise that there's something targeting them right now.

[Dragonsword35d]

2601040 Because ponies have that weird blind spot for common sense. You have seen the show, so you should have noticed. Twilight's is pretty glaring when she is panicked.

[bendude10]

I they they aren't the same, but because billy is also a character on happy wheels, name bye jacksepticeye......SCREW YOU BILLY!!!!!

[bendude10]

Pinkie- Hasta la Vista
T-800- No, it's "Hasta La Vista. Baby."

[SilverDiamond]

7252231 A few pages ago I was kinda thinking about Jack and his yells. X) Really like his videos.

[GarrusVakarian]

No no no, it goes like this:

SCREW YOU BILLY

[Supertoe]

2827228
You know common sense is so rare it should be a super power, right?