From within the cloud of dust, one of the figure's eyes began glowing a sharp yellow. The sound of whirring gears could be heard, causing the princesses and the once bearers of the Elements to shift nervously. Celestia and Luna made subtle movements to get closer to their little ponies as if to defend them if the spell had summoned the wrong thing and something that meant them harm was here. Their actions were met with the glowing eyes seemingly following them, a feat that should have been impossible through the thick cloud of debris.
Celestia was about to call out and ask if they were friendly or not when a fit of coughing caused the words to die off in her mouth before ever leaving. She stared as the glowing eyes turned to where the other form was.
"Are you alright?" It asked in a serious tone, the pitch of the voice giving away that it was a male.
"Too... much... dust..." The other one managed out weakly between coughing fits.
"Here..." The first one said in response.
A large gust of wind that was accompanied by a thunderous clap swept the debris away, revealing the two bipedal creatures. Celestia was the first to open her eyes after the shockwave, and she could only stare at the figure that held its upper appendages together in front of it. This being merely clapped and brought forth a gust of such power, Celestia could not help but marvel at this being. It's head was furless, aside from a tuft of spiky yellow hair on the top of its head. It's forelimbs were covered in glossy black metal, and the rest of its body was covered in clothing. A blue shirt with its sleeves rolled up to not cover its shoulders, and dark green pants adorned its body. What stood out most however, was the piercing golden eyes that stared directly back at her, wide as it seemed to analyze her and the other ponies.
Celestia then turned her attention to the other creature that was also clad in clothing. This one however wore no armor, and was in what appeared to be in a bright yellow cloth jumpsuit, with dark red boots and gloves. A white cape billowed behind him as he struck a heroic pose with his balled up hands on his hips. The pose only served to make the creature look comical however with its unimpressive looking physique. Its hairless head shined in the light, and Celestia had to stifle her laughter at the shoddy look the creature had to it. Celestia now understood what had happened with the spell. The elements had not only summoned the great golden haired hero, but also his sidekick.
Celestia cleared her throat, causing all eyes to be drawn to her as she addressed the alien beings, "On behalf of my kingdom, I must welcome you to our land of Equestria."
The figures stared at her, nor responding for several seconds until the bald one looked at his companion, "I think that we aren't in Z-city anymore..."
"My scans are showing that there are several other sapient equine creatures nearby. It would be safe to assume we are on an alien planet populated by them." The one with the glowing eyes responded.
"So... What, that bright light was some kind of alien abduction device?" The bald one asked.
"Actually... That was magic, not a device." Twilight spoke up, unable to restrain herself from correcting someone.
The two turned their attention toward her, causing Twilight to fidget slightly under the gaze of the piercing golden eyes. His expression held no room for games in its serious visage, quite the opposite of the dopey look his companion had.
"Why have you brought us here?" He asked in a commanding tone.
"We are in need of heroes to save our kingdom." Celestia cut in, stepping between Twilight and the man.
The expression of the bald one brightened noticeably at this "Well it's nice to see that even aliens have finally recognized my heroics. Did you perhaps hear of my defeat of Lord Boros?"
"Umm... Who?" Luna chimed in with a confused look on her face.
"Oh..." The bald one said dejectedly at the clear confusion.
"We used a spell to summon the greatest hero to defend our land in this time of great peril, and we hope that you would answer our call for need." Celestia pressed on as she strode closer to the two beings.
As she approached nearer she noticed two things. The first that she noticed was that the golden eyed one was not wearing armor, the metal plates seemed to be what his arm was actually made of. The second, was that she could sense a great power before her. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, and it made her smile with hope.
"Why not, it would be a good learning experience." The bald one stated with a shrug.
"Are you sure? You know what my goal is. It cannot be achieved here." The golden eyed one stated in a serious tone.
"Oh come on, what harm could there be in a little training. A true hero never turns down those that are in need." He said with a smile as he gave the thumbs up in what was clearly supposed to be a cool pose.
The reaction was immediate in the golden eyed one who took out a notepad from one of the pockets in his pants and began jotting something down. Celestia frowned at this and furrowed her brows in thought.
"It is not my place to question your methods because you clearly were the one the spell was meant to summon..." Celestia began, "But why do you take orders from your sidekick?"
"Sidekick...?" The bald one asked, his face falling into one of depression.
"He is my teacher. With his guidance I can become strong enough to avenge my family." The golden eyed one stated firmly.
The ponies all looked between the imposing figure of the one with glowing eyes, and then to the deflated and frail looking one who was bald. They then looked back at the first with his all too serious expression and laughed at the joke he had clearly made.
"I like him, a hero should be able to tell good jokes!" Pinkie Pie said in her overly hyper voice as she bounced up before the man.
"It... Isn't a joke. Teacher is the strongest person I know, and has saved our world on numerous occasions." He replied with an insulted scowl on his face.
"Give it a rest, they won't believe you any more than the other heroes at the association will." The bald one said with a sigh, "Besides, its better not to dwell on such things. Fame is not what being a hero is all about."
"He has a very valid point. A noble choice of words indeed." Luna said with a smile.
'Perhaps he is the moral compass of the hero? I am getting the feeling that he is not well versed with his own emotions,' Luna whispered to her sister.
'I think you are right. Something must have happened for our hero to hold him in such high regards. Perhaps he considers that he saved the world in that he kept him on the right track in life,' Celestia whispered back.
"So you have your own Hero organization where you are from?" Twilight asked, interested in the tidbit of information that was slipped moments ago.
"Yes, I am of the S ranked heroes, and am the fourteenth place among those." The first one replied.
"Class B hero, Rank sixth" The second replied himself.
"S rank, I ain't heard of those..." Applejack chimed in.
"S rank is the secret rank above A if their system is anything like ours..." Celestia explained.
"Did anyone else hear that?" The bald one asked, a look of confusion crossing his face.
"Hear what?" The man with glowing eyes asked, moments before his eyes went wide as his sensors picked up something speeding in their direction at an alarming rate.
The wall of the room they were in blew down as a great concussive force ripped through the air causing the ponies to all fall about. Only the two heroes stood their ground and looked at what met them. An army of black chitinous creatures that resembled the shape of the ponies snarled and snapped their jaws at the occupants of the room. The golden eyed man looked at Celestia and Luna as if asking who they were.
"Changelings, why now!?" Luna yelled in dismay.
"Our Queen knew you would be using the last bit of the magic of the Elements, and that now was our time to strike!" A changeling that was larger than the other and wore armor stepped forward.
The changeling made for the closest pony, Fluttershy, but never made it as it found itself seperated at its mid section by a beam of pure energy. The insectoid creature was dead before its body hit the ground. This caused the rest of the Changelings to chitter violently among themselves at the strange creature that attacked them. The golden eyed man meanwhile turned his smoking palm towards the large group of the changelings, the panels on his arm opening up and glowing with a great power as he readied an even more powerful shot from his bionic arm.
The black insect like ponies had no chance as a blue beam of energy tore through their ranks, annihilating any that it touched. The ponies stared in awe at the raw power that the man unleashed. as he went about chasing the fleeing remnants of the changelings. What they did not notice was that the other man seemingly ignoring the changelings, walked off out of the hole in the wall, and was making his way towards something in the distance.
A giant creature covered in thick chitinous plates watched over Ponyville from the ruins of a destroyed building, where it watched the now defenseless ponies scurry to avoid the changelings that it commanded. General Mandibles was his name, most powerful of Queen Chrysalis's commanders. He was of a breed of recently hatched and altered changelings that were only possible because of their new ally in the war on the ponies. He was the pride of the changelings, and he was unstoppable.
He alone had braved the changeling coliseum, and had single hoofedly slain hundreds of ponies and griffons that had been captured for the purpose of testing him. All in a single round to boot."
"So you must be the boss of those things that are attacking." A voice called from behind him.
Turning slowly, so as to be as menacing as possible, General Mandibles beheld a strange looking creature. It's head shined like a polished piece of metal in the sunlight, and it had its arms crossed before it as its cape billowed behind it.
"What... Are you?" The giant changeling said to the creature it dwarfed in size that clearly wanted to die.
"Just a guy who serves as a hero for a hobby." The man said in a neutral voice.
"That's one half-assed setting..." General Mandibles said with a frown, "But I am the mighty General Mandibles. Fiercest and strongest among the Queen's Changelings."
"Can we just got on with this? Those ponies seemed like they had something more interesting to say to me..." He said as he let out a bored sigh.
A vein bulged in the massive changelings forehead at the audacity of the strange creature, "You dare mock me?!"
General Mandibles grew to double his previous size, and shifted his body to matched the bipedal form in hopes of frightening it. His hands however ended in wickedly sharp black claws, and his body was covered in curved spines. His mouth gray stark white fangs, each as large as the man's head, and two massive curved tusks sprouted from his cheekbones. This form was brought from an image of a creature it had managed to gleam from the top of the man's mind with its magic. With a form as imposing and powerful as this, there was no hope for the puny creature now.
"Now Die!" General Mandibles shouted as he lunged forward for the attack.
The man lazily threw a fist out, not even taking the time to notice the familiar face of a creature he had defeated months ago. This version fared no better as a gaping hole formed in it from his punch, the shock-wave carrying through and leaving a large crater in the ground behind it. The force that rippled though its body caused its arms to snap off, the chitin cracking and flying in numerous directions. Its tusks shattered and eyes flew out of their sockets as the devastation of the blow rocked its body. Gore and limbs sprayed out behind it and away from the man as it let out its final cry of surprise and agony.
He stood there for a second staring at the corpse of the easily defeated monster. Another fight that ended after only one punch.
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" He screamed in lament of his boredom.
The two heroes joined back with the ponies after the last of the Changelings had been dealt with. Twilight and her friends were busy cleaning up the debris from the damaged wall, while Celestia and Luna awaited the return of the heroes. Upon seeing them walking together they rushed to join them out on the street.
"You did a wonderful job of taking care of the Changelings!" Luna exclaimed, giving praise to the Golden eyed hero.
"We appreciate the help you offered as well, though I lost sight of you during the conflict." Celestia said to the bald headed one.
"I heard someone cackling like a madman up on that hill over there, turns out it was just a small fry though..." The bald headed hero said in a disappointed tone.
"I was wondering about that. These things were numerous for sure, but they were not all that powerful. Would your own heroes not have been capable of handling this threat?" The golden eyed hero asked.
"Normally they could have dealt with a number of changelings, yes. But in a small town like Ponyville here, there are no heroes on standby. Twilight and her friends could have protected the town, but if Queen Chrysalis had shown up there would have been an issue. Were the attack to take place in a more populated city like Manehattan or Las Pegasus then there would have been some heroes to protect the citizens." Celestia explained.
"I would assume then that we are to be moved to one of these cities where trouble occurs more often then?" The golden eyed hero responded.
"Yes, and by the way, we have yet to hear your superhero names. I am Princess Luna and this is my sister Princess Celestia by the way." Luna said with a friendly smile.
The heroes tensed visibly. The cyborg did not really care about what he was called as being a hero was a means to an end for him. The name he was given by the Hero Association was merely a title that he did not even use that often, much preferring to be called by his name instead. The other however, had not been as lucky when his name had been picked. Because of several rumors claiming that the different feats he had accomplished had been because of dirty and underhanded methods of taking credit for another's actions, his name had come solely based on his physical appearance. Something that was a tender subject to him.
"My hero name is Demon Cyborg. But I prefer to go by my real name Genos." The golden eyed hero stated.
Luna whistled an impressed tune, "An imposing name, surely earned by your destructive power."
Celestia and Luna both turned their attentions to the bald one who was standing there with a downtrodden look on his face. They stared in awkward silence for nearly a minute before Celestia cleared her throat, "And your hero name is?"
"Caped Baldy..." He muttered under his breath.
Celestia and Luna exchanged glances before Celestia spoke up again, "I apologize but I couldn't quite catch that..."
The bald hero sighed and waved a hand dismissively, "Never mind that, just call me Saitama."
"Genos and Saitama it is then." Luna nodded with a smile.
"If I may interject. I must ask who it is that we were summoned to deal with. I need to go back to Earth so that I may take my vengeance." Genos explained.
"To be honest, there has been a secret organization that has sprouted up and is rallying the forces of evil. The changelings are merely one of the forces that have joined into their ranks. We would be happy to send you back once it is dealt with, but it will take at least a month for the Elements to regain enough of their power to send you back." Celestia explained, an apologetic tone towards the end.
"Hey, perhaps we can get some vacation time in if we finish early." Saitama said with a grin.
"Teacher, I can afford no time for a vacation when it could be spent getting stronger." Genos said shaking his head.
"Are you not already strong enough?" asked Luna in a surprised tone.
"No, I am still not strong enough to take my vengeance..." Genos said sullenly.
Saitama patted Genos on the back and gave him a confident smile and a nod before turning his attention towards the pony princesses, "So, where will we be staying?"
"Manehattan is where the most attacks occur, it would be safe to assume their base of operations is close to there." Celestia replied.
"You can stay in the Hero Organizations building. They have rooms for the differently ranked heroes, along with facilities to fit your needs. I assume you will need a power source?" Luna asked, meeting Genos's eyes.
"Yes, and if I can get any tools so that I can perform repairs on myself if need be." Genos said while nodding.
"And what of you, what kind of needs will you have while staying there? We can make arrangements for anything if it is for our heroes." Celestia said with a kind smile.
"Nothing too much, but if I could get some spending money to be able to buy any food for myself." Saitama replied, rubbing the back of his head.
"We could supply the meals ourselves, it would save you the trouble." Celestia offered.
"Oh no, I wouldn't want to be a mooch. Just consider it payment for any villains we bust." Saitama said shaking his head.
"Very well, done." Celelstia nodded with a smile.
"I shall call for a chariot for our heroes sister, I will be back shortly." Luna said, spreading her wings and taking off into the air.
The two heroes watched her fly off towards where they suspected some of their guards must have been. Saitama scratched his chin as he wondered if he would be able to find any good seaweed in the ponies markets. Genos on the other hand was analyzing the structure of Luna as she flew, wondering if her flight was aided by some sort of magic as her wingspan was far too small to support her body through the air.
"Celestia, I have a few questions about your culture..." Genos said, turning his attention towards the princess before him.
"Any question you have I will do my best to answer." Celestia offered.
Saitama yawned as he stretched out on the seat of the chariot. He glanced over to Genos who was busy staring out over the edge of the flying chariot. The blonde haired cyborg wore the usual emotionless expression as he gazed over the passing land, while nearby Celestia and Luna watched him from another airborne chariot. Saitama shrugged and scratched his cheek as he pulled a stick of gum from his pants pocket and popped it into his mouth.
"What are you staring at like that?" Saitama asked furrowing his brow.
"I am scanning the land to make an internal map for future use." Genos replied immediately.
"Huh, that would be handy..." Saitama admitted as he thought about the countless times he had gotten lost when visiting the other cities back home.
"Teacher, may I ask a question?" Genos said, turning his gaze away from the ground beneath him.
Saitama cringed internally, wondering if he was going to ask another question about how he should go about getting stronger, "Sure..."
"What was that thing you were fighting at the edge of that village back there?" Genos said, an eyebrow quirking to show his confusion, "My scans showed it was only about 30% Changeling, the other 70% remaining unknown."
"Oh, you noticed that thing then?" Saitama asked before blowing a bubble with his gum.
"Yes, its genetic composition seemed to have been meddled with somehow... How strong was it?" Genos asked.
"Hard to say, it's hard to gauge them when they go that fast..." Saitama said with a shrug.
"But teacher, they all go that fast." Genos pointed out.
"No, there have been a couple to be able to trade a few blows and let me get serious. But if I had to make a comparison I would say maybe around Asura Rhino..." Saitama replied.
Genos's eyes grew wide at this, "For real? Perhaps there is a reason why they would need to call on you then..."
"Nonsense, they want you to be their hero. Consider it training if there are more foes like that. It would be a good test of how far you've come if you can fight another like him." Saitama said with a grin as he thought about how he was going to spend his vacation here.
'Perhaps they know some hair growth magic, or have some magic potions that can help regrow it.' Saitama thought to himself as he blew another bubble with his gum. With any luck Genos would also get off his case for a while longer with that excuse. If only Genos believed his explanation of how he achieved his strength. But instead the cyborg had chosen to follow his every movement, and write down everything he did in hopes of unlocking some hidden secret aside from what he claimed was merely hard work and determination.
"Were almost there, you can see the city n-" Celestia started but stopped as she glanced over to Saitama whose gum bubble had popped and spread over the entirety of his face.
"Teacher!" Genos exclaimed as he moved to help Saitama pull the gunk off his face, but only succeeding in scraping off small chunks at a time.
Luna let out a giggle at the antics of the two heroes and ordered the guard pegasi to take them to the Hero Organization's headquarters in the city. By the time the heroes had cleared the last of the gum from Saitama's face they had already made it to the building, and were being greeted by multiple guards who moved to greet the princesses.
"We will call for somepony to show you to your rooms. Afterwards, I leave it in your capable hoov- I mean... Um, hands I guess?" Celestia said, correcting herself.
"Don't worry, we will keep a watchful eye out for anything that looks dangerous. By the way, I had a thought on the way over here, something that was bothering me that I must ask." Saitama said, his face growing unusually serious.
Luna and Celestia blinked in surprise at the intensity of the look he held on his face, as if there was a completely different being standing before them. Luna was the first to recover and spoke up, "What was it that you wanted to know?"
"Do you know of any spells or have any potions that can regrow hair in a spot you went bald in?" Saitama asked with an intensity that rivaled Genos's battle lust.
The pony princesses and Genos deflated visibly at the question. The awkward silence stretched on for nearly a minute as Saitama waited for an answer before Celestia finally spoke up, "Well, there is..."
Saitama's expression turned to one of wonder and amazement at the answer he received.
"But they are only temporary." Celestia continued.
Saitama hung his head in defeat and sulked off into the building, looking as small and as weak as a child as he moped off. A Unicorn mare greeted him as he entered and led him off towards his room. The princesses and the cyborg stared off after him for a moment longer before meeting eyes with each other.
"It is... A sensitive subject for him. I would ask that for future reference it be avoided if at all possible." Genos explained.
"We will... Keep that in mind." The sisters said in unison.
An Earth Pony stallion then greeted Genos and led him off to his own quarters. Celestia and Luna watched him depart before ordering their chariot drivers to make for Canterlot.
Saitama looked around the building he was being guided through. The furnishings were growing less extravagant as he went on, the reason he assumed being it was for the lower ranked heroes as compared to the section he was just in. He had no complaints however, the furnishings of the hall he was making his way down were still far more fancy than anything he had seen back at his home. Just less fancy than the previous section.
"What is that?" A voice called from behind him.
Saitama looked over his shoulder and saw a small group of ponies coming out of a room he had just passed. Glancing up at the sign above the door he read that they were coming from the cafeteria.
"Is that where I can purchase some food?" Saitama asked his guide.
"Yes, however your room will also have a range and other appliances if you would rather cook your own meals." The mare replied happily.
"Hey, maid. What is that?" one of the ponies called, a Pegasus stallion wearing a dark blue costume emblazoned with tornadoes.
"Gale Force! What an honor to meet you." The mare that was leading Saitama to his room responded with a blush.
The stallion inflated slightly in front of his fan and the presence of his posse, "Is this some new kind of monster that you are taking to the prison?"
"No sir, he is a hero that Celestia and Luna personally brought here. I was informed that he was a B ranked hero so I was leading him to a room." The mare correcting, stifling a girlish giggle.
"A fellow B ranker huh? Just make sure not to get in my way, soon I will be advancing to A rank and I don't want anypony getting in my way." The stallion said with a warning tone and striking a pose.
"But I'm not a pony." Saitama said with a friendly smile as he corrected Gale Force.
The stallion's face fell slightly and his posse murmured among themselves. Gale Force screwed his face up in anger at the indignation of the comment, "You!... You watch your back, whatever you are..."
Gale Force abruptly turned and left, his gang of followers following close behind and calling after him to slow down. Saitama smiled and waved as they left, causing the mare that was escorting him to give him a panicked look.
"You shouldn't have provoked him like that. Gale is known for crushing the competition, and has a large following of fellow heroes..." The mare explained in a hushed tone.
"Why are you interested in a hero like that then?" Saitama asked as he followed the maid through the building towards his own room.
"Well, sure he is rough around the edges, but I find that a bad boy can be kind of thrilling." She said with a blush.
"They don't make good heroes though. A hero should be willing to throw themselves into dangers way for others. Someone like that wouldn't." Saitama said with a shrug.
"Well, this room here is yours. But I recommend keeping your personal views to yourself. You seem nice and I would hate to see any newbie hazing happen to you because of them." The mare said as she searched through her saddlebag for Saitama's room key card.
Saitama gazed at the door that lead to what was to be his temporary home. He reached out for the door handle, a move that caught the attention of the maid.
"Wait a moment, you need a key card to unlock those doors. They have automatic bars set into the wa-" The mare began before being cut off by the sound of cracking stone and groaning metal.
Saitama had attempted to pull open the door, and instead had pulled a large section of the wall out from around it. He held the section of wall along with the door a small ways off the ground for a moment, before sliding it back into place slowly and turning his attention toward the stunned mare. He smiled and rubbed a hand against the back of his head bashfully.
"Sorry..." he said with a nervous laugh.
"B-but... these walls are reinforced to withstand any blast..." She mumbled as her unblinking gaze stared at the crumbling chunk of wall Saitama had just pulled out a moment before.
"I don't suppose there are any other rooms? I promise to be more careful this time." Saitama said with an apologetic bow.
The mare's eye twitched slightly, "S-sure thing..."
