Injustice 01

Familiar Foes, Heretofore Heroes

Lost Woods of Tambelon, fram for Equestria:

Despite her trepidation, Daring Do could not help but smile. Since the untimely murder of Dr. Caballeron, her life had been without meaning. Now, she had purpose. Instead of a wily foe, she now had a determined ally. Instead of reliving the same old routine time and time again, she now had new goals and different missions.

She peered from behind cover at her objective, a skull-shaped hill that had been roughly hewn from the original mound. Absently, she said, "So, this is Golgotha. Are you sure we can trust the Master Mind on this? I'm pretty sure this has to be some sort of warning."

A cold and calculating voice answered from within her mind. "Do not let his frail shell fool you, my little pony. His intellect and experience are without equal. Even the owner of this fortress is an infant compared to him."

Daring sighed as she closed her eyes. “Fine, but I’m still worried that I won’t be welcomed.”

“Of course; the old Daring Do was a sworn enemy to their kind. We, however, are the new Daring Do. You just need to get their attention. I'll do the rest.”

Daring sighed and slunk forward with her eyes closed. As a pegasus, she would have been the very definition of foolhardiness. With the help of her guest, however, she now had access to magic beyond what a typical unicorn could muster. With magic sight, she could see the terrain much better than she could through pegasus eyes. However, the prime benefit was that she could now both see and feel the flow of magic. This new vision had been a godsend for her old occupation. Normal traps stood out to her as if they were glowing. The curses that protected ancient tombs were now mere nuisances, easily bypassed.

As she approached an ear hole, the magical barrier appeared as clearly as the slats in a fence, waiting for the aura of a powerful magical being to activate it. Like a mouse walking between the bars of a cattle pen, her comparatively miniscule magical signature passed through unimpeded.

Gaining entry was foal's play compared in infiltrating one of Caballeron's camps. It seemed as though each time he had thrown a new wrinkle in his security, forcing her to adapt and to improve. She missed the challenge, and she cursed the one who had stolen it from her. Although she had mourned the loss for more than a year, her hatred burned hotter than ever. The one who had taken his life and ruined hers would pay. She would see to it with her own hooves. It was only a matter of time.

Carefully, Daring Do found a secluded spot in shadows cast on the ceiling of the main chamber. Her guest would cue her entrance. Until then, she had to bide her time. A grim smile came to her face. This was just like one of many ambushes she had set for Caballeron and his henchponies. To be honest, half of the time she had found herself on the wrong end of the attack, but that was all part of the game. But for a twist of fate or two, she and Caballeron would have been lovers. They had parted as rivals, each forcing the other to be their best; it had been dangerous, but fun.

Good times.

The ancient monster ram did not bother to hide his disappointment as he assessed the four whom he had summoned. It seemed inconceivable that they would have merited serious consideration, let alone consignment to Tartarus. Grogar mentally tallied the roster: Chrysalis, Tirek, Sombra, and some little pink filly who should probably still be in diapers.

To be honest, he hadn't been scraping the bottom of the barrel when he had teleported them from Tartarus; he had broken through the bottom and dug underground. They were all pathetic excuses for villains. All were weak. All were short-sighted. He sighed. All were needed, working together, if he were to defeat Twilight Sparkle and her group of friends.

“You four are the very definition of failure,” said Grogar as he glared at the four. “I’ve watched every single one of your ill-conceived schemes. I've witnessed every one of your inevitable defeats. Do you have any idea why you never win?”

“Because the power they wield?” suggested Chrysalis.

“And where does that power come from, huh? Their teamwork, idiots. If one of them falters, the others are there to get her back on their hooves and restore her strength. As your failures have proved over and over, as long as they work as a unit, they’ll always prevail.”

Cozy Glow, the puny pink pegasus pony, pouted. “Mister Grogar, sir, I am only a little filly, so you can’t blame me for . . .”

“SILENCE!” shouted Grogar. “Excuses are for the incompetent. Unlike you, I haven’t fallen a single time.”

King Sombra laughed, much to Grogar’s irritation. “Spare us. Does Gusty the Great ring a bell? Surely you haven't grown so senile that you've forgotten. You're no better that we are, you old goat."

Grogar grinned. “Is that so? He may have weakened me by taking away my bell, but that was only a minor inconvenience. My so-called death was just a myth to mask my involvement. I've had a hoof in almost every major event throughout history." A flash of yellow hid the ram.

The others watched, amazed, as they blinked the spots out of their eyes. Where a ram once stood, there was now a jet-black gryphon with wickedly sharp claws and beak. Polished steel chain mail covered his upper body, while blood red gauntlets covered his talons. A black satin cape covered his back. His eyes, however, did not lie. They were still the same as the ram's.

"Impossible," gasped Chrysalis. "You can't be the traitor Arimaspi! After the bird who stole the Idol of Boreas, pony General Dark Moon crushed his skull and claimed the idol for himself. No catbird dared even think about uniting Griffonstone after that."

The gryphon laughed. After another flash of yellow, the eyes stayed the same, but the body was now that of a voluptuous black siren. In a seductive female voice, she said, "And who do you suppose taught the Dazzlings the secrets of the songs of the grudge?"

After another flash of yellow, a large male changeling with Grogar's eyes replaced the siren. He said, "Come, now Chrissie. Surely, you didn't forget your old mentor Carapace? I'm glad you took my advice to stay hidden until the ponies forgot all about our kind. It's a shame your attempts at conquest have proven . . . inadequate."

Chrysalis snarled, "You should talk, you pencil . . ."

Tirek clamped his hands over Cozy Glow's ears. "Have you no decency? There's a child here!"

Once more, there was a flash of yellow, and Grogar returned in his full glory. "I am a failure, you say? That is only because you cannot see beyond your noses. Throughout the ages, I've been shaping the world, one grain of sand at a time, laying the foundation for my triumphant return."

Sombra sniffed. "That's a nice parlor trick. Those creatures are long dead and buried. I should know; I dug them up myself."

Grogar gave him a mocking smile. “They may be dead, but I cannot be killed." Turning to Chrysalis, he said, "You, of all creatures, should know that a beautiful lie is easier to accept than an ugly truth.”

Sombra created a black crystal sword that he aimed at Grogar’s heart with his magic. “Cannot be killed? Mind if I give it a go?”

Grogar grinned, gesturing to show his assent.

The dark monarch thrust his sword with all of his magical might, skewering the ram through the heart. “I appreciate that you’ve freed us, but I work alone. Rest in pieces.”

The king turned away, strolling toward the exit. A rustling caught his attention. He spun around, only to find Grogar standing at though nothing had happened.

“Nice try.” The monster goat grinned as he shot a magic blast at Sombra. The weak attack harmlessly bounced off the crystal shield that the former king summoned.

“Unbelievable . . .”

“You better believe. Immortality is the least of the gifts the meteor from which I crafted my bell gave me.” He turned his evil grin to the others. “Come on! Anyone else wants to give it a try?”

“No, no, I think you proved your point, sir!” said Cozy Glow nervously. "Hug?"

“What do you want from us, Lord Grogar?” asked Chrysalis.

“Isn’t that obvious? Work together. That is the only way we can overpower the Bearers of Harmony once and for all.”

They all looked at the monster, evaluating his proposal.

“Now!” commanded Daring Do’s guest.

The explorer jumped from her hiding place, silently gliding down until she was just above Grogar's height. She snapped her wings shut and made a perfect four-point landing right in front of him.

“You know you are digging your own grave, don’t you?”

“A pony!” said Chrysalis. “A filthy pegasus!”

“Hey!” complained Cozy Glow.

Ignoring them, Sombra grabbed Daring by the neck. “I’ll deal with this pest. Tell me, any last words before I turn you into a mindless puppet?”

Daring Do struggled against Sombra’s hold, desperately trying to speak. She finally managed to gasp, “The… th… the… The Sorceress!”

A green glow covered Daring. Chrysalis gaped with envy as she watched the explorer transform. The safari outfit melted. The shirt separated at the collar. The upper portion became a necklace of dragon claws while the lower portion drifted down and became a loincloth that hinted at the secrets it covered. Her pith helmet became a silver filigree tiara with a peridot star that framed the wickedly sharp unicorn's horn that appeared on her forehead. Her fur faded to match the grays of her mane and tail. Several cutie marks appeared across her body. Her eyes changed to a bright green that matched the star in her crown.

She smiled, revealing a set of viper's teeth as she pushed Sombra against the wall with her power. “You have guts, little colt, threatening beings far more powerful than you two times in a row. Guts, but not so much as a hint of a brain.”

Grogar stared at the newcomer. “How did you get here without me noticing?”

“Oh, I asked my hostess bring me here. Her weakness is the perfect disguise.”

Grogar smiled, impressed. “I see. Catching me off-guard is no small feat. I think there’s a place for you on this team. What did you say you’re called?”

The Sorceress turned her back on Grogar.

“Me joining you? It seems that you are confused, little ram. I am not here to join you. No. I came for you to join us.”

“How dare you?!” snapped Grogar, enveloping himself in a dark aura. Although the mare was stronger than Sombra, she was no match for him. It was only a matter of time before he could bend her to his will.

"I dare because you need me more than I need you. The Equestria you will face is not the Equestria you know. Tell me, how much power did you need to collect this gang of idiots? What did you do to gather the power?"

Grogar glared in response.

The Sorceress continued. "You went to sleep for a year and a half to gather the power you needed; ponies may be naïve and weak, but they are good at making sealing spells. You needed extra power to break those seals. You needed extra power to summon Chrysalis. You needed the power of fifty unicorns to restore Tirek."

"Sixty, actually," said Tirek, sotto voce.

"How do you know all this?" asked Grogar.

"It doesn't matter," replied the Sorceress. "What matters is that much has changed while you slept. The Era of Harmony is no more. Now, you must face the Age of Metaponies. You are simply not ready to face the Justice League."

“The Justice League?” asked Chrysalis.

The Sorceress sighed. “Yes, the Justice League. Are you so incompetent as to ignore your greatest enemies?"

Grogar looked the Sorceress in the eye. “Earlier you said 'us'. Who else is with you?”

“And most importantly, who are you, really?” asked Cozy.

The Sorceress made a small bow. “I am merely a pawn. A pawn from him . . . the Master Mind.”

Grogar raised an eyebrow. “The Master Mind?! Is that miserable worm still around?!”

“He never left, just like you,” explained the Sorceress. “And he’s more prepared than you are to confront these new heroes. You can see for yourself; send any of these creatures you’ve recruited against Equestria and see what happens. Unlike the heroes of the past era, they won’t hesitate in hurting their enemies. They won't think twice about removing them permanently.”

“I’ll give you one chance to prove what you are saying. But if you are wrong and end up wasting my time, there would be consequences.”

Sombra sighed. “You know what? This is my cue for me to retire. Thank you again for freeing me. Now if you excuse me, I’ll be taking back my empire. And, if the so-called Justice League stands in my way, I’ll crush them with my power.”

He teleported as the others stared at the now-empty spot.

“Come on, sit with me,” said the Sorceress, creating a window spell. “Let’s watch this moron fail as you witness the power of the Justice League.”

Grogar stood as his lackeys moved to the location that the Sorceress had indicated. The Sorceress cast a glamour spell as she circled the ram, swaying her hip seductively. She licked his ear and whispered, "I can provide some fringe benefits. Think about it; there'll never be another ewe or me."

As Grogar pushed her away, Chrysalis rolled her eyes while Tirek stuck out his tongue and pointed a forefinger at the back of his throat. Cozy Glow exclaimed, "Eeew!"

Without turning her head, the Sorceress said, "Grow up, you lot."

Twilight’s Castle, Map Room:

Twilight was sitting casually, reading when the equipment installed by Team Flash, when she saw a disturbance over the Crystal Empire. She frowned, this couldn’t be good.

She took one of the transmitters. “This is Twilight. There’s a possibility that the Crystal Empire is under attack.”

“An attack? From who?” asked Blue Blood’s voice through the transmitter.

“I don’t know. It may be King Sombra, I hope is not but I need you to send somepony.”

“Understood!”

Blue Blood cut communication as he resumed his inverted ab crunches. “You heard the princess. Who can go?”

“Shouldn’t we go all together?” asked Sweetie Borg.

“No. We don't want to lose the element of surprise,” explained the prince as he continued to exercise. “The rest of us will be ready to teleport in if things go sideways.”

“I’ll go! I am the hero of the Crystal Empire,” said Spike. “If it really is Sombra, he can't turn my fears against me; every Green Lantern knows how to conquer fear.”

“And I literally became my worse fear,” added Batmare.

“Go on, but be careful.”

Crystal Empire:

Sombra materialized outside the shield bubble. He smiled as the cold air of his beloved mountains filled his lungs. “Just like the old times.”

As he walked past the barrier, he frowned. Where were the adoring crowds? Where were the sentries? Where was everypony? Could somepony have warned them of his arrival?

His hoofbeats echoed eerily as he made his way to the castle. Nopony guarded the door. Walking in, nopony greeted him. Where were the guards? Where were the servants?

“Where is everypony?” he exclaimed.

A gurgling sound came from the nursery. He trotted to investigate. Surely, the royals had barricaded themselves within to protect their precious daughter. It was a shame that the little foal gave them away. He cast a shield around himself. The guards must have set an ambush somewhere along the route.

The nursery door splintered as he stormed into the room. Quickly looking about, he found no sign of anypony. Confused, he approached the crib. The gurgling sound came again, this time much louder. Sombra peered inside before pulling back in shock. The expected foal was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a dragon hatchling.

"Got milk? I missed lunch."

“It is you!” shouted Sombra.

Spike lifted his right hand, and a green extension formed from the ring he wore.

Sombra screamed in pain as the projection rapidly slapped his face, gently poked his eyes and smartly rapped his head. Meanwhile, the dragon floated in front of him; a green aura clothed the child in white gloves and boots, green domino mask, and green body suit with black sleeves and legs.

“What is this?” asked Sombra.

“It’s your only warning, Sombra. Leave now in peace, or leave later in pieces.”

Sombra gave him an evil grin. “This is more interesting than I thought. Show me what you have, baby dragon!”

Spike created a giant flyswatter and aimed it at Sombra.

“What the hay is that?!”

“Your eviction notice.”

The flyswatter batted Sombra away, sending him tumbling down a hallway. Lantern followed him, creating a giant pool cue. With a mighty poke, he sent Sombra into a dumbwaiter's shaft. The dragon willed up a giant green toilet plunger and forced the former monarch down.

The king splintered the dumbwaiter's car as he crashed onto it. A giant green pinball plunger forcibly ejected him from the shaft and into a sealed barrel of merlot. He sniffed the aged beverage as he waded out. Growling, he said, "That was supposed to be for my wedding!" He rubbed his chin with his pastern. As he winced in pain, he noticed two of his teeth were missing. “You've dug your own grave, wyrm.”

The lights in the room simultaneously went dark.

“Seriously?” Sombra sniffed. "That's the best you can do?" Almost as an afterthought, he reached out with his magic and lit all of the torches that he had ordered installed in the wine cellar after his last visit.

Suddenly, a whirring sound came. Three torches went dead, one after the other. Sombra turned to the source of the next whirring, barely managing to catch the blur of black that extinguished the torches. Try as he might, he could not relight the torches. In a matter of seconds, the room was again totally dark.

Groaning, Sombra lit his horn, only to have it struck. He caught the missile in his magic and examined it; it was a knife shaped like a stylized bat. As he examined the weapon, a black ball struck his horn, covering it with an opaque paste. Once more, the room was dark

He heard a rustling from behind. He spun around and blasted reflexively with his horn. The covering on the very tip burned off, allowing a narrow beam to escape. The attack harmlessly bounced off a barrel. He heard the sound coming from a different location. Again, he blindly blasted at it.

A harsh, childish voice said, "Interesting. You're an Umbrum hybrid without night vision."

Blindly, he blasted at the voice. Once more, only the wine collection suffered.

“SHOW YOURSELF! Where are you?”

A harsh whisper found its way to his right ear. “Right here!”

A powerful buck caught his jaw, and a leg sweep then dropped his head onto the ground. As he tried to raise his head, something landed on it, forcing it back down.

He blasted out in all directions. The wine collection shuddered. "WHO ARE YOU?" he shouted.

"Sommelier. The wine needs more body."

Sombra tried to look over his withers when he heard a beeping coming from behind. A red light blinked in time with the beeps. The device exploded, sending the former monarch into another barrel of wine.

“WHO ARE YOU? WHO IN TARTARUS ARE YOU?”

He heard a new strange sound, this time from above. A disk stuck to his armor. The cable attached to it retracted, bringing him to the ceiling. He gasped when he saw his opponent. “What are you supposed to be? A giant bat?”

“Almost. I’m Batmare!”

Sombra's blast went wide as Batmare turned off the electromagnet. The former monarch found himself surrounded by several blinking balls. He groaned, "This is why I hate children."

Suddenly, a shield of dark magic covered the unicorn. Just as abruptly, a green dome enclosed both the bombs and the shield. The cellar was bathed in brilliant green light as the bombs exploded.

From her position behind Lantern, Batmare watched as both shields dropped. "It's working," she said.

Lantern frowned as he watched Sombra pull himself up to his full height. The dragon replied, "I'm pretty sure we wanted to subdue him, not just tick him off."

Sombra stormed toward them, with his cape reduced to ashes and his fur and mane burned. “That hurt. A lot. IT HURT A LOT!”

Batmare took a batarang from her utility belt. “That was just us playing around. Leave now, before we have to get tough.”

Sombra laughed hysterically as he increased his dark aura. “You think your pathetic attacks are a match for my might? You may have gotten in some lucky shots. Playtime is over. I have an empire to conquer, and I have no time to waste with your games."

Lantern nodded. “Neither do we. Guards!”

Nervously, crystal soldiers in full barding surrounded the dark king, brandishing swords and maces.

Sombra rolled his eye at the pathetic display. He commanded, "Drop your weapons. This is your only warning."

Batmare grinned. “Take three steps back and do as he says. Drop your armor, too. We'll let him have it.”

The guards exchanged confused looks, but they did as the filly ordered.

Batmare nodded and looked at Lantern and nodded. Lantern nodded in response and stood ready. Deliberately, Batmare walked to Sombra and said, "Go away. You have no power here."

Sombra locked eyes with her, forcing her to live her greatest fear. Her eyes turned green as she froze. Sombra snorted. "Pathetic." He circled her slowly. "You're nothing but a child." He stopped in front of her and lowered his horn. "I'll pick you apart bit by bit, and there's nothing you can . . ."

Batmare slammed her forehead into his nose. As he reared, she slid underneath, sticking a disk to his underside before passing between his hind legs. She leapt to where the crystal ponies were waiting. Sombra spun around and was about to blast her when she yelled, "Supplies!" She pressed a button on her belt. The armor and equipment that the ponies had dropped flew toward Sombra, crashing against his thinly armored underside and encasing him in steel straitjacket.

Lantern looked at Batmare. “Did you . . . ?”

“Magnetize his armor? Yes. I’ve been waiting to use this gadget for a long time.”

Sombra was immobilized by the mass of steel.

“Ready to surrender?” asked Green Lantern, aiming his ring at him.

“Never!” screamed Sombra. Dark magic blasted off his horn's covering and melted his prison. It then lashed out like an octopus and formed a crystal mind control helmet on each guard. Lantern's shield protected both Batmare and him.

“Now, what are you going to do?” mocked Sombra.

The soldiers surrounded the heroes, blocking their view of the former king. Lantern gasped, "I can't move them without hurting them!"

“Sweetie, do something!” shouted Batmare.

A melodic voice caught Sombra's attention. He turned to find a white filly who seemed to be more machine than mare. Happily, she sang a single, clear note. Loudspeakers popped up from her withers and filled the cellar with her song. The helmets shattered.

“NO, THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!”

Sweetie Borg shot her electric cannon at him. "Shocking, isn't it?"

Sombra screamed in pain as he rolled onto his back. The Umbrum part of his physiology was particularly sensitive to electricity.

“Um . . . boorah?” cheered Sweetie Borg

As Sombra's screams faded, Lantern formed a trip hammer over him and revved its mechanism. Batmare put a forehoof on the dragon's shoulder and said, "That's excessive."

Lantern replied, "What? He's the one who said he didn't like children." The construct faded, revealing the unconscious former king.

Puzzled, Lantern said, "I thought he'd be tougher than that."

Batmare gave a frosty smile. "Let's not get cocky. You're one of our most powerful members; once you fully master your powers, you should be able to handle him on your own." She snorted. "It's been a while since I've had occasion to embrace my fear."

"Speaking of fear, are you sure you're okay?" asked Sweetie Borg. "I thought you were in real trouble."

Batmare replied, "I've trained with it since I became Batmare. It gives me my motivation."

The others nodded as they turned to the fallen former king.

“So, what now? Does somepony have a spatula or something?”

Before they could react, a green aura surrounded Sombra, and he vanished.

Batmare face-hoofed. “Just what we needed! He is not alone.”

“It’s safe to assume something big is coming,” noted Lantern.

“Luckily, the others already know.” said Sweetie proudly as she pointed a hoof to her electronic eye. Then, she rubbed her temple as she frowned. “Aaaand Marevel won’t stop complaining of about being left behind.”

Lantern and Batmare took out their earpieces. Sweetie Borg sighed as she touched a cybernetic implant on her head. "I can't turn it off."

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell the doctor to fix that design flaw,” Batmare said in a reassuring tone.

“Thanks. I love my friend and all, but she can be a pain in the flank from time to time.”

Lost Woods of Tambelon, Grogar’s lair:

Sombra was starting to look like a mummy as Cozy treated his injuries. The other tried to process how the mighty king could have been laid low by three children.

“Something that would take at least a week for the Elements of Harmony was handled in less than a day by the Justice League,” said the Sorceress, looking at Grogar. “See? These new kinds of hero are no joke, and those were just three. You should see what the League is capable of when they’re all together.”

Grogar shook his head in disbelief. “What was that all about?”

“Metaponies. And masked vigilantes. The new generation of heroes.”

Grogar frowned. “All right, how can I contact Master Mind?”

“When you’re ready, he’ll contact you. In the meantime, he left you some instructions. Follow them, and you won’t be disappointed.”

She vanished in a green flash, as the others looked at the small card she had given Grogar.

“So, what does it say?” asked Tirek.

Grogar read out loud, “Release the clown.”

Injustice 02

View Online

Rescue ‘party’

Grogar looked incredulously at the single line on the card. He turned it over; the back was blank. A wave of scanning magic revealed nothing except the visible text. Unconsciously, he growled. It was bad enough that the was taking orders. However, being forced to do something ridiculous was beyond humiliating. At his wit's end, he crumpled the card and threw it into the trashcan.

“Mister Grogar, sir?” asked Cozy, confused.

“The worm is testing my patience. Clearly, he wants me to embarrass myself in front of the entire nation before he gives me the real instructions. This nonsense stops here. I came to conquer Equestria, not play games with a deluded charlatan.

Sombra levitated the card from the rubbish. With his magic, he opened it. Reading the contents, he grinned. "Do as you please. It will be my pleasure to do this; the pathetic pretender who ambushed me won't know what hit her until it's too late."

In a mocking tone, Tirek asked, "What happened to 'crushing the Justice League' with your power?"

For a second, Sombra glared. He regained his composure and said, "A great leader knows when to admit his mistakes. I now know I underestimated them. I now know better. I looked inside Batfilly's mind; the clown we've been asked to free terrifies her like nothing else in this world. I want to see the pony who fear itself fears."

Cozy Glow face-hoofed. “Seriously? She's afraid of clowns? Were you beaten by a preschooler, or what?”

Sombra glared at the filly. “She’s not afraid of just any clowns. This one is special; she calls him 'the Joker'.”

Twilight’s Castle, War Room:

Beneath the basement of the Castle of Friendship was secret facility that was never envisioned by harmony. It was designed to be safe from prying eyes and ears, and, in addition to be reinforced against physical attacks, it was warded against unauthorized magic.

The return of Celestia's and Luna's parents had shown how woefully unprepared the new heroes had been to assemble and strategize. This new construction was their headquarters. At its heart was the war room, a conference room with an interactive three-dimensional map of the planet, table and chairs for league members, and thrones for the four alicorn princesses. To foster teamwork, the space included a large gymnasium that could be transformed to different types of terrain to allow practicing tactics, albeit not at full power. Just as important, it included several lounges where members could unwind as themselves, either individually or in groups.

As they waited for the field team to return from the Crystal Empire, the remaining league member calmly sat, poised to spring into action as soon as they received the call. The elder princesses were similarly relaxed, but alert. The youngest, however, paced around the table, vibrating with nervous energy.

“No, not King Sombra! Can they stop him in time? What about Spike? Can he make it out in one piece? Why haven't they communicated with us? What if King Sombra put them under his control?! WHAT IF THE CRYSTAL TYRANT PUT THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON IN THE UNIVERSE UNDER HIS CONTROL?”

Blue Blood sighed. “For the last time, Green Lanterns must conquer their fears to qualify. Batfilly literally became her worst fear. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“I have the courage of Equiles! Why didn’t let me go?” Scootaloo pouted as she crossed her forelegs. As with the 9,432,627 times before, this complaint went ignored.

“And what about Sweetie Belle?” asked a masked vigilante, ten times more dramatically than Twilight's rant. “If the doctor’s technology ends up in the wrong hooves, who knows what could happen?”

The Dash put a hoof on her shoulder. “Easy Rares! Everything will be okay. They're more than a match for somepony like Sombra.”

Everypony looked up when the lights in the room flashed green. Twilight's horn glowed, projecting the scene from within the cloaking field above the castle. An emerald green transport faded away, revealing the Green Lantern. He flew down to the landing pad to direct a bat-shaped black airship into the hidden hangar in the upper stories of the castle. Moments later, Batmare strode in, followed by Sweetie Borg. Green Lantern took up the rear.

Before anyone could react, Twilight flew across the room and trapped Lantern in a tight embrace. "Spike! Thank Faust you're all right!"

Lantern struggled to free himself before generating a force bubble to release the alicorn's grip. "I'm fine, Twilight. Sombra won't be thinking about having foals for a while, though."

Cadence smiled. "We can only hope there'll never be another tyrant like that. So, tell me. What did you do with him?"

Batmare looked away, catching Luna’s attention.

“What happened, my Dark Knight?” asked the night princess.

“He got away. Some unknown magic teleported him away before we could capture him. We don't know where he is."

The princesses exchanged a worried look.

“He wasn’t working alone?” asked Twilight.

“They must have sent him to test our responses,” explained Sweetie Borg.

“But it is strange that Sombra is cooperating with somepony. It doesn’t sound like him, or any of our enemies,” mused Celestia.

Luna nodded. “'Tis indeed troubling, Tia. Someone even more powerful must have brought him to heel. We must prepare for our most powerful enemies working as a team."

Silence filled the room as the implications hit home.

Batmare said, "Now, we must prepare to fight as a team against a team of ponies more powerful than Sombra." The league members looked at each other with concern. "On to the next topic. Princess Twilight, we never did thank you properly for letting us set up Justice League Headquarters in your castle."

"You're welcome," replied the junior princess.

Batmare nodded in acknowledgement. "What we will need, though, is something better suited. We need some place that will allow any of us to be on site anywhere on the planet in minutes, if not seconds. We need some place where we can train at full strength. We need some place invisible to the eyes of our enemies." Pointing, Batmare continued. "Princess Luna, the Doctor, and I have been working on a new base of operations, one that flies far higher than Cloudsdale."

Luna added, "This base, or watchtower, is designed to move over anyplace in Equestria in a matter of seconds. It can move over anyplace on the planet in minutes."

“Meh, I can do that without help!” said Dash with a mocking smile.

“Yes darling, but the rest of us are not so blessed,” said Rarity.

Batmare smiled. “I’m very excited about this project. When it’s finished, the doctor will install transportation crystals in your personal hideouts.”

“And Luna and I will reinforce the training room so you use your powers at their full power,” said Celestia.

“How generous from you, Princess Celestia!” said Rarity, bowing.

“Yes, auntie, you shouldn’t have bothered!” said Blue Blood.

“It's the least we can do,” replied the white alicorn.

Batmare put a photograph on the table. It showed a blighted mansion in the center of Canterlot. “And I also took the liberty of buying this property.”

Blue Blood examined the photograph. He said, "That dump has been on the market since before I became the Arrow. It's nothing but a money pit, kid."

"You're thinking way too small," said Batmare. "It's not the building we want; it's the land. That is where the official Justice League headquarters will be built."

Puzzled, Scootaloo said, "Wait. What about the Watchtower?"

Batmare replied, "Watchtower will be our real headquarters. The mansion will be where we tell everyone our headquarters is. We'll have a museum and gift shop, and we'll have an observation lounge where ponies can watch us work out -- for a modest fee."

“You didn’t mention that there would be a transportation crystal at the bottom of this property as well,” noted Luna.

“I was just about to do that.”

Spike frowned. "I don't like the idea of us being paid performers. Besides, I thought this was supposed to be a decoy, not a tourist attraction."

Shrugging, Batmare said, "It's a little bit of both. As for turning a profit, business is in my blood; this is my way of honoring my ancestors."

“Knowing who your ancestors are, I have no choice but to believe you,” joked Sweetie.

Everyone laughed.

Iron Gate Asylum:

Iron Gate stood as a monument to failure. The former maximum security prison was purported to be escape-proof with absolute security. From the outside, it had seemed solid as a rock. Arrow and Flash, however, had proven that it was rotten to the core. Unmasking the officers who had attempted to use a riot to cover the execution of the drug lord Street Junk had shown the depth of the problem. The prison's unworthiness was irrefutably proven when, despite added security, the mastermind Sun Burst managed to murder that would-be informant.

Celestia and Luna had taken that act as an affront to their authority. It had spurred them to completely reform the penitentiary system from top to bottom. Underperforming personnel had been fired. Corrupt officers had been prosecuted. A system of checks and balances had been implemented. The princesses were certain that all was under control. Iron Gate was to remain abandoned as a reminder of their failure.

Months later, the princesses learned that their confidence had been misplaced. A psychotic patient had managed to release the entire psychiatric ward at Canterlot General, unleashing a plague of the criminally insane on the unsuspecting city. When the smoke had cleared, the deficiencies of that part of the system had been laid bare.

After the Justice League had worked with the authorities to restore order, they all agreed that something more secure than Canterlot General was needed for the most dangerous cases. Those could not be housed with the general prison populace, but, at the same time, they could not be kept in solitary confinement. With the princesses' help, the League had repurposed Iron Gate as an asylum for the criminally insane, those who were too much of a risk to incarcerate in Canterlot General. Fifty soldiers, seven psychiatrists, and twelve nurses now staffed the facility. Although they had only one prisoner, nopony doubted that there would be others to follow.

Days at the newly-commissioned Iron Gate Asylum were punctuated by routine. Daily meals, daily cleanings, daily doctor visits, and constant, maniacal laughter filled the hours. The message that popped in via dragon fire was a welcomed relief.

The captain read aloud, "Code Harmless." He blinked and read the message again. Lighting his horn, he amplified his voice. "Code Harmless. Repeat, Code Harmless. This is not a drill." He then dropped a scroll into each of four dragon fire lamps.

Frantically, everypony moved into position, shifting furniture and readying their equipment and weapons. Now, all they could do was wait for the inevitable.

The voices came, faintly at first, but growing stronger as they came closer. A deep male voice grunted ferally while a female one moaned. The male said between grunts, "So . . . tight. You . . . could . . . have warned . . . me."

The female replied between moans, "You're . . . so . . . big. Aaaah! . . . I . . . told you . . . not . . . to . . . rush."

"Should . . . have used . . . lube," said the male between grunts.

Simultaneously, the two screamed. The door splintered into thousands of pieces as they burst through.

The giant centaur Tirek was first, followed closely by a now-prone Chrysalis. Both were drenched in sweat, and Tirek's armor was deeply scuffed from the walls, floor, and ceiling of the corridor. Sombra picked Chrysalis up with her magic as he entered while Cozy Glow brought up the rear.

The captain walked to them and asked, "Should I get you two a room?"

In the moment of confusion, Cozy Glow walked to the front and said, "We're here for the prisoner."

"That's a little filly!" exclaimed the captain. "What sort of perverts are you?"

Tirek roared, "Silence!" He punched he wall for emphasis. "We've come for the prisoner. WHERE IS HE?"

The guards looked at each other, confused. One asked, "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

Another added, "You have to be crazy to want him."

Cozy smiled at them. “Oh, I think that you are the ones who have no idea who you’re dealing with. Give us the prisoner or things will get ugly. Do I make myself clear?”

The captain levitated a covered tray from a table and set it on her back. He whispered into her ear, "Wait outside his door after you give this to him. You'll be safe there." He then stood and said, "You can find him one level up; it's the door at the end. You can't miss it; it's the only one that's closed. You might want to step back after you slide the tray under the door. He's been known to throw things."

As Cozy started toward the stairs, Sombra growled, "What sort of cowards are you? You're fully armed and armored, and you just sit around playing cards and giving in to our demands." Pointing at Cozy Glow, he said, "I swear, that filly has bigger b . . ."

Tirek clamped a hand around the former king's muzzle. "Mind your language. There's a foal here."

Sombra brushed away the hand as he glared at the filly. “You, go find this Joker. We’ll deal with them.”

“On it!” said Cozy, carefully balancing the tray as she went through the doorway.

Sombra walked menacingly toward the seated guards and said, "Get up, you cowards! I want some action!"

One of the guards shuffled the cards and asked, "Did you bring enough for the ante?"

Sombra raised a forehoof, ready to strike the dealer when a sudden pain forced him to stop. He now saw a bat-shaped blade embedded in his hoof. A harsh voice said, "I'll cut."

The tyrant turned to face his foe. "I was going to kill that baby dragon first, but I guess I should use my manners. Fillies first."

The crystal set in the blade began to flash. The guards took cover as the room became a sea of white. When the lights faded back to normal, a cyan pegasus with rainbow-hued mane and tail stood casually in the middle of the room. She casually buffed a forehoof on her blue bodysuit as the villains toppled over with their legs wrapped in chains.

While the others tried to free themselves, Tirek said, "So, the stories are true. I'll put your magic to a proper use." A ball of magic formed between his horns and it shot out a tentacle at her.

The speedster dodged. "Too slow!" She sidestepped and then ducked under the next grab. "Getting warmer." Suddenly, she was covered in a blue aura. "Hey! What gives!"

Tirek growled, "Hold her."

Just before the tentacle struck, a red blur ripped the pegasus out of the way. Sombra screamed as his magic was drained. He then collapsed.

The blur resolved itself into an orange alicorn with purple mane and tail. She wore a red body suit with white cape and white boots.

Tirek grinned as he used his power boost to break his bonds. "Alicorn!" he exclaimed as he aimed the tentacle.

A grim voice said, "Cyclops."

Tirek screamed as an arrow entered his eye. The tentacle dissipated. Dash and Marevel moved in to secure him.

A green blast came from the shadows. Marevel raised a gold-colored magic shield and reflected it back. It exploded against the wall, revealing two Arrows.

"I need backup!" said one of the Arrows.

"She's the imposter," said the other.

A feminine voice said, "Secure the prisoner." Walking to the two Arrows, she said, "You should save yourself a world of pain. If you surrender now, I promise you will come to no harm."

One of the Arrows said, "Don't let her get away."

The other added, "Blast us both!"

Canary took a deep breath and shrieked. One of the Arrows clutched his ears and writhed in pain while the other pummeled him mercilessly. The defending Arrow succumbed to the attack and once more took the form of the changeling queen.

“All of us wear special ear-protection, idiot.” said the Arrow.

The Canary sighed. “She can’t hear you. That should leave her deaf for at least fifteen minutes.”

“I know. Shall we go and secure the prisoner?”

“I'm on it," said Batmare. The other two moved to secure the queen.

Cozy Glow frowned as sounds of the fight filtered up to her. They were clearly losing. She had to act fast. Moving to the closed door at the end of the hallway, she set the tray down and looked at the tag. She knocked and said, "Hello? Mr. Sandwich?"

A maniacal laugh came in response. "Sandwich? You'll need to go to the kitchen for that. There's no sandwich here, just the Joker."

Cozy glow gulped. “Right, Mr. Joker. I'm a friend; I brought you dinner! And, I’ll release you!”

The Joker grinned. “I’ll help myself, thank you very much. Just bring me the box behind the toilet paper in the supply closet. I hid a couple of surprises in there.”

Cozy did as she was told. When she returned, she found that the door was open. Waiting inside was a stallion with poison green mane and tail and bleached white fur, standing next to a straitjacket. His cutie mark was a grilled cheese sandwich being torn in two.

Shivering, Cozy placed the box in front of him before moving to the side. The stallion eagerly tore it open and pulled out a purple poncho and a black gaucho hat. He collected his belongings and donned the clothing.

“You have lots of interesting things in there, Mister J!” said Cozy, unnerved by the look of this pony. Now, she couldn’t blame Batmare for being afraid of him.

The Joker winked at her as he put on some red lipstick and black eyeshadow. “Oh, yes! You never know when it’s time to party. And it seems your friends are having a big one down there. It’s time for the big finale!”

A small figure leapt into the room and bucked the clown in the face. “It's already over!”

“Batsy! YOU’RE HERE! YOU’RE ACTUALLY HERE, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Joker grabbed Batmare, and soon, the two were grappling on the floor. Joker laughed manically with each blow thrown and taken.

“Shut the buck up! Your laugh irritates me!”

"Language! There's a little filly here!"

"I'm Batmare!"

Cozy gulped and desperately looked through the box for a weapon. Her mouth closed around a rubber chicken whose bottom was weighted down with steel shot. Whipping her head, she swung at the Dark Knight.

Batmare groaned in pain and turned to her. “A filly?!”

“Look who’s talking! At least I don’t have a potty mouth!”

Joker snatched the rubber chicken from Cozy and pressed his advantage. Batmare covered up, absorbing blow after blow, unable to find an opening.

“Hahahahahahaha! It’s been a while since we've had this much together, right Batsy?”

They heard the sounds of silence.

“Mister J, I think that’s our cue to go!”

“Oh, right!” The Joker smiled. “You did an excellent job filly! Want to join me? I need a new partner since Boneless Two was stolen from me. I’ll pay you with lots of fun. What do you think?”

Cozy shivered not knowing what to say. “Um . . . I . . . can I . . .”

“You'll get a better costume than Batsy's," said the Joker. “I happen to have a harlequin outfit that would fit you like a glove. What do you say?”

“What about the finale you were talking about, Mister J?” said Cozy, trying to change the subject.

“See? You’re helping me already. I almost forgot the fireworks.”

“Fireworks?”

“There’s no party without fireworks filly! I hope you brought a strong unicorn, or we'll all go out with a bang.”

Cozy flew into the room with Joker close behind. She shouted, "Retreat!"

Tirek bit down hard. There was a loud crack, and a green aura flowed from his mouth and covered the villains. In a thrice, they vanished.

The whole building trembled as the tower exploded. “Oh no . . .”

“Batfilly!” gasped Dash, flying to rescue Batmare. With super speed, she brought the filly back into the room and gathered all the personnel. Marevel cast a bubble shield around everyone.

Explosion after explosion rocked the castle until its magazine was breached. In a fraction of a second, the failure of Iron Gate was complete.

Golden magic reached out and cleared away the debris, revealing that all the ponies were safe and sound.

"I hate that clown!" exclaimed Batmare as she kicked a stray rock. "Now the supervillains have Joker on their team!"

The Arrow gave her a comforting pat on her back. “Look on the bright side. They have the Joker.”

Batmare gave him a death glare. “HOW IS THAT THE BRIGHT SIDE?”

“Do you seriously think anypony in their right mind can stand being around him?”

The Dash agreed.

“Yeah. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Then again, it's already happened.”

Grogar’s lair:

It was a demoralized trio of supervillains that accompanied Joker and his sidekick. It was hard to say which was worse, Joker's happy laugh, Joker's angry laugh, or Joker's demented laugh. After a while, they all started to sound the same.

Grogar could scarcely believe his eyes when he looked them over. Tirek still had the arrow in his eye. Chrysalis had cracks in her horn and exoskeleton. Sombra was faded and shriveled, breathing with difficulty. It would cost Grogar quite a bit to return them to fighting form.

The old ram groaned. "Please don't tell me a bunch of little fillies beat you up again. So, where's the clown?"

Laughing hysterically, Joker pointed to Cozy. "This is the harlequin." In a stage whisper, he said, "She's naked; don't stare."

“YOU! Who are you supposed to be?” said Grogar

The demented clown gave him the best of smiles. “Me? Don’t mind me; I am simply a pony who dyed. From green or orange, I can’t actually remember, to snow white. You can call me . . . Joker!”

Grogar nodded. “Fine. Joker, show me why you should be on my team.”

The Joker’s smile grew wider, as he put a pencil on a table. “How about a ‘magic trick’? I’m going to make this pencil disappear!”

Before Grogar could react, the clown grabbed him by the neck and slammed his head on the table, making the pencil to go through his eye.

“See? It’s gone!” Joker laughed in delight as the ram slumped onto the floor.

He turned to the others who watched him in awe.

“Well?”

Joker spun around, finding himself face to face with Grogar. The ram grabbed him with his magic. "You have guts a smidgen of skill. But, do anything like that again, and I swear I'll show the real meaning of pain."

“Aw, did my trick upset you?” asked the Joker as he gave Grogar a flower. “Accept this as my sincere apology!”

The flower spit acid onto Grogar’s face as the Joker rolled in the floor, laughing again. “Squirting flower; there's nothing like the classics!”

A black and yellow blast sent him to the other side of the room. “NOT SO FUNNY NOW. RIGHT, CLOWN?” shouted Grogar.

There was no answer.

He and the rest of the villains prepared to retire to another room when they heard something. It started quietly enough, a chuckle that slowly turned into a giggle and then into a demented laugh. “Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! You’re funny! Shall I show you something else?”

Grogar turned and with his magic, grabbed the clown by his poncho and smashed him through the table.

“ENOUGH WITH YOU! DON’T YOU GET IT? YOU ARE UNDER MY COMMAND NOW! DO AS I SAY OR . . .”

“Or what?” asked the Joker, laughing. “With all your strength and power, you have nothing to threaten me with. You can kill me but I don’t care. I'll die as I live, partying until the end. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Listen to me freak, I have lived more than enough lifetimes to know the worst ways to inflict pain. I would normally spare my minions, but if you keep bothering me, I swear I’ll make you an example. DO I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?”

The Joker looked down, seeming regretful, and Grogar smiled. Sheepishly, the Joker offered Grogar a hoof. The ram accepted it, only to receive a massive electric jolt. His limbs went wide as his fur turned to ash.

The Joker laughed harder as Grogar recovered. The ram blasted him with dark magic, but the Joker shrugged off pain that would cripple a normal pony. Finally, Grogar put him in a stasis bubble.

“What’s wrong with this one?” asked Chrysalis in disbelief.

The old ram sighed. “Unbelievable. In all my years, this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this. I don’t know what happened to him, but his mind is completely broken. There is no way to threaten or bribe him. He is no pony; he is an unstoppable force of destruction.”

“I don’t understand!” said Tirek. “What do you mean?”

“Let me put this in simple terms. He doesn’t want anything logical, like position or power. All he wants is to see the world burn.”

“And what should we do about him?” asked Tirek.

"We find some way to work for us. It's a pity he would betray us at the first sign it might be fun," replied Grogar.

"What if I befriend him?" asked Cozy. "I'm sure I could get him to listen to me, he looks like a sucker for a cute face."

Tirek rolled his one eye. “Seriously?”

“He seems interested in my services. I may have to wear a stupid costume, but that’s a small price to get this lunatic under control.”

Grogar ponder for a moment. "That idea is just crazy enough to work. Do it soon, or die with him. Do you understand, little filly? No pressure."

Cozy gulped. “Of course, sir! Whatever you say sir! Just wait, and you’ll see how easily I turn him into our perfect ally!”

Injustice 03

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Metachanges

Sweet Apple Acres:

The solid thunk of hooves against wood rang out as Apple Bloom bucked a tree. A single apple shook loose and dropped into the basket waiting underneath. It was an effort worthy of the beginner that she was, but she did not mind. After being bedridden for so long, it felt good to be able to go outdoors again.

A pair of startled sparrows flew into her field of view, fleeing their shaken home. Apple Bloom giggled, enthralled as she watched the two flap into the distance. When they finally disappeared from view, Apple Bloom shook her head to clear it. Lately, she seemed to have developed an obsession with animals. Something about the way they looked, something about the way they sounded, something about the way they moved seemed to speak to her very soul, triggering instincts she never knew she had before. She yearned to move with their style and grace; she yearned to have their freedom.

It was with great effort that she forced herself back to reality. Just like every time before, she had realized that she could not keep daydreaming like this, lest somepony think she was lazy, crazy, or worse.

Absently, Apple Bloom said, "Not wrong, but unusual."

“What’s unusual, sis’?” asked Applejack, coming from behind the trees.

Startled, Apple Bloom gasped. Hastily, she pointed at the sky with a forehoof. "Uh, oh. Uh, that cloud. I cain't decide what it looks like." Demonstrating, she continued. "If Ah look this way, it looks like a bear. If Ah turn mah head sideways, it looks like a lizard. Upside down, it looks like a fish."

“Yer mentioning a lot of animals lately, ain't cha?” Applejack smiled as she ruffled her sister’s mane. “Why don’t ya let me finish for ya today so's ya can keep watching clouds?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Thanks, but no thanks Applejack. This is the first time Ah’ve been in the orchard since Ah got outta the hospital. Ah wanna help!”

“Don’t ya press yerself too hard, sis. Remember, the doctor said ya have to take it easy.”

“Ah can still buck a few trees, Applejack.”

The older sister sighed. “Fine, but take a break first. Granny just made a pitcher of fresh lemonade. Can ya do yer big sis a favor and get yerself a glass before you start bucking again?”

Apple Bloom smiled broadly. “Ah can’t say ‘no’ to fresh lemonade. See ya, Applejack!”

The orange mare sighed, relieved, as she watched her little sister rush back to the house. She was proud that the filly was being so responsible, but she had to keep an eye on her for at least the next two weeks. Too much exercise would erase all the progress that had been made.

Although it was a great relief that Apple Bloom was on her feet again, Applejack still shuddered a little every time she looked at her sister's eyes. Bright green had replaced what had been hazel eyes. Applejack was uncomfortable with their constant reminder of how close she had come to losing her sister. Little by little, she and the other Apples were learning to live with the change.

In the meantime, Apple Bloom walked to the house, humming a tune. She could already taste Granny's award-winning lemonade. Knowing that Applejack would insist on her taking a long break, the filly took the scenic route back, walking beside the fence that bordered the creek. A soft growl caught her attention. Nothing big enough to do that should be anywhere near her.

Apple Bloom spun toward the sound. It had come from the Everfree Forest side of the creek. "Manticore!" she screamed as she bolted.

On a good day, there was no way a little filly could outrun a manticore. The shadow that leapt across the creek showed it was not a good day. Abruptly, Apple Bloom stopped. The red beast slammed into the ground in front of her. The filly started to back away as the manticore spun to face her. Its scorpion tail lashed out at her. The filly stood, paralyzed as time slowed to a crawl. The stinger came ever closer.

Fear was replaced with understanding. Everything the manticore did now made sense to Apple Bloom. She could practically feel what the beast was feeling.

The manticore snarled in anticipation of an easy meal. The filly would fill its belly for a day or so. To its surprise, the filly changed, going from yellow to green as it grew, transforming into a mirror image of the beast. Green tail intercepted red tail, batting the stinger away.

Apple Bloom roared. This was her home. This was her territory. The red manticore would pay.

The red beast lunged with claws extended. Apple Bloom fell to her back with claws extended, raking her opponent's tender underside as it flew overhead. She rolled back onto her paws as soon as it passed and leapt at her opponent.

The red manticore kicked back as soon as it landed, intercepting Apple Bloom's attack. The green manticore touched down just as the red manticore spun around. They roared, trying to assert dominance as they savagely swiped at each other. The sound of hoofbeats announced the arrival of adult ponies. Outnumbered, the red manticore retreated to the relative safety of the Everfree.

Grinning, Apple Bloom roared in triumph.

Applejack screamed, "WHAT HAVE YA DONE WITH APPLE BLOOM, YA MONSTER?"

Apple Bloom turned to face her sister. Her head tilted as she looked at the mare in confusion.

Big Macintosh looked at the green manticore, horrified at what he thought had happened. His expression turned to one of determination, and then anger. Snorting, he pawed at the ground with a forehoof.

Vainly, Apple Bloom tried to plea her case. Try as she might, only roars came from her mouth. Her new instincts screamed that danger was near.

Big Macintosh charged. Rearing up, he brought his forehooves down on the green manticore's face.

Apple Bloom fell to the ground, groaning with pain. Applejack jumped onto her back and tore at her mane with her teeth. Stamping at her head, the mare cried, "That's Apple Bloom's bow! GIVE ME MAH SISTER, YA MONSTER!"

Big Macintosh pushed Applejack away before delivering a powerful buck to Apple Bloom's midsection, launching the green manticore into a tree. The truck cracked, and it groaned as the top portion of the tree toppled over.

Apple Bloom cried in pain as she slowly shrank. Her fur shifted from green to yellow, and her mane reverted to fiery red. Claws morphed back to hooves, and the battered body of a filly now lay where the green manticore had fallen.

The filly looked at her siblings. “Applejack . . . Big Mac . . . it’s me . . .” With that, she fell unconscious.

Applejack shivered. “Apple Bloom? APPLE BLOOM!”

As gently as she could, Applejack lifted the filly onto her back. “Big Mac, what have we done?”

Big Mac stayed silent. Anything he could say would just make things worse.

…

Apple Bloom found herself in a world of pain. There didn't seem to be a part of her that didn't hurt. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. Wherever she was did not look familiar. Her bed, at least, didn't seem to add to her misery. With difficulty, she turned toward a sound to her right. A familiar face greeted her.

“Applejack? What happened?” asked the filly.

The mare gently hugged her sister as tears streamed from her eyes. "Oh, Apple Bloom! Ah'm so sorry! We thought ya were a monster that ate ya. When ya turned back into ya, we . . . we . . ." She cried, unable to continue.

Deeper sobs drew Apple Bloom's attention to the other side of her bed. There, she saw Big Macintosh. When he saw her eyes, he held her gently and mumbled, "Sorry, sorry, sorry . . ."

“Where are we?” asked Apple Bloom.

“In my castle,” said Twilight, approaching the bed. “Applejack and Big Mac brought you to me, saying that they have attacked you. They seemed devastated. It took a lot of magic, but I managed to mend every bone in your body.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Ah’m sorry!”

“Apple Bloom, ya don’t have anything to apologize for! We’re sorry! We did this to ya!”

“But what happened?” asked Big Mac. “You were . . . were . . .”

“A manticore. Ah know. But Ah have no idea what happened. First thing Ah knew was that a manticore was about to eat me, and next thing Ah knew Ah'd turned into a manticore mahself!”

As she talked, her instincts took hold. It was either fight or flight. In the embrace of her siblings, she felt trapped. There was only one thing to do.

Apple Bloom shook as the familiar warmth spread throughout her body. Yellow fur turned green. Hooves morphed into claws. Tail hairs became segmented chitin. She grew back into a familiar shape and roared.

Shocked, the ponies stared. Apple Bloom no longer saw friend and family; she saw prey, and she hungered.

Princess Twilight had no time to react as she was about to receive a faceful of claws. A green energy shield took the blow in its stead, and it formed a force bubble that captured the rampaging manticore.

The surprise broke her instincts' hold on her attention. Shaking, she transformed back into a filly. She shivered as she turned to Green Lantern. Looking past him, she saw Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

“Spike? Girls? What happened?”

“That’s what we should be asking!” said Sweetie Belle. “We were looking for Twilight for our meeting when . . .”

Scootaloo nodded. “Apple Bloom, since when you are a . . .”

“MAH SIS IS NO MONSTER!” shouted Applejack.

“Hey, I was going to say ‘metapony’,” explained Scootaloo.

“Metapony?” asked the three Apple siblings.

“Metapony?” repeated Applejack. “So, she is like the two of you?”

“I guess so. She has the power to shapeshift!” Sweetie Belle smiled.

Apple Bloom looked at her hooves, surprised. “So, this is what I am?”

“But how is that possible?” asked Twilight. “I mean, yes, she has changeling blood in her system, but there’s no other pony who's received a changeling transfusion who's developed this kind of ability!”

“Well, she has Thorax’s blood in her. He is the king, right?” asked Spike. “His blood must be stronger than the average changeling’s.

Twilight frowned as she considered the situation. “You may be right. Yes, it makes sense. But, why a manticore? Apple Bloom, can you transform into anything else? Like another pony.”

“Ah don’t know; this is the first time this has happened!” protested the youngest of the Apples. “But lately, Ah’ve been feeling funny around animals, like Ah want to be like them. When Ah turned into a manticore, Ah was wondering how would it feel to be a manticore and then it happened.”

“So, animals. Interesting, seems like your shapeshifting is limited, but if you use it well, you can be very powerful,” whispered a voice in the shadows.

They all turned to a corner where Batmare revealed herself.

“Hi, Diamond Tiara,” greeted Apple Bloom. Since the Cutie Mark Crusaders didn’t keep secrets from each other, Apple Bloom had been aware of the true identity of the Dark Knight almost as soon as her fellow Crusaders had known.

“Wait just a second!” said Applejack. “What d'ya mean with ‘can be very powerful’? Are ya suggesting Apple Bloom join yer little League?”

Diamond Tiara nodded. “It’s dangerous, of course. But, do you think you can keep her away from her friends now that she has powers of her own? Yes, she needs to learn how to control them, but we can help. If she trains with us, she’ll be surrounded by others like her. We can stop her from harming others or herself.”

Applejack was about to protest but Big Mac put his hoof on her shoulder. “She’s right, Applejack.”

The orange mare sighed, defeated.

“Don’t worry about me, Applejack! Ah’ll be fine, just like the old times, but now with superpowers!” asserted Apple Bloom.

“She’ll learn from the best!” added Scootaloo.

“Yes, we have each other’s backs.”

The girls excitedly made a high-hoof. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS JUSTICE LEAGUERS, YAY!”

Applejack simply shook her head. “Just promise me that ya won’t fight until yer ready.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Sure. Ah don’t even know what Ah can actually do anyway.”

“Well, it is linked to animals. So, that means we should take you to animals,” said Batmare. “Fluttershy’s sanctuary?”

Twilight considered for a fraction of a second. “That sounds . . . reasonable.”

“So, what are we waiting for?” asked Apple Bloom. “Let’s go!”

“Are you sure yer feeling okay?” asked Big Mac. "You had a lot of broken bones."

“My spells and potions have restored her a hundred percent.” Twilight said in a reassuring manner. “She’ll be fine."

Lantern nodded, looking at his ring. “And, if something happens and she loses control or an animal does, I can stop her or the animal without harming anyone.”

Sweetie Borg transformed her right hoof into a tranquilizer dart launcher. “Me too!”

“Fiiiine . . . but as soon as something happens, we go back home!” declared Applejack.

“You have our word,” said Twilight.

“So, what are we waiting for?” asked Apple Bloom cheerfully.

Fluttershy was sweeping the path to the door of her cottage when the sound of thundering hooves drew her attention to the approach of a group of ponies led by Apple Bloom.

“Oh! Hello. Can I help you with something?” asked Fluttershy, confused by the sudden visit.

Apple Bloom nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Fluttershy, let me meet all your animal friends. Please!”

“Are you looking for a pet?” asked Fluttershy.

Twilight shook her head. “I’ll explain you later, I promise. It's urgent that Apple Bloom get to meet as many different animals as she can right now.”

“Um, I mean, no problem but . . .”

“Thanks, Fluttershy!” said Apple Bloom, galloping past the gate.

Fluttershy looked first to the filly in confusion, and then to her company, still perplexed. “What is going on here?!”

"Later," said Twilight as the group followed Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom stopped at a mulberry tree, looking up at its branches in wonder. A bright red cardinal flitted from branch to branch, feasting on the ripe fruit. With that image fixed in her mind, Apple Bloom closed her eyes and set her instincts free.

A wave of warmth radiated throughout her body as she imagined being the cardinal's companion. Her body trebled as she shrank and transformed. Yellow fur became green feathers and her limbs reformed into avian wings and legs. Her muzzle became a beak. Once the transformation was complete, she chirped happily and took wing.

The cardinal abruptly stopped its meal to turn to the intruder it felt land beside it. When it saw its green doppelganger, it backed away. The green bird chirped a merry greeting. The cardinal stared at the other bird for a moment before looking back at the berries. Looking back at the green bird, it fell from the tree in shock.

Startled, Apple Bloom's pony side came to the fore. She reverted to her normal appearance. The overloaded branch snapped, sending her groundward. Twilight grabbed her with her magic before she struck the ground while Sweetie Belle rescued the startled cardinal.

Fluttershy stared, astonished at the transformations. The other Crusaders cheered at their member's performance.

While Applejack continued to stare at her little sister, Fluttershy asked, "Did she just . . ."

Big Macintosh replied, "Yee-up."

“Thanks, Twilight!” exclaimed the transformed filly.

“No problem . . .” mumbled Twilight as she updated her notes. “Wow, that was . . .”

Fluttershy hip-checked Twilight out of the way. The pegasus grabbed the Apple Bloom with her forehooves and spun the filly so they could see eye-to-eye. Fluttershy asked, "How could you do that? How did you turn into a bird?"

Apple Bloom gulped nervously. “Ah . . . Ah don’t know. Ah'm a metapony now, Ah think.”

“But that’s amazing!” said Fluttershy. “Can you turn into any another animal?”

“Ah've turned into a manticore too . . .”

“Oh, this is amazing!” said Fluttershy. “Friends!”

All the animals on the grounds came at Fluttershy’s call. The yellow pegasus smiled at them. “Thank you all for interrupting your busy days for me. You see, we need to see if Apple Bloom is able to transform into each one of you. Can you please form a line in front of her?”

The animals did as she said while Apple Bloom looked at them nervously. Fluttershy gasped. “Oh, I’m sorry. I got a bit too excited. Do you prefer if we use smaller groups?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. Pointing a forehoof at Harry the bear’s shoulder, she said, “Ah don’t like the way that caterpillar is staring at me.”

“Everyone is staring at you,” said Batmare.

“I don’t know. Something about that insect just feels wrong,” said Scootaloo scratching her head.

“You’re just imagining things,” said Fluttershy with a smile. “These caterpillars aren’t dangerous. Now come on; try to transform into a bunny!”

Woods of Tambelon:

Maniacal laughter waxed and waned in the cavernous quarters. A bleary-eyed Sombra shuffled downstairs to the kitchen where he found Chrysalis and Tirek feebly fighting over a carafe of coffee with their telekinesis. Not bothering to stifle his yawn, Sombra said, "I thought you were going to keep an eye on that damned clown."

Absently touching the eyepatch he wore over his regenerating eye, the centaur said with a yawn, "Sleep deprivation hasn't sharpened what little wit you have."

Chrysalis rubbed her eyes. "Doesn't that clown ever shut up? I swear, he's been going on like that since we brought him in."

Tirek groaned. "I swear I saw Grogar cast a silence spell on his room. You'd think that clown would have to sleep some time."

A drowsy young voice replied, "He sleeps. He laughs. He laughs in his sleep."

The trio at the table turned and stared. The speaker was wearing a black and red harlequin costume. White makeup and a domino mask covered her face.

“What are you wearing?” asked Tirek.

“The outfit Mr. J wants me to use. He says my new name is Cozy Clown.”

Sombra shook his head. "I'm too tired to deal with this." He shuffled to a cupboard and started rummaging through with his magic. He pulled out a jar of zap apple jam. "I always wanted to try this."

“No, wait! DON’T OPEN THAT!” screamed Cozy Glow.

A black mamba flew from the jar, only to bounce off the shield that Sombra reflexively raised. “What was that?” asked Sombra icily.

“I tried to warn you. He woke up early to set up pranks all over the house,” explained Cozy.

A demented laugh came from the kitchen entrance. “A snake jar! Aren’t the classics the best?”

Cozy forced a nervous laugh. “Ahahahahaha! You are hilarious Mister J!”

Sombra glared at Cozy and then caught the Joker in his magic aura. “Let me see what makes you shiver. Let’s see if you keep laughing after that.”

The Joker smiled as Sombra looked him in the eye. To Sombra, the Joker's mind was laid bare. The former king recoiled; there was no rhyme or reason to what he saw. He pulled back before the lost himself to the madness.

The Joker pulled a rubber chicken from his poncho with his mouth. Speaking around its neck, he said, “Do you know what you need? A laugh! There’s no better way to wake up in the morning!”

With a twist of his head, he swung the chicken, striking Sombra in the face. Flatulently, the toy released a could of green gas. Sombra giggled uncontrollably. His giggles graduated to full-belly laughs. Wild-eyed, he collapsed, looking about as he started to panic.

The Joker joined Sombra in laughter until a black and gold aura grabbed the clown and slammed him through a wall.

Grogar entered the kitchen as he continued casting. After a quick diagnostic spell, he frowned.

“Well?” asked Chrysalis.

“He has been poisoned. Tirek!”

“Yes sir?” asked the centaur.

“Go to the bathroom. Bring me the blue potion from the first aid kit.”

“Yes sir.”

Grogar turned to Cozy, glaring. Trembling, the filly shrank back. The ram went to the pantry. As he started to open the cupboard doors with his magic, he growled, "Just look at this mess. You said you could control him, you little tw . . ."

“WAIT!” cried Cozy.

It was too late. As the cupboard door opened, a little catapult flung a cake at Grogar's head. The dagger hidden inside buried itself deep between the ram's eyes. From the other room, Joker cackled, "Ah, ah, ah! Watch your language; there's a little filly present."

Injustice 04

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Magic Storm’s rampage

Canterlot, Abandoned Factory:

Had any other pony been around to watch, they would have thought they were looking at a scene from a classic detective movie. The dim light cast from the naked, undersized bulbs revealed a solitary unicorn. The seductive sway of the hips and the delicate features on the exposed muzzle clearly showed that this was a mare. The elegant mottled gray trench coat and the wide-brimmed fedora that she sported served to cover most of her features. Such refinement was out of place in the corpse of the old factory; clearly, she was a femme fatale. Like a thief, she warily scanned her surroundings. Satisfied that nopony was watching, she pressed the panel that opened a hidden hatch in the giant hydraulic press and slipped inside.

She walked through a series of baffles to a repurposed hydraulic reservoir. Soft lighting revealed a white unicorn stallion doing push-ups with a single foreleg while wearing a ten-kilogram weight vest.

The stallion was exercising his mind at the same time. Spread in front of him were maps of Las Pegasus, Trottingham, and Manehatten. A short stack of newspapers was on his left, a tall stack was on his right, and a single newspaper was open in front of him. As he read, he levitated a sharp pencil, making notes on the map of interest. He looked over to the mare and rolled his eyes in acknowledgment before resuming his activities.

"Is something wrong, Blue Blood?" asked Rarity. "Don't you like my discreet attire?"

"Discreet?" asked Blue Blood with a frown. "That pronking pink maniac you call your friend is more discreet than a pony in a trench coat. "

Rarity giggled. "You mustn't be so mordacious, Blue. After all, disguises are our stock in trade. Besides, this is perfect market research for my new winter line. Judging by the looks I've been getting in the city, it's sure to be a huge success."

Blue Blood sighed and started doing push-ups with the other foreleg.

Rarity giggled again before looking at the newspapers. "Anyway, jokes aside, do you have any solid leads on your mystery metapony?"

"No. If this is indeed a metapony, she is moving from large city to large city. The background noise of the crimes there practically drowns out her work. However, there is a common thread through all the rumors."

"Blue Blood, have you considered that those rumors are actually just rumors?" asked Rarity. "You'd think that a mare walking about a major city dressed in a black magician's outfit would garner quite a bit more attention."

Blue Blood shrugged. "You could say the same about a stallion in a blue cloak. Besides, not so long ago, everypony thought that sixth alicorn was a rumor, too. Now, we're partners with her."

Rarity hung her coat and hat on a peg before taking a newspaper from the short stack. As she read the story buried in the bowels of the local news, she said, "The League is very much interested in her, but they are counting on her to show herself when she is ready." She snorted at a bit of nonsense in the article. "I, however, prefer a more proactive approach."

"I will see if there is any truth to the rumors, and I will find the mysterious mare if she indeed exists," vowed the stallion.

"Seriously Blue Blood, why are you suddenly so obsessed with this metapony?"

"Because we have confirmed that we're facing a villain alliance, and we don't know how many members they have. We need all the help we can get."

Rarity sighed. "You're right. You know what, Blue Blood? I just realized I don't recognize this world anymore."

"We don't need to recognize it. We just need to save it."

He stopped doing his push-ups and took a towel with his magic. "So, what do you need?"

"Oh, right. You'll be glad to hear that a new metapony has appeared. She is still working on controlling her powers but once she does, she would be more than happy to join the League. That's great, right?"

Blue Blood frowned. "Maybe. Can we trust her?"

"Of course! She's Applejack's little sister. Unbelievable, right? It seems like the three of them are predestined to stay together no matter what."

Blue Blood frowned deeply. "You weren't that excited when Sweetie Belle got her metapony powers. And I bet my bottom bit that this kid got her powers from a near-death experience.

Rarity nodded. "Well, you're right. How did you know?"

"Because, except for Marevel and Lantern, it seems like near-death experiences are needed to bring out metapowers."

Rarity put a hoof on Blue Blood's shoulder. "You are really discommoded, aren't you?"

"Yes, sorry. It's just that I don't recognize this world anymore, either. I miss the simpler times when Harmony was the answer to all our troubles."

"Sometimes I do, too, but look at the bright side. There is less crime on the streets, and you and I have become friends."

Blue Blood blushed a little and smiled at Rarity. "You are right. Good friends."

Woods of Tambelon, Grogar's Lair:

Only a fool would wander through the woods. The flora and fauna were fraught with hazards for even the most experienced pony. Something exceptionally dangerous was on the move. A long, winding trail of destruction marked its passage, as did the stampede of exotic creatures. Cockatrice, basilisk, manticore, ursa minor, all were among those that sought sanctuary from the menace. At the clearing in front of Golgotha, the menace broke through. Sombra, Tirek, and Chrysalis had returned from their long walk.

Sombra said, "Finally, I got some time when I don't have to worry about my damned language."

Tirek sighed, "I really needed that. I'd forgotten what it's like to be away from that damned laughter."

Stretching, Chrysalis replied, "Any longer with that damned clown, and I think I would have gone crazy."

Sombra shrugged. "I guess we're lucky the boss didn't make us stay. I wonder if that clown has finally pushed him too far."

"There's only one way to find out," said Tirek.

Chrysalis asked, "What are you waiting for?"

"Ladies first," replied Sombra.

"Are you crazy?" snapped Chrysalis.

Tirek groaned. "I'll go. He's only an earth pony." He walked to the entrance and projected a shield that touched all the surfaces around him. The other waited for a second before following. The shield tripped a dead fall trap, a vase of acid-spitting daisies, and a cabinet full of knives before the trio reached the main chamber, where they saw Grogar towering over Cozy Clown.

"That was the last straw!" he yelled. "This is my lair, my home! How could a simple earth pony boobytrap everything?"

The pegasus filly tried circling away. "Mr. Grogar, sir, I did try to warn you, but . . .Watch out!"

"No 'buts'. You . . ." Grogar screamed as he slipped on a banana peel and slid into a closet. The explosives packed inside and flung him into the wall across the room.

As the ram pried himself out of the wall, Cozy said, "Mr. Grogar, sir, I beg you to reconsider. It's been less than a day since he's joined."

Grogar growled, "It's been a day too long. I am going to enjoy every scream you give until I decide to end things. Don't thank me yet; things will be much worse for your new friend." Grogar grabbed Cozy in his black and gold aura.

Desperately, Cozy looked over to Tirek. The centaur sadly mouthed, "I'm sorry."

A maniacal laugh drew everyone's attention. Grogar spun around and found himself facing the Joker. The clown said, "Come on! Let her have one last meal."

Warily, Grogar eyed the clown, ready to strike him down. To his surprise, the clown took a grilled cheese sandwich from under his poncho and lofted it over Grogar's head. Curious, the ram watched as the sandwich sailed wide. It came to a rest against a rope on the other side of the room. The rope flew through the sandwich, neatly cut by the blade hidden inside. Grogar saw stars as the chandelier it was was anchoring plunged onto his head.

Cozy gave a sigh of relief as she galloped to the Joker and gave him a tight hug. "Thank you, Mr. J!"

"Of course, Cozy Clown. I couldn't let that party-pooper put an end to our fun!"

A black and gold aura vaporized the chandelier. Grogar glared at the two as steam streamed from his ears. As he rose, he said, "I now see my mistake. I now know I must destroy both of you at the same time."

Cozy gulped. "What we do, Mister J?"

The Joker began laughing. "This will be fun! Prepare your mallet, Cozy Clown! We play like there's no tomorrow!"

Grogar sent a full-power magic blast at the two of them. To his shock, a ball of green magic absorbed his attack. It then vanished, taking his targets with it.

Grogar ground his teeth and turned to find the Sorceress, who had just casually entered the lair.

"Bring them back. NOW!"

"Not now. The Master Mind needs them."

Grogar cloaked himself with his dark aura. "I am working with that worm, not for him."

"We both know that you wouldn't be so cocky if he was here," answered the Sorceress. "Besides, you should be thanking me. After all, I'm taking those two away so they can start their mission."

Grogar sighed. "Whatever. Just take him as far away from me as possible."

The Sorceress smiled. She then turned to Chrysalis. "Also, the Master Mind requires your services, changeling."

Chrysalis looked to Grogar doubtfully, but he gave a slight nod. Turning to the Sorceress, she said, "Fine. What should I do?"

The Sorceress projected the image of a red dragon with her magic. "His name is Garble, and he is a metadragon."

"Metadragon?" asked Chrysalis.

"His mind is currently unstable but he has power beyond imagination."

"We are NOT bringing another lunatic here!" said Sombra. "I don't care what this Master Minds says about it."

"I'm not bringing him here," explained the Sorceress. "You cannot handle the Joker; how can you even hope to take care of an actual meta?"

"Then what are you thinking?" asked Tirek.

"I plan to throw him at the Justice League. But he needs a bit of persuasion first."

She projected the image of a second dragon, and she turned to Chrysalis. "I need you to turn into his sister. A little bit of sisterly love is what we need."

Chrysalis grinned. "Of course! This will be fun. It's been a while since I tasted love from an intelligent being."

"I wouldn't recommend that," said the Sorceress. "He is too powerful for you."

"I would do as I please!" said Chrysalis. "And you can't stop me."

The Sorceress shrugged. "As you wish. It's your funeral."

Top of Yak Mountains:

In a lonely cave, roars of agony reverberated against the walls, floor, and ceiling as a solitary dragon discovered that the worst wounds are self-inflicted. He was scarred, battered, and bruised. He had done it all to himself. To be more precise, he now found that his body housed not only his consciousness but also that of a pony. Neither was willing to let the other have control of the body. Each would inflict enough pain to force the other to relinquish control. The claw marks on his body and the broken walls and floor of the cave bore mute witness to the lengths to which each was willing to go.

Garble thought that he had died when he had been cast away those many months ago. He now wished that he had. Since he had awakened from that attack, he had not had a moment's peace. Every second of every day had been a battle for control of his body.

Angrily, he spat gouts of dragon fire laced with raw magic. That magic also streamed from his claws, leaving lines of destruction on every cave surface that it touched. In desperation, Garble smashed his head onto the ground and clawed at his tail. He screamed, "Shut up, pony! Shut up! This body is mine! MINE!"

A small figure appeared on the entrance of the cave.

"Brother? Is that really you?"

Garble froze for a moment.

"Smolder? Smolder is that really you?"

Garble crawled to her. She was as he remembered her -- beautiful, with orange scales, green eyes and magenta spikes. Suddenly, he stopped as his claws grabbed the ground.

Garble trembled. "NO, SHUUUT UP PONYYYYY! THAT'S MY SISTER, AND THIS IS MY BODY. MIIIIIINE!!"

Angrily, he sent streams of raw magic through his claws, obliterating the parts of the floor he was holding. Tears streamed from his eyes as he lurched forward while the pony within tried to hold him back.

"It's okay brother. Here I am!" said Smolder, opening her arms to hug Garble.

He approached, trembling. Looking at his sister's eyes, he smiled. "Smolder, oh Smolder"

Suddenly Smolder's smile turned into an evil grin as she trapped Garble in a green force field.

"Sucker!"

The fake Smolder reveled in the ecstasy of the stolen love as she wormed her way into the dragon's consciousness. She attacked his psyche with wild abandon.

Two minds reflexively counterattacked, forcing out the invader. Garble roared and broke Chrysalis's hold with an explosion of raw magic. "You are not my sister!"

An aura of raw magic formed around Garbles fist as he threw it at the changeling's face. The blast sent Chrysalis flying into a cave wall. As she pried herself out, she touched her face with a forehoof. The scales and skin had vaporized everywhere the magic had touched.

"What?" she asked as her transformation faded away.

The infuriated dragon landed in front of her, with a flare of magic flame coming from his mouth with every word he said.

"What. Have. You. Done. With. Smolder?"

Chrysalis shot magic silk at him, trying to trap the dragon in a cocoon. However, the raw magic flowing from his mouth and fists vaporized it as soon as it touched.

"I'll crush you for daring to impersonate my sister. You'll now know what happens to puny ponies who disturb dragons."

Desperately, Chrysalis stalled. "I am not a pony, am I?"

"I don't care!"

He took a deep breath and blew out magic-infused flames as he shot out streams of raw magic from his claws. Chrysalis screamed as imminent death approached.

The brutal attack impacted, transforming the cave into a tunnel.

The dragon roared in anger as he extended his wings. He could feel the pony desperately trying to buck his way back to the forefront of his consciousness, but his rage was more than enough to keep it at bay. He growled, "Stay away, pony. I'm going home."

In the meantime, Chrysalis reappeared in front of the Sorceress.

"What just happened?" asked the changeling Queen.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," scolded the Sorceress. "And consider yourself lucky that the Master Mind still thinks that you're useful. I would have let you die at the claws of that dragon."

Chrysalis glared at the pony but didn't say a word.

Dragon Lands:

A young dragoness lay on her back, staring at the afternoon sky through the vent of an extinct volcano that ventilated her cave. She clutched an old notebook to her chest. This had been their space, the place where her brother could show off his creative side without worrying about what the other dragons might think. She was his audience, listening to his dramatic reading of his poems. It was a perfect time, buried forever in the past. After that awful incident at the tournament, all she had left of her brother was his notebook, filled with his poems.

A single tear trickled from each eye. "Why?" she asked. "Why didn't we listen to Spike? He tried to warn us. That stupid tournament wasn't worth your life, big brother."

The thud of a powerful landing bounced Smolder from the cave floor. Picking herself up, she turned to the landing site. She gasped when she saw what looked like a dragon, but no dragon could project magic from their mouth or claws. Warily, Smolder backed away, looking for even the least hint of hostility from a being that could clearly crush her like a bug. To her surprise, a familiar voice said, "Wait. Smolder?"

The creature stepped away from the mouth of the cave so that he was no longer backlit. Smolder gasped. "Garble, is that really you?"

Tentatively, he stepped toward Smolder, trembling. He said, "He's trying to take over. Smolder, help me. Please."

The dragoness looked at him and approached slowly, offering him his notebook. "Garble, it is you! Do you know what this is?"

Garble smiled as he took his notebook. "My poems? You saved them!" His hands began to shake. "No! Not now!" Raw magic began weeping from his claws. It singed his notebook as he dropped it. He closed his fists and aimed them skyward. Massive flares of raw magic erupted into the afternoon sky. "SHUT UUUUUP PONYYYYYY!"

While Garble was distracted, Smolder snatched the notebook and darted toward the cave's mouth. "Imposter! These poems meant everything to my brother! They're all that's left of him!"

"Wait, Smolder!" called Garble in desperation.

It was too late. Smolder was in a power dive toward a guard outpost.

"No? come back, pleeeeeease?" Garble cried. Tears of desperation streamed from his eyes. Slowly, they dried. Then, steam streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He roared again. "POOOOONYYYYY THIS IS YOUR FAULT, POOOONYYYYY!"

Garble's rage overwhelmed the pony consciousness. The dragon flexed his muscles. They now obeyed him, and him alone. The raw magic, however, bubbled and spattered from his mouth and claw, barely acknowledging his existence.

He looked at his sister fleeing in the distance. "No, Smolder wait!" he called.

Extending his wings, the dragon flew in pursuit "No, wait! You don't understand!" He snapped his wings shut. The raw magic boosted his speed, leaving a multi-colored trail in his wake. The commotion alerted every dragon in the area.

Smolder looked over her shoulder to see the monster chasing her. She screamed, "GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY!"

"SMOOOOOLDER!"

Dragon after dragon launched themselves in defense of the child. Three of them dropped onto the glowing creature, forcing it from the sky. Five more slammed on top of it when it landed, pinning it.

"Get off me. GET OFF ME!" screamed Garble.

Dragon Lord Ember confidently strode to the pinned Garble. "You are trespassing on our lands. As Dragon Lord, I command you to leave or face the consequences." Looking down, she studied his face carefully. "Wait. Do I know you?"

The raw magic wrestled free from Garble's control and expanded outward like a shock wave, sweeping the dragons away as it went. Even Ember was forced back several paces before she was able to fight through it.

"What happened to you?" asked Ember in disbelief.

Garble ignored her and looked at Smolder. "Please, help me!"

Terrified, Smolder backed away. Enraged, Garble yelled, "Nooooooooo!"

Desperately, Garble sprang toward Smolder, only to run headlong into the palm of a giant green construct.

"Talk to the hand!" shouted Green Lantern. Looking at the intruder's face, Lantern said, "Wait. Garble? We looked everywhere for you!"

Garble froze in shock but soon his surprise was replaced by anger . . . and hate.

"YOU!"

He charged his magical energy as he glared at Lantern. "This is your fault. You threw me to him. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

The raw magic flared to match Garble's rage. The dragon soared into the air before launching himself like a missile, straight toward Green Lantern. Lantern hastily erected a brick wall construct as a shield. Garble's aura let the dragon pass through as if it were merely an illusion. The dragon slammed Lantern into the ground before grabbing him by the arms and hurling him into the air with a scream of rage.

As Lantern reached the stratosphere, his ring's emergency protocols activated, protecting him from the environment. Groggily, he stabilized his flight before bringing himself to a halt.

From behind, Garble yelled, "Take that, you dragon-shaped pony!" Raw magic supercharged the hammer fist that drove Lantern plummeting.

A green ribbon streamed from Lantern's ring, expanding to form a parachute that decelerated him gradually until he touched ground. He zipped back several paces just before Garble landed at full force with the raw magic as a cushion. An obsidian crater formed where he landed.

Lantern said, "Garble, I am so sorry. It was an accident I swear!"

The furious red dragon floated over to Lantern as the wild magic began accumulating around his claws and mouth. "I'll have an accident on your miserable face!"

Garble lunged again, but this time, Lantern shot skyward as he created a giant repeating crossbow. A blur of green bolts flew straight for Garble, only to dissolve harmlessly when they touched his aura of wild magic.

With his new power, Garble shot skyward, catching Lantern by surprise with his new speed. Lantern grabbed his stomach after Garble made contact, knocking the wind out of him.

Stunned, Lantern plummeted, only to be stopped inches from the ground and certain death. Garble moved his hands to Lantern's neck and began to squeeze. "That would be much too quick. You are going to pay for what you did to me."

As his claws closed, Garble felt that something was not right. He looked up an found Smolder staring. She gasped, "M . . . monster."

Garble's aura receded as he processed Smolder's exclamation. Slowly, he released Green Lantern. Bonelessly, the hero slumped to the ground.

Garble glared at the fallen hero. "This isn't over. You took everything from me. I swear I'll destroy every last pony in front of your eyes, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

He flew away, leaving a multicolored trail in his wake.

Smolder ran to help Green Lantern. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, Lantern sat up. "Yes, thank you."

"It really was him, right? My brother?"

Lantern nodded. "I don't know what happened to him, but he is right. It is my fault."

"Can't you do something?"

"Yes, but I can't do it alone." Then, he put his claw on his ear. "Attention to all members of the Justice League! We have a metaproblem from the Dragon Lands more powerful than me! Monitor all population centers!"

Finally, he turned to Smolder. "Sorry for asking you this, but I need your help as well."

"Anything to help Garble."

Garble flew high above Equestria, looking for the biggest city he could find. The skyscrapers along the coast stood out like a sore thumb. The seemed to be lined up like dominoes. All he had to do was to tip the first one over.

Stunned Manehattenites looked skyward as a multicolor blur screamed down toward the Equine Trade Center. Like a giant hammerhead, it struck the upper stories of the tower. Nothing happened at first. Then, with an eerie groan and a loud snap, it began to teeter over. Great gouts of water sprayed from the base.

Suddenly, a powerful voice resounded all over the city.

"Riaper eht gnidliub!"

A purple magic aura surrounded the building and before astonished dragon, the building was restored as though nothing had happened.

Garble roared. "WHO DARES?!"

A unicorn mare in a black magician outfit complete with a top hat, a black jacket and a white bowtie appeared and made a small bow before him.

"It is I, the Great and Powerful Trixie. Would you be so kind as to tell me what the hay is your problem?"

Injustice 05

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Eht Taerg dna Lufrewop Eixirt

Batcave:

Silver Spoon had long ago decided that her face was becoming entirely too familiar with the canvas surface of the wrestling mat. Diamond Tiara had called the latest torture she had decided to inflict "nikkajo". The intense pain the gray filly was experiencing had convinced her that any move she made would shatter her pastern.

With her free forehoof, Silver Spoon tapped the mat twice. Relief was immediate as Diamond Tiara stepped back. Sitting up, Silver Spoon rubbed her fetlock. She asked, "How long was it this time?"

Glancing up, Diamond Tiara replied, "One minute, fifty seconds."

"I am improving, aren't I?" asked Silver Spoon.

Diamond Tiara shrugged. "Yes, but you're nowhere near ready to really fight." She took a towel from a peg and tossed it over. "Let's hit the showers."

Walking back, Diamond Tiara extended a forehoof and helped Silver Spoon back to her hooves.

Once she was back on her hooves, Silver rubbed her neck. "I swear, each session hurts more than the last."

"If you want to be ready for the streets, you'll have to be able to take a lot worse. You'll have to fight at least ten times better than you can now before you can really be my partner out there.

Silver Spoon looked away. Diamond Tiara smiled at her. "You can quit if you want. You know we'll still be best friends, no matter what."

The gray filly rolled her eyes. "For the hundredth time, yes, I get. But I want to be at your side. And, combat aside, I am almost ready!"

Diamond Tiara giggled. "Not 'almost'. You're far more accurate with the batarangs, and you're practically a ghost when you want to hide. Even the Doctor is amazed at how well you can pilot all his vehicles."

"How about a glass of Sweet Apple Acres blended juice?" asked Diamond Tiara.

Silver Spoon grumbled, "Small consolation for getting beat up by my best friend . . . again.

The two of them started to walk upstairs when they received the distress call from Green Lantern.

"Attention to all members of the Justice League! We have a metaproblem from the Dragon Lands more powerful than me! Monitor all population centers!"

Diamond Tiara rushed to get her costume from the ponyquin. "Hurry, Silver!"

"What? Do you want me to go too? But it sounds dangerous!"

"Exactly. You need to learn how to work under pressure. You're not going to fight; we need every hoof we can get to evacuate the city."

Silver Spoon's face fell. "I'm just there to keep your seat warm?"

"No. Saving lives is the most important part of being a hero; I learned that the hard way. Now come on; I need my partner and my friend."

Silver Spoon said, "That's a really grown-up thing to say."

Shrugging, Batmare replied, "Princess Luna helped me become what I needed to be." She reached into a pocket on her utility belt and tossed the keys to the Batwing to Silver Spoon. "Suit up. You're going to guide civilians to safety and cover their escape. The city is so large that we'll have to split up."

"Cool! I always wanted to solo."

"I know you have. Enjoy; you earned it," said Batmare as she walked to the teleportation crystal. "As for me, I'll try my new toy."

Anxiously, Twilight said, "Activate magic scan." She then waited for the sensor net to send its data to the technological enhancements on the Cutie Map. Floating above the topological features, a pointillistic display formed, showing the level of magic present in each cell. Colors went from cold black for background levels to vibrant greens for normal levels to warm oranges for elevated levels. One cell was intense white.

"Attention, everypony!" said Twilight through the transmitter. "Magic readings are off the scale in midtown Manehattan. Our metapony is in midtown Manehattan!"

"It is a metadragon," said Lantern.

"Keep your eyes open for a metadragon."

"Understood!" said the other members of the League.

Manehattan:

Infuriated, Garble opened and closed his fists, charging them with raw magic as he stared down the small and insignificant Trixie. As he took menacing steps, he said, "You are dead, pony."

Trixie replied, "You haven't even begun to witness the magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie." Taking off her hat, she pointed the opening to him. "Empty, see?" She then tapped the crown with her wand and shouted, "ABRACADBRA!"

A blur of feathers blew past Garble as a flock of pigeons flew out of the hat and dodged the aura from his mouth and fists. Instinctively, he covered his face. Something wet fell on his head, shoulders, back, and tail.

While he was blinded, Trixie stole a glance in each direction, enviously noting that ponies were fleeing. She said, "I should have warned you; they aren't housebroken."

As Garble angrily brushed himself off while his aura vaporized the mess, Trixie said, "I'm just getting started. Marvel at my mastery of prestidigitation. The hoof is quicker than the eye. Go ahead, esoohc yna drac!"

A torrent of throwing cards flew from the sleeves of her jacket, straight toward the dragon's belly. Instinctively, he lowered his hands, and the aluminum vaporized on contact.

Garble took a deep breath and let the wild magic fully integrate with his fire. Trixie frantically waved her forehooves back and forth.

Garble spat a stream of fire just as Trixie's flock returned. The birds lifted her out of the way just before the fire reached where she had been. A noxious cloud rose as the fire ate through the street and cooked off the sewage below.

As the pigeons lifted her above Garble's head, Trixie pointed her wand at the dragon and yelled, "Behold, as I defy death itself! Esirprus xob!"

A giant red box with a question mark symbol encased Garble, leaving only the top of his head, his left hand, and his right foot exposed. Wickedly sharp swords of every description suddenly materialized and thrust themselves through the box from every angle.

Trixie grinned as she conjured massive chains that wrapped themselves around the box. Starlight would have been proud; she had done her duty. If these held, she could melt into the crowd and let somepony stronger deal with the dragon.

The pigeons set her far to one side before returning to her hat. Her grin faded when the box began to glow. Box and chain vanished in a multi-colored explosion.

Garble was aglow as wild magic danced around him. Furious, he looked about, but came to a halt when he saw a pitcher of lemonade and a glass on a stool in front of him. He grabbed the pitcher and chugged down the lemonade. Steam began to cloud his vision. Brushing it away, he found he was leaking water from a myriad of invisible holes, with one particularly large leak in an embarrassing location.

He growled, "Pathetic, pony. What does a puny insect like you hope to do?"

Trixie gulped when she saw his aura glow white hot. In every direction, she could see ponies fleeing. As much as she wished to join them, she had to buy them more time. She shrugged. "What my best friend Starlight would want me to do. Keep you entertained. For my greatest trick, I'll need volunteers. How about you two? Latrop evolg!" She reached into her top hat, going in shoulder-deep as she stuck out her tongue in concentration.

Garble yelped as something cold touched him someplace rather sensitive. He snarled as he whipped around. He grabbed the offending sky blue appendage and pulled.

Trixie gasped in surprise as she went through her top hat. She managed to snag the brim with a hind hoof. The hat fluttered to the ground next to her when Garble finished pulling her through. She trembled as she felt the protective magic around her foreleg slowly giving way to Garble's aura.

Garble roared, "Puny pony! You are not even a tiny speck of dust next to me. Any last words?"

Trixie closed her eyes as she resigned herself to fate. She murmured, "Knirhs fles."

Garble's fist met with empty space as Trixie appeared to vanish. He suddenly went skyward as a red blur met him yelling, "Shoryuken!"

The blur followed him up, resolving into an orange alicorn with a red bodysuit and white boots when they reached the apex of his trajectory. She quickly bucked the dragon with both of her back hooves, sending him through the hole in the street he had blasted earlier. The resulting crater collapsed that part of the street and the facades of the adjoining buildings.

"Pick on somepony of your own size, lizard!" said Alicorn Marevel.

The dragon roared as he took to the air. Raw sewage vaporized from his body as his aura charged. He closed his fists and channeled raw magic to them. Marevel frowned, charging her own forehooves with electricity as she dove to meet the challenge.

Equal and opposing forces met at the top of the skyline. The resulting shockwave obliterated the windows of the now-vacant upper stories of the skyscrapers. The two circled each other trading supercharged blow after supercharged blow. Each successive shockwave was stronger that the last. Debris rained down as the skyscrapers bore the brunt of the attacks.

Unnoticed below, Trixie had restored herself to her normal size. She frowned as the watched the fight progressed. At this rate, all of midtown would be destroyed in a matter of minutes. Aiming her wand at the dragon, she said, "Hctac a nogard yb eht eot."

A thin steel cable looped itself around one of Garble's pinkie toes. Trixie tugged as hard as she could with her magic. Irritated, Garble looked down to find the source of the annoyance. He prepared to send a jet of magic-enhanced dragon fire at her when Marevel landed on his shoulders and forced him into a power dive away from Trixie. The blast opened another hole in the street. Marevel pulled up at the last second while Garble became reacquainted with the sewer.

Marevel landed and pulled Garble out with her telekinesis. She said, "Stop fighting, or I'll have to get serious."

Garble frowned. "You cannot stop me, ponies. I'll destroy everything he loves!"

A rustling caught his attention. Turning, he caught a small marble on his nose. It exploded, coating his face with a sticky black polymer.

"Arrrrgh! That's cheating!"

Marevel charged. Blinded, Garble could do little to defend himself.

Trixie smiled. "Rest in peace, Starlight Glimmer. Trixie bought enough time for real heroes to appear, just you would have wanted."

A gentle hoof placed on her shoulder.

"You did well." The Arrow smiled. "Leave the dragon to someone at his power level."

Trixie nodded. "Trixie will now take her leave with the rest of the ponies."

"Wait," said the Arrow. "I know you've saved the day, but could you help us evacuate the rest of the city?"

Tiredly, Trixie nodded. "There is still some fight left in me."

"Good. Take northwest district," ordered the Arrow.

Trixie nodded and ran to action. In the east, she could see the Batwing marking escape routes with colored streamers between performing rescues of the infirm from upper story windows. In the south, a multicolored streak whipped around each building, evacuating the occupants.

A rumbling caught her attention. Nearby, the ground floor of an apartment building was about to collapse after wild magic had damaged its supports. Trixie pointed the opening of her hat at it as said, "Snoclaf og eucser eht seinop."

A flock of giant raptors sped from her hat and into the building through each window. Each returned with a pony in each foot. The now-vacant building collapsed as the birds set the ponies down.

The sound of clopping hooves caught she showmare's attention. She turned to find the Canary and the Dash. "Bravo, Trixie," said the two in unison.

Trixie gave a small bow. "Save your applause. We have a job to do." The trio nodded and went to their assigned districts.

Meanwhile, Garble used his arms and fists to cover his face and chest like a boxer would. Marevel played out the rest of the scenario by pummeling him mercilessly while dodging kicks and tail whips. He winced as the wild magic took bits of scale along with the coating that Batmare had thrown on his face. As the last of the goo burned away, he screamed, "No! I can't hold on!"

Abruptly, the dragon stopped. Marevel held him in her telekinetic grip. "I don't want to hurt you, Garble, but I can't let you hurt others."

Garble's expression suddenly changed from an angry grimace to an amused smile. "I knew this power felt familiar. It seems like my old friend found his champion."

"What?"

"No wonder why my other half had so much trouble fighting you. We were the greatest rivals back in our early days. Then, we became friends."

But the dragon suddenly ground his teeth, punching his own face.

"Shut up pony! This is my body. I WON'T LET YOU TAKE CONTROL!"

He then scratched his face and punched his jaw. "AND I WON'T LET YOU HARM INNOCENTS, MONSTER!"

He scratched his chest with his sharp claws.

Marevel stared at the battle and backed away a prudent distance.

She approached slowly. "Hey, do you need some professional help?"

The dragon roared. "PONIES, DAMN PONIEEEEEES!"

His tail moved and he viciously bit down. "AAAARGH!" "I told you, I won't let you harm the innocent!"

Desperately, Garble spat magic-enhanced dragon fire at the nearest pony, Marevel. A quick bit of spellwork sent it skyward and dissipated it harmlessly.

Garble rasped, "Damn you ponies."

A green glow caught the dragon's attention. He snarled when he saw Green Lantern approaching. He was about to send up a spout of flame when a voice called, "Garble! Stop!"

The dragon blinked. Riding in a green energy bubble was a familiar figure.

"Smolder?" asked Garble.

Green Lantern popped the bubble and the orange dragoness flew to hug her big brother.

"Garble! I am so sorry!"

The red dragon trembled, but he seemed to relax a bit as he breathed heavily. "Smolder, I'm sorry I scared you. I . . . I can barely control myself. Somepony inside keeps trying to take over my body."

"Don't worry, we're here to help!" said Smolder. "Especially Lantern."

Garble sobbed. "Just make him stop! He's driving me nuts! Shut him up!"

He ground his teeth charging his fists with wild magic.

Terrified, Smolder backed away. Garble looked at his hands and bled the charge away from his fists.

Green Lantern approached. "I'm sorry, Garble. If I had been thinking with my head instead of my heart, I would have known that you were Forest Thing's target. Whatever it is that Forest Thing did to you, I'll try to fix."

Garble glared at him.

Lantern stepped closer. "Go on. Let me be your friend."

The red dragon began to charge his fists, but he stopped and gave a resigned sigh. "Shut him up. That's all I ask. But I am not your friend and will never be."

Spike nodded. "Fair enough. Now, can we talk to your other half, the one you claim is driving you crazy?"

"NO! He'll take control, and he'll never let me go surface again."

Smolder took his hand. "Brother, I'm with you. Whoever is in your head with you, we can defeat him together."

Garble glared at Lantern and then looked down. "You heard her, right pony? Do something and I swear I'll force you to see how I destroy every single pony I see."

Garble closed his eyes as the pony replied. Finally, he opened his eyes but his expression was no longer that of a teenager. Instead, it was mature and world-weary.

"So, you are the one this dragon claims is responsible for what happened to us."

"I let my feelings to interfere with my duty as a Green Lantern. Because of that, Garble was captured by the Forest Thing. I've regretted my actions every day since."

The dragon sighed. "The Princesses sent me to clean up your mess after you lot wasted all your energy fighting her parents. We found a dragon near death, and I tried an experimental spell. The next thing I remember was that I was stuck here with him."

Marevel shook her head. "Wait, who are you?"

"Starswirl the Bearded."

Lantern and Marevel exchanged a look.

"Mr. the Bearded, let us help you and Garble," said Lantern. "If we work together, we can find a way to make you and Garble normal again."

He extended a hand to Garble, who ground his teeth as Garble's consciousness regained control. "I told you; I won't be your friend. But, I'll accept your help."

"So, is it over?" asked Marevel.

"Don't worry, I'll be at my brother's side. I'll make sure he doesn't lose control again. Just help him."

"You have our word," promised Green Lantern.

"Then, what we do now?" asked Smolder.

Marevel shrugged. "Maybe we can take them to the Watchtower. It is designed to withstand our powers and and weapons at full strength. If he loses control there, we'll make sure he doesn't harm any innocents."

"Let's go get the others then, including the one who made time for us to show up. We better go, after what happened here, the Princesses would like to talk to us."

Marevel took a look at the ruins that less than an hour ago were a bustling business district.

"Yeah, I guess they won't be happy with how we handled this."

Canterlot:

Luna was busy hanging bouquets of lavender around the castle. She prayed that the ostentatious display around her sister's bedroom would keep the white alicorn calm. The castle had come within a hair's breadth of being destroyed with news of Manehattan had reached the senior princess. It had taken every trick Luna could manage to calm her sister without harming her. Even now, she would have to visit her dreams to ensure they were peaceful.

On of the servant with her asked, "Are you looking forward to putting all this behind you, Princess Luna?"

"Yes. Twilight Sparkle is more than capable of taking the reins of power, and my sister and I could both do with an extended vacation."

The other servant asked, "What about the dangers to the diarchy?"

Luna replied, "My sister has taken great pains to make sure that our little ponies can take care of themselves. The Justice League with triumph where Harmony fails."

The first servant said, "I guess you'll go from ruling the country to watching over the League."

"Quite. We must have words with the League about all the damage they have caused. Twilight Sparkle must learn to moderate their more destructive tendencies."

The servants nodded in agreement. Looking a one of the bouquets, the second servant said, "Wait, there's an insect here."

Princess Luna smiled gently at him. "You are new, aren't' you?"

"Yes, why?"

"Finding insects is to be expected when you are working with fresh flowers. Once I leave, please take this caterpillar to the garden. Now hurry, we still have fifty bouquets to hang."

The servants nodded and followed the princess.

The caterpillar watched the trio leave and fell from the bouquet. It then crawled under the door, into Celestia's room.

"Phase two starts now."

Injustice 06

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Stage magicians and sorceresses

Midtown Manehattan was eerily quiet, with dead and dying buildings bearing mute witness to the cataclysm that had transpired. It was no accident that there were no loose pieces dangling, threatening any pony foolish enough to venture in. Green Lantern, Marevel, and Dash, had stabilized everything so that proper construction crews could effect repairs in relative safety.

“All right, everycreature! Let’s link arms and forelegs,” said Batmare, offering her foreleg to Smolder.

Shyly, the dragoness linked elbow to knee. She then offered her free arm to Garble. The dragon linked elbows while angrily glaring at the Dark Knight.

Arrow locked Garble's other elbow before linking with Green Lantern. The diminutive dragon extended his free arm to Trixie. The showmare stared for moment before asking, "Are you sure it's all right to bring Trixie with you?"

Arrow said, "Take his arm. You earned it."

Blushing, Trixie did as she was told. The Batwing sped back to Ponyville while the rest of the League completed the circle.

Alicorn Marevel sighed. "I don't think there's any way I'd ever be able to pay for this mess, even if I live to be as old as Celestia."

Arrow replied, "Buildings can be rebuilt; possessions can be replaced -- lives cannot."

"That's one way to look at it," replied Dash. "Given the size of the disaster, we're lucky that there were no deaths and only a few minor injuries."

“All thanks to the most unlikely of ponies,” said Canary, looking at Trixie.

Trixie frowned but didn’t say anything.

Batmare said, "The princesses are not going to be happy about this. The bits for rebuilding are coming straight out of their coffers."

"We did our best," said Canary. "Still, we must face the music."

Batmare sighed. "After we drop off our guests." Looking around, she asked, "Is everyone holding tight?" Seeing that everyone was nodding she reached down and flipped back a cover on her utility belt. She pressed the button that lay underneath, and a brilliant white light flared over the group. When it faded away, the group was nowhere to be seen.

The planet's first artificial satellite maintained a polar orbit, covering the globe in a matter of minutes. From the outside, the station looked like a giant castle turret. In its core was a parabolic dish made of diamond sheets. Its reflective surface was covered with gold leaf, and a giant teleportation crystal was set at its focus. The roof of the focusing chamber was also made of diamond tile. The teleportation chamber itself was a circular room with walls of half-silvered glass. At even intervals, symbols representing the League members and the princesses were placed near the ceiling.

In a flash of light, a circle of heroes appeared in the teleportation chamber. Batmare said, "Welcome to the Watchtower! I must compliment the doctor on his design; the first operational use of the teleport system was a resounding success."

Arrow cleared his throat. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna did a lot of the work."

Batmare shrugged. "I made sure their emblems were the biggest."

“Hey!” whined Smolder. “Everything looks cool but what about us?”

Pointing with a forehoof, Canary said, "Well, we have our training room, which is where you'll be spending most of your time. There's also a kitchen, bathrooms, water closets, observation deck, and the habitat level."

Marevel added, "We have sleeping bags and pillows and everything you need for a sleepover."

"Ahem," said Canary. "We have proper beds and linens."

"You don't have to worry about food," added Green Lantern. "In addition to the normal pony stuff, in the kitchen, there's a cupboard full of gems for me. You can have them."

“So, we just stay here?” asked Smolder.

“Only until we figure a way to separate the Garble and Starswirl,” said the Arrow. “The training room here is the only place he can unleash his power without endangering the ponies or the dragons.”

Garble rubbed his forehead. “You better hurry. The damn pony doesn’t stop talking, trying to take control. But I won’t let him!”

“Follow me,” said Marevel. “Inside the training room, you can unleash your full power without damaging anything.”

Garble grinned. “I will.”

“Don’t worry big bro, I’ll be with you!” Smolder said reassuringly.

"I never meant to scare you," said Garble. "This scares me, too. I couldn't control myself; I still can't with that damned pony trying to take control all the time and . . ."

His hands shook violently as he began to charge the raw magic on them. Worried, Smolder placed a hand on his shoulder. Garble breathed deeply and the magic faded from his fists. He sighed. "This will be harder than I thought."

“Don’t worry. We’ll find a way to get you two back to normal,” asserted the Arrow. “We’ll ask the princesses to make it their top priority.”

“And speaking of the princesses, we should go to back to base before they come get us,” said Batmare. “It'll go easier if we go to them instead of making them think we're trying to hide.”

The two dragons took a look around.

“So, it’s okay if we stay here? Unsupervised?” asked Garble.

"Princess Twilight and I will be keeping an eye on you from home," explained Batmare. "Your sister will be watching out for you up here. right, Smolder?"

Smolder nodded. “You can count on me.”

"Good," said Arrow. "Garble, go to the training room and ask for a scenario you want to try; my favorite is one vs. one million. Smolder, why don't you go to the kitchen and make some refreshments for you and your brother?"

Once the dragons left, everyone in the chamber linked forelegs and arms. In a flash of light, they were gone.

The teleportation chamber in the Castle of Friendship was not a happy place. Princess Luna was just about to activate the crystal when a flash of light stayed her hoof.

The princesses glared at the ring of heroes that materialized around them. Angrily, Twilight said, "We were about to fetch you from the Watchtower."

Luna nodded, fixing her glare on her Dark Knight. "Thou art lucky thou art not facing Day Breaker. I was barely able to calm her with a sleeping spell. When she wakes, we shall have words with thou."

Batmare sighed. "Let's go to the map room so we can talk this out."

The Princess of the Night agreed. "Indeed."

In the map room, there was one vacant seat at the table with the Cutie Map as Green Lantern had returned to his normal guise and gone to the kitchen to make refreshments. Impatiently, the princesses tapped their forehooves on the edge of the table as that waited for him to return.

Spike entered, wearing a pink, frilly apron and carrying a large tray laden with a tea service and a large assortment of sweet biscuits. He served Luna first, and then Twilight. He then set the tray on a platform projected over the center of the table so that everyone else to could serve themselves.

Once Spike was seated, Batmare said, "The destruction was due to a rampaging metadragon. He had already done severe damage to midtown when we arrived."

Marevel nodded. "I had to use my full strength to control him. He was too angry to listen to reason and too powerful to restrain without causing even more damage. If it wasn't for the metapony who kept him distracted until we arrived, we'd be talking about mass funerals instead of just ruined buildings."

“It is a good thing that nopony died,” said Twilight.

“Tell us more about this metapony,” prompted Princess Luna.

Trixie raised a hoof. “Excuse me, but it wasn’t a metapony. It was all Trixie’s doing!”

Spike face-palmed while the rest of the Justice League more painfully face-hoofed.

“What?” asked Trixie.

“You are the metapony!!” said the League in the unison.

“Wait a minute. Trixie?” asked Twilight.

“Yes, it is I, the Great and Powerful Trixie!” said the blue unicorn, rolling her eyes as she set off a small illusionary skyrocket. “Thank you for noticing my presence, Twilight Sparkle!”

“So, are you my little metapony?” asked Princess Luna.

“Indeed, she is. She is the mystery metapony I’ve been tracking for a while now,” said the Arrow. “Hiding in plain sight in Equestria’s biggest cities. Las Pegasus, Manehattan, and Trottingham.”

Trixie tilted her head in confusion. “Okay, you must be mistaken. Trixie wasn’t hiding. Trixie was moving around those three cities because they have the biggest audiences, more ponies, more bits.”

“What about your good deeds?" asked Arrow. "Witness say you've been helping ponies in trouble with your metapony abilities."

“Trixie was only doing what was right. Just like Starlight would have, if Trixie sees somepony in trouble, she helps. Trixie wasn't hiding; she loves the spotlight. She just had a schedule to keep.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Let me see if I get this right. You somehow gained metapony abilities and used them only for your shows?”

Twilight looked at Trixie. “Seriously? Trixie, now that you’ve gained this new power, you can be a great force for good.”

This time it was Trixie who face-hoofed. “Trixie is not a metapony, for Faust’s sake! Trixie is a stage magician!”

“But you were using metapony powers to keep Garble distracted,” said Spike.

"Trixie was just keeping him entertained with parlor tricks," explained the blue unicorn. "That's just stage magic, not any special powers."

“Maybe we can clear this misunderstanding if you show us what you can do, my little pony,” Princess Luna prompted.

Trixie agreed. “Sure. Trixie would be delighted to amaze you with her tricks. Warm Twilight Sparkle’s tea! Mraw Thgiliwt S’elkraps eat!”

A wreath of flames surrounded Twilight's teacup, superheating the liquid within. A plume of steam shot to the ceiling.

“Trixie!”

“Erif ffo.”

The flames disappeared instantly, leaving behind an empty, red hot cup. “See? That was not a metapower. That was just stage magic by saying words backward.”

Luna and Twilight exchanged a confused look.

“What? Trixie learned it from an old book. I am sure the two of you have at least heard about it.”

“Trixie, this is the first time I have seen or heard anything like this,” said the lavender alicorn. “Where did you get this book?”

Trixie frowned. “You can’t fool Trixie, Twilight Sparkle. I know that after Starlight’s death, you have been leaving textbooks on magic at Trixie’s door. The book that taught Trixie to do this is just one of many.”

“Oh! You had been studying the books I’ve secretly gave you?” asked Twilight excitedly. “I’m so glad my effort didn’t go to a waste. I was afraid you would have refused them if I gave them to you in person. I thought you blamed me for Starlight's death.”

Trixie looked downcast. "Starlight was my best friend. She said you were the best teacher she ever had. She would have wanted to give her life to save yours."

Twilight walked over and put a comforting hoof on Trixie's withers. "There's not a day that goes by that I do not miss her."

The blue unicorn said, "Trixie is grateful for all your help; she is twice the magician she was before you started." She sighed sadly. "Trixie would really like to talk with you about Starlight; you knew her better than anypony else."

Twilight smiled at her. “Of course. You've been honoring her memory by always improving, right?”

Trixie nodded. “That’s why Trixie is so grateful for all those books, especially the last one. That one changed Trixie’s life.”

“You mean the book that taught you how to use magic by saying things backwards?” asked Luna, steering the conversation.

“Precisely, that one!”

Twilight shook her head. “Trixie I’ve given you a small library, but that book was not in the collection. I didn’t know something like that existed.”

“But all the books you’ve given me . . .”

“Are books that I’ve already studied. I would never give somepony a book that I’m unfamiliar with. Who knows what could happen?”

“Do you have this book with you?” asked Alicorn Marevel.

“No, Trixie has it on her cart,” explained the magician. “But do not fear! The Great and Powerful Trixie will get it for you!”

She took off her hat and waved a forehoof around it. “Teg S’eixirt koob!”

Trixie reached her forehoof into the hat and pulled the book out. “Ta-da! Behold the prestidigitation of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Twilight took the book with her telekinesis and examined it closely. “Trixie, I’ve never seen this book before. What about you Princess Luna?”

The blue alicorn took the book in her own telekinesis and examined the tome. “Nay, this is new to me. Mayhap we can ask Princess Celestia on the morrow.”

Twilight nodded in agreement before turning to the magician. “Hey Trixie, do you mind if I try it?”

The stage magician smiled. "Trixie would be happy to oblige."

Twilight read a paragraph, and then she turned to a floor lamp in the corner. “Pmal emoc ereh!”

The lamp was unmoved.

“What?”

“Maybe you weren’t being specific enough?” Dash speculated.

“Maybe. Let’s do this again!” said Twilight. “Pmal emoc ot em!”

The lamp gave a repeat performance. “What I am doing wrong?" asked Twilight. "Trixie, can you show me how you do it?”

“It will be Trixie’s pleasure! Pmal emoc ot em!”

The lamp scooted over to Trixie. “It’s easy. You just have to concentrate.”

Twilight boggled at the sight. “I did. Then why it didn’t work out?”

“Let me see that book again,” said Luna.

Trixie gave Luna the book again, and the princess used a scanning spell on it. She frowned. “Well, this is interesting. This book is enchanted to reveal its secrets only to its master, the first pony who reads it.”

Trixie gulped. “So, this means . . .”

Batmare nodded. “You wield a unique special power. You know what that makes you?”

“What?”

“A metapony, worthy of us.”

“Yes, a metapony,” said the Arrow. He touched a forehoof over his heart. "But it is what you have here that makes you worthy."

“What are you talking about? All what Trixie did was to distract the dragon.”

Dash said, "You knew you were no match for the dragon. You could have run away."

“You bought enough time for us to come and to evacuate the area,” added Canary.

“That was what Starlight would have done,” argued Trixie.

“And what was she? A hero. You are a hero Trixie,” said Dash. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we would be honored to have you on the team.”

“Are you sure? Trixie doesn’t have the cleanest of records.”

“Hey, neither do I.” Arrow shrugged. “Yet, here I am.”

“But . . .”

“Think about it; you’ll be a great help,” Canary said reassuringly.

Luna cleared her throat. “Now, moving on to the next subject. What happened with the metadragon who caused all this?”

Spike said, "It's my fault; I should have known to protect him. Forest Thing nearly killed him."

Arrow picked up the narrative. "He is apparently two consciousnesses trapped inside the body of a single dragon. Garble is dragon's psyche and the body's owner. Star Swirl the Bearded is the other consciousness."

"What!" exclaimed Twilight.

Frowning, Spike continued. "Star Swirl cast an experimental spell to save Garble's life. It apparently backfired and trapped him in the dragon's mind. Now, the two of them are in a constant battle for control of the body."

Arrow said, "We managed to persuade them to control themselves. Smolder, the dragon's sister, is helping them stay in control, keeping Garble from getting too upset."

"We're keeping Garble in the Watchtower's training room," said Spike. "He can let loose with his full power there without hurting anyone or anything."

"What's to keep him from escaping?" asked Luna.

"He's a guest, not a prisoner," Spike retorted. "Smolder will help them keep themselves in check."

Luna narrowed her eyes. "Thou'd better be right. The bits to rebuild Manehattan aren't the worst part; now, every noble is insisting that midtown be rebuilt in their image."

“At least you found a solution to the metadragon.” Twilight sighed.

“But it is only temporary," said Spike. "They agreed to stop only if we promise to find a way to separate them for good.”

“Of course, we will,” said Luna. “It is the least we can do for our teacher and the father of modern Equestrian magic.' She shook her head in exhaustion. “You are dismissed.”

The League retired. Once they were alone, the princesses drank their tea in silence for a few minutes.

“Three years ago, when my seal broke after one thousand years, I barely recognized this world. I thought I couldn’t adapt but I did. Now, three years later, I don’t recognize it anymore,” complained Luna.

“The world is changing fast. Ironically, the flashpoint was the arrival of Barry Allen.”

Canterlot:

The Arrow shuddered slightly as took a break from his routine patrol on the rooftop of a decrepit mansion. He knew there would be a reckoning when Celestia woke. As senior member of the League, it fell upon him to keep her from overreacting.

A green glow from an abandoned estate caught his attention. The once-toney neighborhood had been abandoned after Arrow had begun purging the corrupt nobles. Looking through conjured binoculars, he could see that the glow flickered as if it were from a flame. While he had no issue with the homeless taking shelter in the derelict buildings, green was not a color from a natural flame. As sworn protector of Canterlot, it was his duty to investigate.

When he reached the property, he peered through an opened window. A pained moan caught his attention. He hopped through the window to investigate. He had scarcely stepped away when the window slammed shut. A green aura covered all the windows, sealing them with metal shutters with wicked spikes pointing inward.

“Now what?!”

The moaning continued. He followed it and the glow to a large room. A series of torches, burning green, lined the walls, highlighting ancient masks, weapons, and artwork. Silhouetted by the green flames of the large fireplace, a single pony stood, watching him.

“What are you doing, Miss Yearling?” asked the Arrow, glaring at the pony in front of the chimney.

The mare snorted. "That name is dead to me. I am Daring Do. I am here to avenge a murder."

Arrow replied, "A seeker of vengeance needs to dig two graves."

"The owner of this house would disagree. Moldy Gold was never mourned. I am here for the murderer of Doctor Caballeron. You are dead, Arrow."

Shrugging, Arrow replied, "You need professional help. Let me take you to a proper doctor before things get any worse."

Daring cracked her whip at Arrow. He backflipped out of the way, landing on a loose tile. Instinctively, he rolled forward when he heard hisses of air coming from either side. Poison darts harmlessly clattered against the wall, but the crack of a snapping chain caught his attention. He sprang back to his earlier position as the massive chandelier drove its spikes into the floor where he had been.

“Really, Miss Do, that is conduct unbecoming of a lady.”

“This used to be his home,” said Daring Do, ignoring the Arrow. “Every trap, every hazard, every feature of this house was his doing. Every time I had to sneak in, I found he had a new surprise waiting for me. It was the thrill that gave my life meaning. My life ended when you decided to take his. You took everything from me!”

The Arrow looked at Daring Do worriedly. “I've grown. I've learned. I know know what I did was wrong. I used to think that killing was the answer until my friends showed me what it truly meant. I never thought of the other lives I would be harming. I am sorry, Miss Do. Truly, I am."

Daring Do grinned grimly. “Your apologies won’t bring him back.”

“Neither will my death.”

“No, but at least it would give me some satisfaction. Besides, you are not sorry, not yet.”

She caught one of the torches with her whip and pulled. Arrow sprang forward just before a giant pendulum sliced through where he had been standing. With his telekinesis, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

“Miss Do I don’t want to hurt you but I will if that is what it takes to get you the help you need.”

Daring Do laughed maniacally. “You hurt me?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Really? Show me what you have!”

The Arrow let the missile fly, aiming for one of Daring's wings. Instead of dodging, the mare caught it in an aura of green magic.

“What? No pegasus can do that!”

“I got help. Her name is the Sorceress.”

A green glow covered Daring Do, transforming her into a pony from nightmares. Her fur turned deathly gray, covered in a multitude of cutie marks. Her teeth turned into sharp fangs, and her green blouse transformed into a collar made of beast claws. Her pants turned into a loincloth that barely maintained her modesty. A wickedly sharp unicorn's horn completed her transformation.

“Who are you?” asked the Arrow.

“Are you deaf? I am the Sorceress.”

“I see. You possessed Daring Do. You are the one making her do this.”

“Yes and no. I thought I was going to have to worm my way in, taking control little by little. To my surprise, she welcomed me with open hooves, on one condition. I had to help her kill a pony." She grinned, showing her fangs to the Arrow. “Do I need to tell you who that pony is?”

A green aura surrounded the house.

The Arrow touched his ear, activating his transmitter. “Attention to all members of . . .”

“Oh, that’s no use. You'll find your magic and your technology are no match for my powers. Nopony can hear you; it's just the three of us now." She laughed. "Daring Do actually thought the owner of this dump, Caballeron was a master of booby traps. Compared to me, he was a dilettante. With my magic, this place is now ten times deadlier than anything Daring Do faced."

The Sorceress teleported right in front of the Arrow, licking his cheek. “I can buy you twenty more minutes before the game starts. Grogar rejected my affections but what about you? Do you want to go out with a bang? What do you say, hero?”

“Daring Do! You have failed Equestria!” Arrow executed a wicked osato gari.

The Sorceress slammed onto the floor a meter away. The spears from the triggered booby trap vaporized in the green aura that surrounded her as she stood. She grumbled, "Everypony wants to be a comic. Why can't I find a straight stallion?" She brushed herself off. "Daring Do is going to enjoy this twice as much as I will. Be seeing you!"

In a green flash, the Sorceress vanished. Bedlam ensued as every trap in the mansion activated.

Canterlot’s Water Reclamation Plant:

Anxiously, the Joker peered through the window. For the hundredth time, he checked the watch he had drawn on his cannon. “Where is she, Cozy Clown? Where is she? Are you sure you made that distress call, Cozy Clown?”

“Yes, Mister J! Have I ever disappointed you?” asked the very exasperated Cozy Clown.

“Then why hasn’t she shown up? Come on! BATSY WE’RE HERE! You are invited for a very special wreck-it-all party!”

A window exploded as a small figure in a black cape and cowl broke in.

“Batsy, you’re finally here! I thought you were lost! Cozy Clown!”

The filly in the harlequin outfit dropped from the rafters and struck the figure in black with a wooden hammer she carried in her mouth. A melodic peal filled the room. “Wait what?”

The figure removed its cloak, revealing a filly who had three quarters of her body made of metal. “You rang?”

With a hiss of air, twin darts at the ends of thin wires stuck to the Joker. He twitched involuntarily as high voltages pulsed through the wires. The filly said, "Batmare sends her regrets, but after our performance in Manehattan, we didn't want your party to drag on."

Cozy gasped and galloped to a cardboard box marked "party supplies". She grabbed a rubber chicken with the number 6 painted on it. She pointed the head at Sweetie Borg and squeezed the body. The head flew at the filly; thin wires trailed behind it.

Sweetie screamed in pain as she found herself on the wrong end of the attack. Rushing to Joker, Cozy cut the wires leading to him with a swipe of a dagger hidden in her wing.

“Excellent move, Cozy Clown!” said the Joker.

“Whenever you want Mister J!” Cozy smiled.

A bat-shaped blade buried itself into Cozy’s rubber chicken and exploded.

“What?!” gasped Cozy Clown.

Batmare pinned the harlequin with a double nikkajo. "You again? What is it with you and the clown, filly?"

"Call me Cozy Clown!" protested the pegasus as she twisted her head sharply. The bells of her headdress shattered against the floor, releasing a noxious green cloud. Batmare sprang back to activate her gas mask. Sweetie Borg's mask activated at the same time.

Batmare snarled, "Come back her, you little ho . . ."

A maniacal voice said, "Ah, ah, ah! There are foals present."

A fan sprang out of Sweetie's shoulder. In a few seconds, it cleared away the cloud. She activated her spotlight and looked around. "Where are they?" she asked.

Batmare groaned. "They got away." Looking around, she said, "I'm sure that glowing green dome wasn't here when we came in. Can you analyze what that is, Sweetie?"

A red beam shot out from Sweetie's cybernetic eye, scanning everywhere it touched. She said, "It's a standard magical barrier. All we have to do is deactivate the artifact generating it."

“Okay, can you track it?”

“Of course!”

Sweetie’s system processed the information in three seconds. “This way!” she said as she cantered to the next room.

Batmare followed as Sweetie approached a massive column in the middle of the room. The cyborg said, "Uh oh."

“What?” asked Batmare.

"This is the main support for the roof. Whoever planted the artifact has a lot more magic than I can handle; it's buried in the middle of this thing."

"Can't you just blast through it?"

Shaking her head, Sweetie replied, "That would destroy all the plumbing in this place. We'd end up flooding out the neighborhood with sewage."

Batmare groaned. “Right after we managed to destroy the most expensive neighborhood in the diarchy.”

"Do you think we can just wait for help?" asked Sweetie.

Shaking her head, Batmare said, "Joker knows us too well. He's going to do something to force our hooves."

A string of small explosions rang out, one after the other. With each blast, a stream of noxious green gas came out.

Sweetie frowned. "Our masks can't handle all of that."

Batmare groaned. "I know. And this is just the beginning. I really hate that clown."

Injustice 07

View Online

The Arrow’s debt

The green gas that filled the water reclamation facility was much more noxious than the normal scent of decomposition. At its current concentration, it would overwhelm the gas masks that the occupants wore within minutes. They could escape by destroying the crystal that powered the shield that reinforced the building, but at its current concentration, an uncontrolled release of the gas would be sure to kill everypony within ten kilometers.

Batmare put a hoof on her transmitter. "This is Batmare. Need backup in Canterlot Water Reclamation Plant stat." There was no response. She sent another plea. The response was the same. "I'm not getting through."

Sweetie Borg said, "Let me give it a try. Her robotic ear extended and transformed into a parabolic dish. She aimed it at the top of the ceiling and said, "Need backup in Canterlot Water Reclamation Plant. Signal is being jammed."

Moments later, a distorted voice replied, "This is Silverwing. What's the sitrep?"

Batmare spoke into Sweetie's microphone. "We're trapped inside with a high concentration of Joker gas. We can blow the place, but that would flood Canterlot."

An older voice came through. "Hang tight; we'll be there in a flash."

Seconds later, the voice said, "This is Dash. We're standing by."

Batmare replied, "Open a hole in the top of the roof. We need you to send the gas to the Watchtower holding tank when we drop the shield."

The building shuddered as a missile detonated on the top of the roof. Green light now illuminated the room. A younger distorted voice said, "I have teleportation portal online."

The older voice added, "We have cleanup crew, and we're ready to rumble."

Batmare looked at her companion, who nodded. The Dark Knight said, "Let's do this!" She draped her cape over Sweetie and herself. The cyborg let the barrel of her cannon stick out and shot a squash head round. As the cape fell, covering the heroes, the warhead flattened itself on the column before detonating as a wall of explosive. The shockwave pulverized the column and the artifact.

As Batmare had hoped, the shield collapsed. Outside, a gas mask-wearing Dash flew in a tight spiral, funneling the gas to the portal projected from the Batwing. A second later, a series of bombs detonated, one after the other, destroying the remaining support members in the building, as well as all containment structures.

Raw sewage sprayed from the broken walls, only to be stopped by a green barrier. Lantern took station above and to one side, focusing his will on keeping the effluent contained. Marevel positioned large pieces of the building itself outside the green wall, forming the base of a cofferdam that Trixie and Silverwing filled in with clay, soil, and dead trees. From her outpost, Canary directed the two, positioning the material where it would do the most good.

From under the protection of her cape, Batmare's radio crackled. "You're all clear."

Batmare whipped back her cape and looked up from the island where she and Sweetie stood. Waves of brown lapped at their hooves. She asked, "Can you get us out of here, Sweetie?"

The cyborg replied, "Hang on to your lunch!" Once Batmare had mounted up, Sweetie Borg leapt forward. Rocket engines in her hind legs propelled them over the dam wall.

Once they were safe, Sweetie Borg asked, "Now what?"

"Now, you and I go after that damn clown," said Batmare, taking a small gadget from her belt. She looked at the display as she slowly spun around. "I put a tracker on the juvenile delinquent." Pointing, she said, "They went that way."

In the placid tarn that served as Canterlot's reservoir, an affront to nature boldly stood out against a sea of blue. Closer inspection revealed that it was a raft made of balloon animals. From that perch, a felonious pair looked over the city below.

The Joker groused, "I can't believe it! They ruined my poo party!"

Cozy Clown chuckled nervously. "Look on the bright side, Mr. J. At least you know where to go when you gotta go."

Bitterly, Joker laughed. "You're learning, Cozy. Still, that stinks! Now, we have to go all the way back down there and take out that dam wall."

"Uh, Mr. J . . ."

The Joker patted her head gently, "I meant the thing holding back all that black water. Really, Cozy, you're too young to be thinking about the other meaning."

Cozy sighed. "I know. They stuck me in Tartarus anyway." Noticing Joker's glum expression, she said, "Cheer up, Mr. J. I mean, you and me are just ordinary ponies, and we've managed to hurt the Justice League more than three meta-villains combined.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! How right you are! Come now, we have a dam to take down. Then, all of Canterlot can join in the fun."

The two turned toward a whizzing sound. A black, bat-shaped knife flew between them before arcing back and plunging through the balloons that made up their raft.

"See? Even our friend Batsy wants us to join in the fun!" Joker laughed as he and Cozy dropped into the water. Overhead, Sweetie hovered with her rocket packs while Batmare rode on her back.

"Hey, you blew up the only place suitable for your material," said Batmare, aiming a new batarang at the clowns.

"Aw you're not fun!" said the Joker. Biting down, he pulled on a string at the neck of his poncho.

A new set of balloon animals floated up from under his poncho, slowly pulling him out of the water.

Cozy Clown bobbled to the surface of the water, thrashing wildly. "Help!" she cried. "Can't swim! Can't fly!"

Kicking over, Joker bit down on Cozy's collar. The balloons raised them to face Batmare and Sweetie Borg.

"Ths smm ovrrrrr btyy," said the Joker, with his teeth still clamped down on Cozy's collar.

"What?" asked the filly.

"I sd ths smmm ovvrr btyy!" insisted the Joker, frowning.

Sweetie looked back at Batmare. "Seriously?"

Batmare shrugged. "He may be a clown, but he's no comedian." Looking at Joker, she said, "Try coming up with some original material."

The Joker frowned as he released Cozy. "Ha! You wouldn't recognize a good joke if it bucked you in the face!"

Cozy screamed as she fell back into the water. This time, when she bobbed to the surface, thrashing, a cast net dropped on her. As soon as its weights dropped under her, somepony pulled, dragging her out of the water. Her ascent ended as she came to rest against a carabine attached to a piton driven into the face of the headwall.

Looking over Cozy saw a filly in a black body suit and black domino mask with long black hair that looked as if it were recently released from a braid. The masked filly secured the end of the rope to another piton before releasing the cord from her ascender. "Hey, you can't leave me here!" protested Cozy.

Silverwing shrugged. "Hang tight; we'll come back for you when it's safe. This is no place for fillies."

"Look who's talking!" said Cozy.

Meanwhile, Joker and Batmare were locked in a staredown. Stealthily, they reached forehooves toward hidden pockets. A laser blast shot from Sweetie Borg's forehoof, burning away the strings holding Joker's balloons. Joker dropped like a rock into the water.

Joker bobbed to the surface and watched the balloons gently floating away A multi-colored blur trapped the balloons in a whirlwind and dragged them into the upper atmosphere where they burst harmlessly.

"HEY! Now my surprise is definitely ruined!"

Batmare yawned. "It's not a surprise if everypony already knows what it is. Face it, Cheese Sandwich, you're as predictable as the sunrise."

Sweetie Borg agreed. "That's why your parties are all so boring. It's always the same thing over and over and over and over . . ."

The Joker pouted. "Your problem is you're nothing but a grumpy goose. Your bad mood is so contagious that it even sucked all the fun out of your fillyfriend."

Batmare sighed. "Whatever. Shut him up."

Sweetie nodded and aimed a forehoof at Joker.

The Joker's smiled faded. "Oh, great!" He cringed at the loud bang. His head went through whatever it was. Opening his eyes, he saw he was now wearing a flotation collar. Looking up at Sweetie, he said, "I prefer my doughnuts with chocolate sprinkles."

Looking back, Sweetie said, "He's all yours."

Batmare pressed a button on the buckle of her utility belt. Joker jerked convulsively as the shock collar activated. He collapsed when the power was cut.

The corners of Batmare's mouth turned up fractionally. "I admit this time you made me smile, clown."

"Mister J!" cried Cozy Clown as she hacked through the net with a blade hidden in her wing. Tumbling out, she pushed off from the headwall and spread her waterlogged wings. Splashing down just short of Joker, she grabbed a corner of his poncho in her teeth and tried kicking the two of them toward shore.

"I gt yh mtr J!" she said with her mouth full.

Batmare stared at the filly. "The Joker is insane, filly! Tartarus is better than staying with him!"

Cozy Clown glared at Batmare as she reached a forehoof under Joker's poncho. She felt around until her hoof came to rest on a pocket holding a small green crystal that the Sorceress had given him.

The two vanished in a flash of green light right before a life preserver struck where Cozy's head had been.

"What was this all about?" asked Sweetie.

"A diversion. They obviously tried to keep us away from somewhere," explained Batmare.

"Or somepony . . ."

Woods of Tambelon, Grogar's Lair:

In a green flash, the two clowns appeared at Grogar's lair, where the rest of the villains were looking at Grogar's crystal ball. Joker slumped to the floor while Cozy Clown shook herself dry.

"And how is it going?" asked Cozy Clown, wrapping herself in a towel before sitting beside Tirek.

"The da . . ., er, cursed stallion isn't doing well," said Chrysalis with a smirk. "I really wish Sorceress had let me join her so that I could pay him back for all the pain he's caused."

Sombra said, "This may take a while. It's your turn to get the popcorn."

Grumbling, Chrysalis levitated a hoofful of kernels into the bowl and popped them with her magic before drizzling melted butter over the treat. She grumbled, "Why doesn't she kill him already?"

Grogar snarled. "Obviously because her hostess doesn't want to do it now. She wants to prolong his suffering. I have no idea why she would want to waste her time on a worthless pony who doesn't even have any special powers. I can't see any sort of logic behind the Master Mind's actions."

Caballeron’s mansion:

Arrow ducked as poisoned arrows flew over his head. A sudden drop in the floor tile prompted him to spring to one side, barely missing the spikes that shot down from the ceiling. He had barely enough time to think before he had to evade again. He had lost count of how many times he'd had to run, jump, roll, or teleport.

He frowned as he felt his quiver growing ever lighter. A scraping rumble announced the arrival of a giant boulder. His sonic arrow reduced it to gravel before it could reach him.

From the above, the Sorceress watched him, laughing. "I love your spirit, my young friend. I wonder how long you will last. Sooner or later, you'll meet your maker."

The Arrow galloped as a wall disintegrated, revealing a giant colony of flash bees. As they drew closer, he ignited his smoke arrow, forcing them upward.

"Nice try!" exclaimed the Sorceress as the insects disintegrated against her shield.

Spikes sprang from the side walls, and the walls slowly moved toward each other. Arrow grumbled, "How could he possibly get anypony to install all these booby traps?"

The Sorceress stopped the walls as she materialized in front of him. "His own henchponies did most of the work. Of course, I've added a mare's touch." Leering at him, she said, "You know, I could fill your last moments with ecstasy. Think about it; I have time to kill."

Arrow nocked his last arrow and aimed his bow at her. "I think you're missing the point."

Shrugging, Sorceress replied, "You'll fall sooner or later. Then, the world will see you for what your really are, a mere mortal -- and a murderer."

The Arrow released his bowstring. Contemptuously, Sorceress caught the broadhead with her magic. She said, "I can feel you're nearing your limits. This is what Daring Do wanted. She will end your life when you can fight no more.

Sorceress gently toss the arrow back. It exploded, pushing, the Arrow toward a side wall. Contorting his body, he managed to land between the spikes.

The green faded as the mare transformed back into a pegasus. Daring Do said, "How does it feel to know you have nothing to look forward to, murderer? How does it feel to know your life is over?"

The Arrow frowned. "I warned you this would happen the day we met. Look at the monster that vengeance has made you become. Look at the monster that I am. Is that what you really want?"

Changing back, the Sorceress laughed and shot a magic blast that bowled Arrow over.

As he slowly rose to his hooves, the Sorceress charged her horn. She said, "Daring Do may have failed Equestria, but you have disappointed Daring Do. You are no challenge at all. I think it will take a meta to satisfy me."

Arrow replied, "I don't think you'll find anypony desperate enough for that." He flung a hidden dagger at her face. It flared briefly as it ignited against her energy shield. Before it faded, Arrow lit his horn and pulled down the ceiling over her.

Sorceress smirked as the plaster vaporized against her shield. The booby traps that were triggered were no more effective. She laughed. "Poor, poor Arrow. You really are desperate, aren't you? Face it; without metapowers, you're nothing. This is now the age of metaponies. You're just a relic waiting to be put out of its misery."

Sorceress paused as Daring Do protested. "Not yet! He still has a lot of fight in him! I want to feel my hooves around his throat when he knows there's nothing he can do!"

"Are you serious?" asked the Sorceress out loud. "We have him right where you wanted him. Or are you having second thoughts?"

Sensing the hesitation, Arrow said, "My past has already doomed me, Daring Do. You haven't crossed the line. What happens to you after this? What future is there in following someone who is all power and no soul?"

Shrugging, the mare replied, "It's no use, Arrow. She and I have an understanding, and I'm holding up my end of the deal. It is her revenge. What do you say to a bit of hoof to hoof fighting, my little pony?"

The Arrow looked at the Sorceress's eyes seeing a glimpse of doubt on them.

After a minute of silence, the Sorceress nodded, satisfied.

"Okay she agrees! This is the end, Arrow!"

The Arrow dropped his bow and quiver. He didn't need their extra weight. What he needed was a miracle.

Smolder and Garble strolled around the observation deck as they explored their temporary home. Looking down at the planet, Smolder said, "It looks like a big blue marble." Hearing no response, Smolder turned, puzzled. To her horror he was trembling.

"Garble!" cried Smolder as she ran back and embraced her brother.

Garble shook her off. He gritted his teeth as he punched the floor. "Stop it, pony! Stop it!"

"I'm here, Garble," said Smolder. "I won't let you go; I promise."

Within the dragon's mind, Star Swirl spoke. "There's a powerful evil down there; I recognize the magical signature. You have to let me stop her!"

"I won't give you this body. This is mine, pony. MINE!" shouted Garble.

Smolder tried to hug her brother again, but the raw magic forced her off. She cried, "Brother! Take it easy!"

"Listen to your sister," said Star Swirl. "I don't want to fight you, dragon. We have to cooperate, or the world is doomed. Help me with this, and I promise I will stop fighting you for this body."

Garble punched the wall. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You the word of one of the Pillars of Equestria. You have the word of Star Swirl the Bearded."

"I don't know who you are. I don't care who you are. Just shut up."

"I'll shut up if that's what you want. But at least let me help the ponies. They don't know who they're dealing with."

"I won't give you control!" roared Garble.

"I'm not asking you that. Just let me guide you. Let me teach you how to use my power -- our power now."

Garble gritted his teeth but relaxed.

"Brother, are you okay?" asked Smolder.

"Yes. No. Maybe." He shook his head. "All right pony, we have a deal. What should I do first?"

"We'll use the Watchtower's transportation chamber. And your wings. We have to get there before it's too late."

The Sorceress bucked the Arrow one last time before the spiked walls finished closing over him. He tried to move, but it was no use. Daring Do finally got her wish.

"Now, there's just one last thing before I fulfill my part of the bargain. You're surprisingly resilient for a non-meta. It's a pity you're impotent."

A powerful tremor shook the entire mansion.

"My barrier!" gasped the Sorceress.

And before she could react, the roof collapsed over her, revealing a red teenage dragon surrounded in multicolored flames of raw magic.

The Arrow looked at him in awe. "It is you?"

The dragon let a puff of smoke escape from his nose. "Don't get used to it, pony. I'm only doing this to keep control."

The Sorceress scowled at her new opponent. "I'd recognize the smell of that magic anywhere, old friend. There's no way you're getting any action hiding in that ridiculous body." The air grew cold with her bitterness.

Garble replied, "What are you talking about, stupid pony? I've never seen you before in my life!"

The mare charged her horn. Snow formed in the air around her. "I'm the Sorceress. What name do you want on your tombstone?"

The Arrow smiled. "Stygian called him Magic Storm in his report."

Garble grinned and breathed a small gout of flame in celebration. "Magic Storm. I like it -- and so does my annoying other half."

The Sorceress shot a giant icicle at Magic Storm. It vaporized when it touched the raw magic. Magic Storm's expression changed to one that was calmer and more mature. Starswirl said, "It looks like your better half is as frigid as you always were, Clove. Are you still scaring away all the stallions?"

The Sorceress snarled, "At least I don't have performance issues, Star Swirl the di . . ."

Arrow shouted, "Language! That's a colt you're talking to!"

As they charged, Garble yelled, "We . . . are . . . MAGIC STORM!"

Garble caught the Sorceress in a brutal full nelson bomb.

"Now what, pony?"

"Charge our power in your claws!" answered Star Swirl.

Garble's hands glowed with raw magic as he wrenched back Sorceress's forelegs. The glow began to cover her neck. He growled, "Farewell, pony."

Garble discharged all the magic at once, blasting Sorceress through the wall and into the street.

Arrow glared at Magic Storm. "You killed her?"

Star Swirl replied, "No, a blast like that might thaw her out a little; it not even close to being enough to finish her."

An explosion of green magic got everypony's attention. "See? We got her attention." Garble shook his head, regaining control. "You talked long enough. It's my turn, pony!"

In Garble's mind, Starswirl spoke. "All right. Fly over her and release your fire breath at full power. No need to hold back. This pony can resist your strength and power."

Garble grinned broadly, showing his fangs as he flew over the Sorceress. She wiped off the grin with a magic blast to his face.

"Urg! Damn pony! Why you didn't warn me?!" groused Garble.

In Garble's mind, Starswirl groaned. "Of course, she attacked you! You two are fighting, remember?"

Another green blast streaked toward the dragon, this time aiming below his belt. Reflexively, he cloaked himself in raw magic, so the attack only forced him back a meter before petering out.

Garble dove down at Sorceress with fists extended. His magic glowed white with its intensity. At the same time Sorceress covered herself with a bubble of green magic that glowed blindingly white as she dumped as much power as she could into it.

Action met equal and opposite reaction. Sorceress went careening down one direction, demolishing all the vacant mansions in her path while Garble did the same in the other direction, even destroying Caballeron's old mansion. The entire Justice League watched from the street as he flew past.

Canary asked, "Arrow, are you all right? How many hooves am I holding up?"

"One." Arrow groaned. "I'll be fine after I get some rest."

Frowning, Dash said, "Lately, the metas seem to be getting more vicious. Are you sure you're okay?"

Arrow sighed. "Maybe the Sorceress was right. Maybe I really am obsolete. Maybe I should hang up my cape and let the new generation handle things."

Dash replied, "Don't be ridiculous. You just need to play to your strengths."

Magic Storm flew back into the fray while Sorceress tried to fend him off, flinging massive pieces of debris from the ruined mansions and the street at him with her telekinesis. Magic Storm blasted through the debris with his aura of raw magic and dove down at Sorceress with fists charged to a blinding white. At the last second, Sorceress took to the air. Magic Storm plunged through the street into the sewer below.

As she fled, she levitated a stone wall over the hole and dropped it over. To her surprise, Magic Storm burst through the street directly beneath her, streaking skyward. Flying forward as fast as she could, Sorceress blindly levitated debris and threw it behind her, trying to set up an attack before he could bring Starswirl's attacks to bear.

A great and powerful voice rang out, "Ekaw pu gnirad od!"

Suddenly, Sorceress found herself surrounded by darkness. Then, the darkness rang like the world's largest alarm clock. Disoriented, she dropped to the ground, covered by a giant bell.

Melting away the bell, the Sorceress groggily turned to see a blue unicorn in a magician outfit. "Sorry to keeping you waiting! The Great and Powerful Trixie has arrived to amaze you with amazing feats of magic!"

Garble could feel the irritation coming from his other half. In the dragon's mind, Starswirl grumbled. "This is what became of centuries of development of magical theory? What a waste!"

Magic Storm glared at Trixie. "Get out, pony. This is my fight!"

"No, we fight as one, dragon!" said Alicorn Marevel, landing beside Magic Storm.

Green Lantern touched down next to Trixie. "They're right, Garble. Separate, we are strong. Together, we are invincible."

"And if you want to get out of the Watchtower and fight with, us you have to follow our rules," said Batmare, appearing from the shadows.

Garble's expression turned into Starswirl's for a second. "And you are right. Working together is the only way we can defeat this ancient evil without causing major destruction like we did in Manehattan."

The Sorceress laughed. "Ancient? You don't know the real meaning of that word, Starswirl. We are still foals compared with him. You may have saved your friend now, but in the end, none of your victories will matter. The Master Mind will triumph!"

Annoyed, she rolled her eyes as she faded from the scene. "Oh, shut up! This is all your fault; you should have killed him when you had the chance. Next time, listen to me!" With that, she disappeared completely.

One by one, the other heroes approached Magic Storm.

The Arrow gave him a friendly pat on the back. "Thank you, kid . . . and sir. I owe you a big one."

Garble glared at him. "Like I said, I did it because the pony promised not to fight me for my body. Now, he better keep his word."

"Still, you saved one of us, and we're grateful for that." Green Lantern smiled.

Garble looked at his claws and let the raw magic flow. "I must admit this was fun. I can do this while I wait for you to help me."

"We'll do everything we can to get you back to normal. And we'll be happy to accept your help when we need it."

Tambelon:

The villains walked away from Grogar's crystal ball.

"Their team got stronger! This cannot be!" shouted Sombra.

"This plan was supposed to take down the League, not help them!" said Tirek angrily.

"And that metadragon is no joke. They actually got him on their side," complained Chrysalis.

Grogar released his dark aura making everyone except the Joker step away. "This was a failure, a complete failure. We were fools to trust Master Mind. Not only did we lose, but we were also completely humiliated."

Grogar then grabbed the Joker with his aura. "I should have seen this coming. I knew you were nothing but trouble. This ends now."

The Joker laughed. "Ahahahaha! So, the party's over?"

Grogar frowned. "I'll do what I should have done the second you arrived!"

"But Mr. Grogar!" exclaimed Cozy Clown. A hand gently held her back. She exclaimed, "Hey!"

Looking down, Tirek said, "It's for the best. We'll still have each other, just like in Tartarus."

"But . . ."

"Shut up and be grateful you're not joining him!" whispered Chrysalis.

Cozy looked in horror as Joker deformed under Grogar's ever-tightening magical grasp.

The ram smiled at Joker's struggles. "Fight while you can. It will just make your end sweeter."

"Sorry, what you were saying?" asked the Joker. "This itch on my back is driving me crazy . . . er."

Grogar's eye twitched, but he continued to slowly squeeze the life out of the clown.

Cozy gulped and desperately looked around. A wooden meat tenderizer lay on the kitchen counter. Looking up at Tirek, she mouthed, "I'm sorry." She slipped out of his grasp and snatched in in her mouth. She slammed the pointed head onto one of Grogar's hind hooves.

The ram screamed in pain as his concentration was broken. Joker dropped to the ground and doffed his hat. Taking the small rubber chicken from the top of his head, he squeezed it at Grogar. "Happy birthday!"

The rubber chicken sent a stream of hot cheese sauce to Grogar's eyes. The ram reared back on his good hind hoof while he tried to clean his eyes with his forehooves. "You piece of . . ."

"Language, there's a filly on the house!" shouted Cozy around the handle as she slammed the tenderizer on Grogar's good hind hoof.

"Ouch!"

Tirek ran to the filly. "What do you think you're doing? Not even I can protect you now."

Cozy said, "Mr. J can protect me, and he will. He's the friend I've been missing."

"I was doing that?" asked the Joker. "I thought I was just having fun!"

Cozy smiled. "I know you're joking, Mister J! You do appreciate me!"

Grogar recovered from the attacks. Angrily, he shouted, "ENOUGH WITH THE CLOWNS!"

The Joker laughed. "Oh, even I know when the party is over. Now it is time for the grand finale!!"

He pulled a small balloon dog from his poncho and popped it with twist of his hooves.

The lair suddenly filled with his laughing gas making the four villains to roll in the floor laughing uncontrollably as the Joker floated away with the help of more balloon animals he took from under his poncho. On his way up, he grabbed Cozy Clown.

"We'll always have Tartarus," said Cozy Clown. "I'm going with my new best friend!"

"And we'll have fun for the rest of our lives!" said the Joker, laughing as the two went through the vent in the ceiling.

Struggling to the pantry's first aid kit, Grogar managed to grab a bottle of universal antidote and drink a dose. He then administered it to the other three. By the time all of them had recovered, Joker and Cozy Clown had drifted far out of sight.

"Damn it! Even the pleasure of killing him was denied to me," said Grogar. "Let's never speak about this fiasco again. And if anyone dares to mention the Joker, the filly or Master Mind, I swear I'll give him the punishment meant for them. DO I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

No one dared to say anything. They just nodded in silence. Tirek writhed under the weight of Grogar's glare.

Suddenly, a goofy laugh filled the room.

"And he actually took the filly with him. I knew he was going to escape before you could put a single hoof on him, but that was a complete surprise. That's why he is so fascinating. He adds the element of unpredictability and chaos."

The four villains turned to the lair's entrance.

There was a big bear on the door. The voice didn't come from him; it was the caterpillar on his paw who spoke. His appearance was as remarkable as his voice. Mere insects did not wear eyeglasses. Mere insects did not wear a red crystal amulet on a silver chain.

Tirek, Chrysalis and Sombra exchanged confused looks, but Grogar seemed angry and cautious at the same time.

"And now you decide to show up, worm. Right after your plan failed."

The caterpillar smirked. "Failed, you say? As always, you are incapable seeing beyond your snout, Grogar. I needed the League to get stronger. Didn't you see the path of destruction they left behind? Two neighborhoods completely annihilated. Imagine what will happen when they have more and more powerful members."

"Then no one would dare to face them, and the ponies would be beyond our reach forever," said Grogar, frowning.

"Oh, don't be so sure. The world would eventually find a balance. It always does."

Grogar considered the concept for half of a second. "Well, you may be right. Every day, there seem to be more metas coming from out of nowhere."

"I know. But we need to give them a push. If the destruction in Canterlot and Manehattan proves anything, it's that the world can barely handle these beings. If we give the right push to the right creatures, we can create more metas. Especially on the ponies' side; it will give them a false sensation of security."

"With what purpose?" asked Grogar.

The Master Mind sighed in disappointment. "Why can't you see beyond your snout?" He took on a condescending tone. "The metas from both sides will become the tools we use to raze this world. Only then can we rebuild it in our image. How much fun are we going to have?"

Grogar looked at his minions and then at the Master Mind. Finally, he nodded.

"Now let me be clear. I don't like you Master Mind. I never have. But I am willing to work with you, if it means bringing those heroes down."

The caterpillar laughed again. "Such an attitude for someone who used to look up to me. I still remember the day when you came to me begging me to teach you everything I know. Now, it's time for you to show me that my tutelage didn't go to a waste."

Grogar's face turned red as he looked away.

Finally, Chrysalis raised a hoof. "Hey, seriously! What in Faust's name?"

The Master Mind smiled. "I named Faust, changeling, not the other way around. Any other questions?"

"Where do we start?" asked Sombra, intrigued by the caterpillar's plan.

"Now, we wait. Before I came here, I gave Celestia a little suggestion in her sleep. Did you know she's planning to retire and leave the country to Twilight Sparkle? She even plans to give her the power of the Sun."

"Yes, so?"

"She will, but not the way she intends to. The Sun will give Twilight Sparkle a great gift. It will come at a price; she'll lose her magic, and neither Sun nor Moon shall heed her commands. Still, it is a small price to pay to become the most powerful metapony of all time."

Injustice 08

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What’s beyond the multiverse

Hall of Justice:

It had taken almost six months of toil, sweat, and tears, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the old mansion was finally reborn. Trying to restore it to its former glory would have been an exercise in futility, just as Blue Blood had asserted. However, most of the bones and fixtures were still sound, so they were set aside while the rest of the house was removed. The old foundations had been dug out to make way for the new basement and sub-basement, and the new structure now stood on pilings much stronger than any others on the planet.

The surviving pieces of the old mansion had been reused to serve as the basis for a large outbuilding that served as a historical museum and hostel. The main attraction, however, was what had replaced the old building, the Hall of Justice. It was thoroughly modern throughout. It was everything that Diamond Tiara had promised. The observation deck looked down on the basement gym, giving visitors a chance to watch the League members train. Refreshments were available for purchase from vending machines, with profits going to benefit the victims of crimes and disasters.

The heart of the Hall of Justice was a large circular table with a three-dimensional map of Equestria. Holographic projections displayed the same information as was shown on the enhanced Cutie Map. Distributed evenly around the table, with plenty of space between, were ten high-backed chairs. The back of each chair was decorated with a symbol representing its owner. Behind each chair, larger than life, was a bronze statue of the hero. Arrow's seat was at the northernmost point, where it was flanked by Dash's and Canary's. Batmare's seat was at the southernmost point, where it was flanked by Green Lantern's and Sweetie Borg's. Alicorn Marevel's and Beast Filly's seats joined Sweetie Borg's on the east, while Silverwing's and the Great and Powerful Trixie's were on the west.

Diamond Tiara had insisted on a rush job for Beast Filly's and the Great and Powerful Trixie's statues. She had explained that it was important to have all members represented at the grand opening.

Magic Storm, however, was conspicuously absent. Both Garble and Star Swirl had insisted that their arrangement was a temporary one. Both counted on retiring from the superhero business once they were restored to their proper bodies.

Magic Storm didn't even want to be at the grand opening, but they dared not upset Princess Celestia, who had insisted that they be present with the rest of the League so that they all could discuss what had transpired. Thus, they sat on a folding chair between Trixie and Silverwing as Celestia, Luna, and Twilight glared down at them from their perches on a platform projected above the table.

Coldly, Celestia said, "My sister and my protégé have already spoken to you about our disappointment in your performance in Manehattan. Even with our wishes known, you destroyed a tenth of Canterlot and left a smell that even now is sickening every pony downwind. Explain."

While the other heroes looked left and right, hoping somepony would answer, Arrow looked Celestia straight in the eye and said, "Princesses, with all due respect, our first priority was saving lives. In Manehattan, we had to contend with a rampaging dragon with the power of one of the Pillars of Equestria. Our power was divided as we tried to hold him at bay while we evacuated the area. Even you would have been hard-pressed to have contained him without collateral damage. Had Trixie not intervened when she did, the buildings that were destroyed would have been full of ponies.

Nervously, Silverwing said, "And . . . and Joker boobytrapped the water reclamation facility. It was doomed the second we set hoof inside." She shuddered. "We managed to localize the damage to the plant and its vicinity. Nothing else was damaged or destroyed."

Arrow added, "Except for all the homes abandoned as a result of my past sins."

Celestia glared at her nephew. He shrugged. "I am a changed pony, remember?"

The white alicorn rolled her eyes in response before turning to the metadragon.

“As for you, my old master, I’m glad you’re still with us. Still, I need to know how you got trapped inside this dragon."

Garble ground his teeth. “It all started when this stupid alicorn dragonnapped me. I tried to fight, but everything went black. The next thing I remembered was that there was this damned pony trying to take over my body."

Luna put a forehoof on Celestia’s withers. “Remember that our brother needed the last descendant of the first Dragon Lord to free our parents. He sucked out all of this dragon’s essence and then . . .”

“And then Stygian and I found him,” said Star Swirl, taking control. “We tried to save his life with an experimental spell. It backfired; now, we’re here.”

Twilight nodded. “I already told Stygian your story; he's focusing all his research on restoring both of you. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll join him. Don’t worry, I promise you that you’ll return to your normal lives.”

“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle,” said Star Swirl. Garble added, “Yeah, thanks, I guess. Hurry up.”

“Okay, on to the next subject,” said Celestia. “Arrow, what do you know about the metapony who attacked you?”

The Arrow shrugged. “Not much. Daring Do or Miss Yearling had a grudge against me after I killed Caballeron. Somehow, she merged with a dark entity that promised to help her kill me in exchange for control of Daring Do's body."

“No, no, no. You must be mistaken!” said Dash. “Daring Do would never let something like that happen! Maybe you were fighting an impersonator like a changeling or something.”

“Darling, there is no use denying it,” said Canary. “You said it yourself. She had been acting weird since Caballeron was killed.”

“Their relationship was a bit more complicated than we thought,” said the Arrow. “They were rivals. They were enemies. They must have been soulmates, giving each other a purpose in life.”

“That's not possible! Daring Do is stronger that that!” insisted Rainbow Dash.

Twilight sighed.

“Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry, but it seems like the Daring Do you remember is gone. You have to let her go, just like Pinkie Pie has done with Cheese Sandwich. Now there’s only . . .”

“The Sorceress,” said Star Swirl. “Or Clove as I met her.”

“Clove?” asked Twilight. “Do you mean Clover the Clever?”

“No. I mean her older sister Golden Clove. She and I were lovers when we were younger but then my studies forced me to distance myself from the ones I loved.”

“So, she got salty about it and swore that she’ll destroy you,” sighed Alicorn Marevel. “Just another cliche villainess origin story.”

“Not exactly,” explained Star Swirl. “She gave me my freedom, and I gave her hers. She swore she'd find a teacher who would make her my equal." He signed. "I've dedicated my life to bettering ponykind. Her new teacher, unfortunately, did the opposite."

“What do you mean?” asked Luna.

“She called him the Master Mind. I've never had the displeasure of meeting him. When I reunited with Clove, she was every bit at powerful as she had promised. Unfortunately, her mind had been molded in his twisted form. I had no choice but to subdue her and seal her away, lest she end ponykind."

"I still don't understand how she managed to free herself," said Lantern. Looking up, he said, "Mr. the Bearded, by any chance, did you trap her inside a temple?"

"Of course. I used every spell and every trap I could think of to keep her from escaping. How did you know?"

Lantern face-palmed while the ponies face-hooved.

“What?” asked Star Swirl.

Grumbling, Dash said, "That's one mystery solved. Now what?"

Celestia replied, "Now, I'll find out everything I can about Master Mind. In the meantime, you need to see to your adoring public." With that, she ended the meeting.

The princesses returned Magic Storm to the Watchtower before dropping the cloak around the room. With her telekinesis, Twilight opened the doors to the main hall, and then opened the main doors. The crowd roared at the sight of their heroes.

In the Royal Canterlot Voice, Twilight announced, "The Hall of Justice is officially open to the public!"

The ponies rushed into the Hall of Justice and mobbed the League members. Finding an opening, Batmare fired her ascender into the ceiling and pulled herself above the crowd. In an amplified voice, she said, "Attention, everypony! Autographed photos with you and your favorite hero in front of their statue will be available for ten bits a piece in ten minutes. Please line up at the marks on the floor, starting at the door to the War Room.

In an instant, the mob transformed into a giant queue.

“I think this was overdoing it,” complained Sweetie Borg.

“I knew these statues couldn’t be just for decoration. She paid too much for them. I should have known she was looking to make a quick bit.” Beast Filly sighed.

“As long as she doesn’t harm anypony, I don’t see the problem. After all, she invested a lot of money in this place. Let her earn some of it back.” The Arrow shrugged.

“Arrow, Arrow, this way!” called a group of mares.

The vigilante smiled. “Now if you excuse me, unbelievably enough, I have some fans waiting.”

The Canary watched him joining the mares, and she frowned visibly annoyed.

“Canary?” asked Sweetie Borg.

“He and I are going to have a long talk after all of this is over.”

Ponyville at the next day:

Roseluck hummed a happy tune as she tended to her babies. The delicate flowers needed special care to thrive, and she doted on them as any proud mother would. She said, "Drink, little ones, drink and make the most of the beautiful morning that Celestia has gifted us." She scented the air. "Don't you just love the breeze the pegasi have brought."

Daisy waved as she entered the shop fifteen minutes later. She knew better than to expect any sort of response when Roseluck was in the zone.

Despite the care Roseluck put into her plants, they were not the shop's primary source of income. Most of their profit came from selling fertilizer and gardening supplies. Ponies knew that Roseluck was very picky about whom she judged worthy to adopt her babies. Only those truly dedicated to their care stood any chance of being allowed to buy them.

Although Roseluck was loath to give up her babies, she was generous with her advice, freely teaching those who were willing to learn. It was not the best way to run a flower shop, but Daisy and Lily had learned to make allowances. It was the least they could do for their friend.

When they were much younger, Roseluck had been constantly complaining about minor aches and pains. When they could stand the whining no longer, Daisy and Lily had marched her to the hospital and forced her to see a doctor. They were lucky they had decided to take action. Roseluck had Stage 3 ovarian cancer. Both her ovaries were removed that day, before the disease could spread. Had they waited much longer, the disease would have metastasized, spreading throughout her body and going to Stage 4. She would have died in agony a few months after that.

Like most earth pony mares, Roseluck had dreamed of having a big family, but her dreams had been dashed just as her body was able to start fulfilling them. She had nearly taken her own life when she realized her future would be foalless. It had taken months of therapy in Ponyville General before she had recovered to the point where she could function normally. It had been the classes in horticulture that had brought her back. She discovered a love for gardening and plants. If she could not have foals of the pony variety, the plants would have to do in their stead.

Thus, as she had for every day since her recovery, Roseluck tended to her plants. With the grand opening of the Hall of Justice, Ponyville had been a virtual ghost town. That changed as a train whistle announced the arrival of the afternoon local from Canterlot. Families with foals streamed out. The foals chattered excitedly as they played with their new toys, fresh from the gift shop. Many were clad in costume as they played with action figures and juggled wooden batarangs or drew toy bows.

It seemed as though everypony else was too caught up in the moment to notice the gang of delinquents making their way through the crowd. Foals screamed at their toy weapons were stolen. The sounds of ceramic bassinets filled with baby's breath shattering marked where the toys had gone. The ruffians laughed tauntingly before vanishing.

Roseluck looked in horror at the damage. There was no recovering from this; her babies were dead. "No!" she cried. "Say something! Anything!" She started sobbing uncontrollably.

“Hey! What’s going on?” asked Daisy, coming out of the flower shop. Looking down, she saw the corpses of Rose's pride. She gasped. "No. Roseluck, what happened?"

A stallion walked up and said, "It was a bunch of punks. They trotted right up and smashed things with toys they stole from the foals."

A unicorn in the crowd levitated the toys, shook them clean, and returned them to the foals.

With concern, several ponies approached Roseluck.

"Is she all right?" asked one.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked another.

The stallion said, "I know I can't replace those flowers, but at least let me pay for them. I am not going to let those punks win."

"Thanks," said Daisy. "That will be fifteen bits." Looking back inside the shop, she yelled, "Lily, help this gentlestallion while I take care of Rose."

Lily trotted out while Daisy led Rose to a back room. As she laid Rose onto a cot, the mare mumbled, "The horror . . . the horror."

Daisy draped a blanket over her. “Easy Rose, easy. Take deep breaths and relax. Everything will be all right, I promise.”

Rose continued to twitch and mumble after Daisy left. This was far from the only incident. It seemed as though ponies were dead set on harming her children. Why? Why could they not leave them in peace? The plants gave them fresh air. The plants gave them nutrition. The plants were the reason they could live.

A sinister thought crossed Roseluck’s mind. As much as plants were bringers of life, they could also be bringers of death. Some had wicked thorns. Some had caustic enzymes. Some had deadly poisons. If ponies would not respect plants, she would show them the error of their ways.

Her eyes shot wide open. "Those who would harm what gives them life shall suffer their retribution. So vows Mother Nature."

Equestria, Alternate Timeline:

Starlight Glimmer opened her eyes and looked around as tears blurred her vision. The nightmare was about to begin again. The end of Equestria was nigh.

It had started so well. She had prevented the Element Bearers from earning their cutie marks. With that act, the only obstacle to equalizing all of Equestria had been eliminated. She could have sworn that she had achieved true utopia once all of the ponies were rendered equal.

As it turned out, some were more equal than others. Sombra the dark monarch had returned, and he had brainwashed all of the crystal ponies to serve as his mindless army. Town by town, city by city, they had overrun their opposition and had added them to their ranks.

It had soon been clear to Starlight that her path was the road to ruin. She had returned every pony's cutie mark and returned control to the princess. Celestia had raised an army, and soon, the world was at war. Every mare, every stallion had been drafted into the ranks, and Starlight had been put on the front lines along with every other powerful unicorn.

Celestia had hated the idea of forcing ponies to fight against their will. She had hated losing ponies to mind control even more. Thus, she had pressed every pony she could into service.

The tides of war had flowed back and forth, with neither side able to gain an advantage. Things had come to a head in Trottingham. Celestia and Sombra had both come to the conclusion that they would need to enter the field of battle in order to break the stalemate.

Each side had charged into battle with their most elite leading the attack. Starlight had found herself fighting alongside Rainbow Dash, albeit one who had never earned her element.

The town center had exploded as Celestia's and Sombra's blasts collided. The armies had filled the breach, with the battle devolving into a series of one-on-one fights.

“When I turn you into a mindless puppet, Celestia, there would be nopony who can stand a chance against me. Admit it; coming here was a mistake,” Sombra had growled.

“And when I defeat you Sombra, your army will be free and nopony will mourn your passing. We are equally stupid,” Celestia had replied.

“And what makes you think you’ll win?” Sombra had snarled.

Suddenly, a double explosion had shaken the entire city as a rainbow-hued ring had spread across the sky.

“Sonic Rainboom?” Starlight had asked in disbelief.

A pegasus had materialized between the two leaders. She had sported a rainbow-colored mane cut in a mohauk style. She had worn a black bodysuit, magenta goggles and a wicked smile.

“Lieutenant Dash?” Celestia had asked.

The pegasus in black had glared at the princess. “Are you talking to me, alicorn?”

“My Princess!” that world's Rainbow Dash had called, but she had frozen at the sight of her doppelganger. “Oh . . . what’s going on in here? Who are you? Are you . . . me?”

The newcomer had laughed as she zipped to one side. “I’m you? No, I have nothing to do with you, you poor excuse for Rainbow Dash. Not anymore. Let’s say I’m your Reverse.”

“Hey, I’m still here remember?!” Sombra had said, shooting a magic blast at the newcomer.

The attack had gone through Reverse Dash with no discernable effect. Then, she had faded away.

“What?”

A gentle hoof had tapped the king’s shoulder. He had turned to see the pegasus in black grinning at him. “Speed illusion, stupid.”

Then she had bucked Sombra in the jaw, sending him tumbling end over end.

The Reverse Dash had laughed and had disappeared in a multi-colored streak and had re-appeared in front of her doppelganger, taking her sword. “Do you mind if I borrow this? Thank you!”

She had vanished into a streak again, and the streak had started to surround Sombra as he was falling.

When he had touched down, the Reverse Dash had appeared before him, resting a forehoof on the hilt of a sword whose blade was covered in think black blood. Sombra had taken a look at himself, noticing that he was covered with cuts all over his body.

“No wait! You can work for me! I can make you my queen! Just kill that alicorn for me, and victory will be ours!”

The Reverse Dash had laughed. “I hate alicorns more than anything in this world or any other. But I also promised not to hurt any more innocents as I clean up all of the timelines that Starlight Glimmer ruined.”

Starlight’s ears had twitched and she had approached to hear more.

“This is impossible! I am the strongest in the world! Nothing can stop me!”

Reverse Dash had smirked. "That's where you're wrong. You're already dead." She had lifted her other forehoof and had shown the still-beating heart it was holding. The chilling laugh of the Reverse Dash had filled the city as everypony around had watched in horror as the king collapsed.

Starlight had gulped and had tried to look away, only to see Reverse right behind her.

“Hello, Starlight.”

She had trembled in fear. “What do you want from me?”

“Oh, it’s actually pretty simple. I know that you’re responsible for this mess and every other mess I've cleaned up. I've killed every one of you in every timeline I've fixed, and every time, it's the same thing. You fight, you run, you hide, you die. Do you really think you stand a chance against somepony who's killed alicorns for fun?"

Starlight had charged her horn, but then nothing had happened. She had looked at the Reverse Dash who had kept the sword, and there had been something pink on her wing -- Starlight’s horn.

The Reverse Dash had grinned. “You didn’t see that one coming; am I right?”

“Please don’t kill me!” Starlight had begged.

“Surprisingly enough, I won’t. The Monitor instructed me to spare your life. I mean, to spare one of the many Starlights in the multiverse, and you happen to be the very last one. Aren’t you the lucky one? But still, I’ll hurt you as much as I please.”

With that the Reverse Dash had turned into a streak again and Starlight could only scream in pain as the wounds had appeared on her body so fast that she couldn’t react. And without her magic, there had been nothing she could do about it.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!!” a powerful voice had shouted.

Celestia had shot a magic blast at the one torturing her soldier, but Reverse had interposed the already-wounded Starlight Glimmer.

The Reverse Dash had laughed. “Thank you for finishing her for me. Just make sure she lives; you don’t want to piss off the Monitor.” Then, she had turned to her doppelganger. “And you, convince your alicorn to shoot a lightning bolt at you after she throws you into bunch of potions. I promise it’ll worth it.”

With that, the Reverse Dash had extended her wings and had disappeared in a streak of light, causing another Sonic Rainboom.

For Starlight, thing had worsened from there. Without her horn, she had to find an alternate way to perform magic. She had known her only chance to restore her horn was to jump to an alternate timeline. It had taken years of research to develop the spell and to create the runework that would let her cast it. With her first jump, the nightmare truly had begun.

As she had expected, Starlight had appeared in a new timeline. This version of Equestria was a dead world. The ruins left behind had told of a battle between two powerful sides that ended in the annihilation of everything. Then, she had noticed that the world was being eaten. Her view had distorted as the event horizon had rushed up to meet her. It had been the end of the world. She had screamed for succor.

Just before the event horizon had reached her, the scene had jumped to a different Equestria. This one was an industrialized dystopia monopolized by F & F Enterprises. Here, all but the ultra-rich had been enslaved by the almighty bit, toiling long hours for a pittance. As soon as Starlight had wrapped her brain around the situation, multiple even horizons had converged on her, bringing an end to that reality as she jumped to a new one.

Starlight had long ago lost count of the deaths that she had witnessed. She cried as it finally dawned on her that this was her punishment for ruining so many timelines, for ruining so many lives. She could no longer call herself a pony. She was now truly the Pariah.

Injustice for All

by Kaliann25

Injustice 01

Injustice 02

Injustice 03

Injustice 04

Injustice 05

Injustice 06

Injustice 07

Injustice 08