Solar Chaser was an ordinary pegasus. For the longest time, he was indifferent to the hobbies of his little cousin. One day, Solar rediscovers that his cousin enjoys comic books, and that night, she wishes upon a star that a REAL superhero existed and met her.
This gives Solar an idea; Why doesn't he become a superhero? And so our pegasus dons his brightest spandex and becomes Captain Equestria! Under this new persona, Solar Chaser will go out of his way to do all the good he can do as the hero he is expected to be!
But as Solar Chaser will discover, the weight of being a hero is heavier than it seems, and that the power of a wish is stronger than one can realize.
((Description and paraphrased title provided by AdamThePony))
"I always had a bad habit of biting off more than I can chew. Not that it's really biting me back, but it's tough being in the superhero gig. Having to juggle the problems of the ponies of Equestria along with my own personal problems. That sort of thing always confused me, and often makes me wonder if donning the costume for the first time was such a good idea. If trying to make a young filly's final wish come true was worth a full-time job like this. But then I remember that a hero doesn't regret choosing the hard way. Doing the right thing, for the greater good, that is all it ever takes to be a hero..
...And a hero is all I ever wanted to be.." -Captain Equestria, unknown date.
-------------------------------------------------
It was a bright summer day in Equestria, with little to no clouds in the sky as the sun was shining all over the grassy hills. The sunny-yellow pegasus stallion stared out the window, gazing out into what few clouds there were in the sky with his golden eyes. He began to reminisce about the hot summer days where he'd just fly about with no worries. Soaring through the clear skies as his wings baked in the sun, where he could get away from everypony else and just spend an hour or so during the day to just unwind. The hissing of steam broke the stallion from his nostalgia-induced trance as the train he was sitting in began to move, the rattling of the rails against the wheels mixing with the huffing of the engine as the locomotive picked up speed. Opening the window, the yellow stallion poked his head out to look back at his former home, Manehattan.
"Sol? Solar Chaser, dearie...It's gon' be ok." a mare's voice called, prompting the pegasus stallion to bring himself back into the train cart, closing the window before looking at the earth mare. She was sitting across from him with light red fur, a wavy maroon mane and wearing a dark brown cow-filly hat along with a tan flack jacket. "I promise, ya gonna love Ponyville mighty fine." she added reassuringly with a heavy southern drawl, and the stallion sighed, stretching a bit as he yawned.
"I believe you, Ma, I really do...but I'm still gonna miss Manehattan..." he replied in a lighter southern tone before he slipped into a more northern tone. "I'll still miss my dad..." he added before catching himself. "My pa.." he corrected himself, an approving smile on his mother's face as he sighed. "I know why you chose to part ways with Pa, ya had the right reasons and were right to do so...but that was an impossible choice you gave me last week.." he stated, earning an incredulous look from the red mare.
"Impossible? T'was a simple 'one or the other' choice. Besides, you were able to make the choice, weren't you?" his mother tried to defend, but the yellow stallion shook his head with a soft dismissive chuckle.
"Yeah the choice was able to be made alright, but t'was impossible in the sense that no matter what I did, no matter what decision I made, I'd be hurting somepony.." he started, soon looking out the window as the hills began to roll by. "Since I chose to go with you, Ma, Pa is in some run-down apartment all by his lonesome." he started before looking up at the clouds. "If I chose to remain in Manehattan with Pa, life would be mighty cold without you and you'd be heartbroken while you were in Ponyville." he explained and looked back at his mother with a reassuring smile. "Not that I regret choosing to go with ya, not by the slightest, but I wanted to make clear that it was not an easy choice to make..." he finished, and the mare simply nudged him gently with her hoof.
"And I'm mighty grateful ya chose to come with me, din' want to be alone in Ponyville when I see your Aunt Breeze Runner. Your lil'cousin will sure be glad to see you to after five years." she smiled softly, and Solar Chaser smiled softly. "I reckon she'd love to read some o'them fancy magazines wit ya." she added, and her son thought for a moment.
"Magazines? Oh, you must be talking 'bout those comic books she keeps mailing me 'bout. I think I still got the a few of the ones he sent me in the luggage. Nevar got 'round to readin' em myself." he mused, looking up at the suitcase that rested up on the rack above them. "Summen 'bout a mare dressed like a bat, fighting baddies in a dark city. Only looked at the cover of that one, so I wouldn't know. Quite personally, I favor the one of the flying earth stallion with the large shield on his chest. T'was a bit more fantastic in my eyes." he added with soft chuckle. However, as the train came to a start, Solar Chaser's suitcase ended up falling off the rack, nailing the stallion in the face. His mother couldn't help but giggle at the sight, regardless of how bad it was to laugh at her own son's misfortune.
The train had begun to speed up, the mother and son continued conversing about what Ponyville would be like. It took about an hour, but soon the train had started to slow down.
"All passengers for Ponyville may now exit the train!" the conductor called down the halls as Solar Chaser's mother got her luggage on her back, smiling as her son picked up his suitcase, holding the handle with his mouth. Having noticed his uncertain look, the red mare sighed softly, brushing up against her son with a smile.
"Dun' worry, Sol." She started to reassure her son as the began to disembark the train, looking at Ponyville from the station and smiled as the train began to depart, leaving the two in-front Ponyville to start their new life. "It's all for the best..." she finished as the two began to walk into Ponyville, trying to put their woes behind them.
The mother and son had been walking down the road in Ponyville, looking around as Solar Chaser swung his suitcase over his head to let it lay on his back as he cleared his throat.
"So Ma, which house are we lookin' for?" he asked, and the red mare thought for a moment before smiling and tipping her hat up a bit.
"It's just 'round the corner from here, actually, a tan house with a red roof. Before I moved to Manehattan with your pa, I would always use it as a summer home to take a break from Dodge Junction." she replied with a smile before grabbing her son's suitcase off of his back. "I already know my way 'round Ponyville. I'll fix up your room and everything while you get yourself familiar with the town, sound like a plan?" she asked, and the yellow pegasus nodded in agreement before giving his mother a peck on the cheek. "Take your time, hun. Auntie Breeze ain't expecting us for another few hours." she added as her son nodded and trotted off to familiarize himself with Ponyville. The red earth mare smiled and trotted to their new home in the meantime.
Funny, been here less then five minutes, and I'm already lost. Solar Chaser thought as he slowed down, looking around as he tried to take in his surroundings. There were many shops around, giving off the impression of niche-stores just by the sheer variety between stores. Manehattan was a business city, sure, but many of the stores were mainly different in location and appearance rather than just the focuses. However, just as soon as he turned his head to face forward, the stallion's mouth had crashed into a navy blue earth mare's mouth. Eyes wide and faces pink, the two simply stared, frozen in shock for a few moments as the navy blue mare's tail perked up slightly. Finally snapping back to what just happened, the stallion pulled away, falling onto his rump in a panic as the mare simply stared in surprise, bringing her right hoof to her mouth, her silence betraying her astonishment.
"A hundred apologies, ma'am. I did not mean to do that on any account!" he apologized, only for the blue mare to silence him by pressing her hoof against his mouth, smiling softly. Solar Chaser could not place his hoof on it, but there was something strange about the look in the mare's eyes.
"It's ok, neither of us were watching where we were going." she replied, her long, wavy dark blue main framing her face as her green eyes scanned the stallion as he stood back up. "The name's Sugar Heart, dearie. And you are?" she asked him, changing the topic as the stallion cleared his throat, recomposing himself as he smiled politely.
"It's nice to meet you, Sugar Heart. My name is Solar Chaser." he replied and the mare chuckled.
"So I take it you're new here, anything you might be needing help with?" the mare asked, causing the stallion to think. He did need some help finding his way around, but the last thing he wanted was to be any trouble to this mare, especially after violating her personal space. "Thanks, but no thanks, ma'am. I appreciate the offer, but I can't just go about causing trouble for locals. I....I-I-I..." he stammered, trailing off as he noticed a pink earth pony with a curly mane staring at him. "Can...can I help you, miss?" he questioned, and the mare gasped loudly, galloping off at an incredible speed. Simply staring, the stallion raised an eyebrow. "Was it something I said?" he asked aloud, and the blue pegasus mare chuckled.
"Nah, that's just how the mare is. Trust me, you'll be seeing her again soon." Sugar Heart replied before smiling at Solar Chaser. "But are you certain that you don't want any help? You seem awfully lost, friend." she questioned, and Solar Chaser nodded.
"I'm sure, Sugar Heart. I don't want to be a bother to you or anything." he replied, only for his stomach to growl and the blue earth mare giggled at the sound of it.
"Come on Sol, I know a mare who sells the best apples in all of Ponyville." Sugar Heart smiled, only to sigh and walk behind Solar Chaser, nudging him along. "Come on, don't be a stick in the mud." she taunted him playfully before the stallion relented and followed her. The two began to converse up until the reached a stand with a wagon of apples next to it.
"Well, howdy-do Sugar Heart!" an orange colored mare in a a cowfilly hate called out to the earth mare in a southern voice, who smiled and waved her hoof.
"How's it going, Applejack?" Sugar Heart greeted the mare, soon nudging her friend. "Go on, she doesn't bite." she told Solar Chaser, who blinked before remembering why they came here.
"Oh, right. I'd like to purchase an apple from you, Miss Applejack." he stated with a polite tone, taking out some bits from his side-saddle pouch, placing them on the stand as Applejack tossed him an apple.
"You new 'round here, pardner?" she asked, keeping the smile on her face. "Let me be the first to formally welcome you to Ponyville: where the apples are sweet, the neighbors are friendly, and where the ponies will-" Applejack began to say, only for a sudden, brief yet intense burst of rain to soak Solar Chaser. "Get you as wet as a fish?" She asked, only to look up to see a light blue pegasus mare with a multicolored mane, who was standing on a small rain cloud, laughing her heart out. "Rainbow Dash, that's not a very nice thing to do to a new pony!" the orange mare admonished the pegasus, who was still laughing.
"Come on, admit it- that was hilarious!" Rainbow Dash replied through her laughter, oddly enough prompting Solar Chaser to laugh along with her.
"Come to think of it- that is pretty funny." he chuckled, using his hoof to get a majority of the water out of his mane. "Since we're all sharing names, my name is Solar Chaser." he introduced himself, taking a bite out of the apple he had purchased, his tail immediately perking up before he smiled brighty. "Hoooo-nelly, that's gotta be the best apple I've ever sank my teeth into!" he cheered, only to flinch and fall on his side in surprise as a party blower had been blown right into his ear.
"Yay! We have a new pony!" a bubbly voice cheered, turning all four ponies' attention towards the pink mare with a curly mane as Solar Chaser got back up.
"Howdy Pinkie Pie!" Applejack smiled as Pinkie Pie giggled.
"I was just coming to tell you about the new pony, but you already met him- which makes it all the more amazing! Now we can all celebrate together- OH WAIT! I forgot to get Rarity, Twilight and Spike! We can't possibly have a party withoutallofourbestestfriendsinPonyville-" she began to ramble on with rapid-fire words.
"Woah, slow down there pardner- what are you even talking about?" Solar Chaser asked, and Pinkie Pie took a breath, flashing a bright smile at the stallion.
"I was gonna throw an awesome party for you! I wanted to get my best friends to join in- but you beat me to Applejack and Rainbow Dash- so I figured I'd celebrate here!." she replied, her cheery tone. Blinking, the sun-yellow pegasus pony rubbed the back of his head with his right hoof.
"Gee...well, I 'ppreciate what you're tryin' to do, but that really isn't necessary...Don't get me wrong: I'm grateful you want to make me feel welcome, but you really don't need to do all of that." Solar Chaser stated with a nervous smile, backing up very slightly.
"Come on, Solar Chaser- you don't gotta be shy or nothing." Sugar Heart urged, nudging her friend. However, this only served to excite Pinkie Pie.
"Your name is Solar Chaser? My name is Pinkie Pie- though you probably already know that thanks to Applejack. It's ok- I love meeting new ponies and sharing names with them! But you look more like a Sunshine Wing- or maybe a Sunnydale!" Pinkie Pie rambled on, and the yellow pegasus chuckled nervously.
"I-It's been nice meeting you...All of you...but I'd best get going. My ma's expecting me home any minute now, and I don't wanna keep her waiting...Perhaps we could all hang out another time?" he asked, trying to walk off, only for Pinkie Pie to appear right in front of him as he had turned and nearly causing a repeat of what happened with Sugar Heart where it not for Solar Chaser's sudden stop.. "Wait- how did you-?!" he went to ask, but went ignored.
"That's silly- You just gotta meet our friends!" Pinkie Pie insisted, but Sugar Heart stepped in-between them.
"Pinkie Pie, I think he means that he wants to go home and relax for a bit. After all, he had just moved in and it'd be easier to get himself settled in first." she explained before looking back at Solar Chaser with a smile. "Isn't that right?" she asked, and the pegasus nodded with a very slight smile.
"Y..Yeah...thanks." he replied, flapping his wings as he flew up, waving all of them farewell as he took off. Alright...it was a tan house with a red roof....or was it a red house and a tan roof? he wondered, taking his time while flying as he noticed the sun was shining brightly, the rays baking on his back like they used to back in Manehattan. Whether he realized it or not, he began to slow down in his flight, relishing this opportunity to fly like he did back in the city. His thoughts began to flow more smoothly: the breeze running through his mane, his wings baking in the sunlight, the warmth washing over him before his mind turned to...Wait, what? he wondered, stopping for a brief moment to ponder about the latest thought. How did that mare come up? he asked himself, but shook his head before darting off to find the house his mother was talking about.
Sure enough, he found the tan house and smiled, landing softly in-front of the door, opening it with his hoof as he was glad to be home..or, well, his new home to be more precise. "Ma, I'm home." he called out with a happy tone in his voice, and the red earth mare looked over from the kitchen as she was preparing some tea.
"Looks like you had alot of fun, Sol. And I reckon you met a pretty little mare along the way too." his mother joked, causing the yellow stallion to blush.
"What ever gave you that idea, Ma?" he asked, and the mare chuckled as she smiled warmly.
"It's written all over your face, sweetie." she replied, but soon saw her son was not comfortable talking about it and nodded. "You'd better get some sleep, we'll be heading to Breeze Runner's house in a few hours, and I don't want you to be tired or nuthin." she stated, her son nodding and went up to his room, closing the door and plopping himself onto the bed, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep, barely able to wait to see his aunt and cousin again.
Dreams of the past flowed through Solar's mind as if he were at a movie theater- displayed in the form of an old film. He was the sole member of the audience, watching his own memories from a third-pony point of view. He watched as a younger version of himself galloped through the streets of Manehattan, slowing down when he caught up with his father- a tall stallion who wore a neat business suit, who smiled as he ruffled his son's mane up a little. "Glad you could make it, sport." his father smiled before gesturing for the young pegasus to follow him. Solar fixed his mane as his father brought him to a corner, smiling. "Ready for the magic show, Solar? Time to show you what you're old colt can do." the dressed up stallion replied before looking over at some stallions. "Come one, come all! To Neighthan D.Trot's street-magic show!" the brown pegasus called out, inevitably drawing the attention of a few colts along with their parents. Solar stood next to the colts, excited to see the trick.
"For today's show, I will require a volunteer to lend me an piece of jewelery, such as a necklace. I will make it disappear, and then reappear. I assure you all, it will be returned without any harm." D.Trot replied, waiting until a young mare raised her hoof, taking off her pearl necklace, lending it to the
"Was I really that naive?" the Solar Chaser in the audience asked aloud, knowing what this memory was. This was one of Neighthan D. Trot's classic switch-aroo scams- and while he didn't know it back then, the pegasus in his seat remembered full well that he was part of the scam- used as leverage as his father would explain how he loved seeing magic shows and did the stunts not only for the public, but for his son. In the end, he was used to lull the unsuspecting ponies into a false sense of security.
"As you can see, nothing up my sleeves." the pegasus started, actually taking off his suit to assure the audience he wasn't going to stuff them in such a cliche spot before doing a quick twirl. "Abra Cadabra!" he shouted, the necklace having vanished, inevitably impressing the colts and fillies, while their parents couldn't help but clap along with their children. "And now, I'll make it reappear. Nothing hidden and- Hocus Pocus!" the stallion shouted, doing a backflip- holding the necklace in his hooves before returning it to the mare. "Thank you for being such a great sport about this." he sincerely thanked the mare, who put the necklace back on.
"Oh come on! He hides them with his wings!" present day Solar shouted- as if trying to inform the audience that was not around to hear him. His dad had known what he was doing this whole time, having been studying potential marks for about a week before having purchased some convincing, fake jewelry. Putting a hoof to his face, Solar didn't even watch the screen as his father shouted 'Hocus Pocus', having down a twirl and seemed to pull the same pearl necklace out of thin air. "Thank you for being such a good volunteer." Neighthan thanked the mare, returning the necklace to the mare, who gladly put it on.
Solar Chaser had been so convinced his dad was a magician back then, but now he knew better- his father had stolen the real pearl necklace right from under the mare's nose. He remembered that mare had been wearing the same fake necklace before he had left Manehattan, still blissfully unaware of what his dad had done to her.
"Do it again, Mr. D.Trot!" a young colt requested, but Neightan chuckled. "Sorry, but a magician never does the same trick twice." the stallion chuckled, but it was at that point that Solar woke up to the sound of his door opening.
"Sol, dear? It's time to get ready- we're going to Auntie Breeze's house." the earth mare chimed happily as the pegasus got off the bed, stretching. He was looking forward to this- anything that would get his mind off of his father's shenanigans. Straightening the sheets on his bed, Solar Chaser quickly joined his mother, carrying some of the comics his cousin sent to him as they trotted down the road. The mother looked at her son, noticing the effort he had gone through to hide his feelings, she knew something was troubling him. However, before she could ask anything, Solar had been caught in a mix of a tackle and a hug, losing balance and falling on his back.
"Huh?" he asked, looking up and seeing a familiar face, who quickly nuzzled the colt. "Sugar Heart? What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to push her off gently, the mare only seeing it as a reason to hug the colt closer to her, every second bringing about more enthusiasm from the mare. His mother could only giggle at the scene as Sugar Heart finally stopped nuzzling Solar, a warm smile on her face.
"So this is the mare who got you all flustered, Sol?" Solar's mother asked teasingly as Sugar Heart gasped lightly, hopping off of the colt- her cheeks read from embarrassment of having made such a scene, allowing Solar to stand up and pick up the comics he dropped. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I just couldn't help myself- you have such a cute son, after all." she apologized with some flattery, giggling at the fact she had made the yellow pegasus blush even more. "My name is Sugar Heart, it is nice to meet you, miss...?" she asked, and Solar's mother smiled.
"I am Cosmic Zephyr, it is nice to meet you aswell, sweetie." she replied, unable to help but fire off a pun as Solar raised an eyebrow. Last time Solar saw this mare, he did not see any wings on her, but the fact she just suddenly had them troubled him. "Hold on, Sugar Heart- since when did you get wings?" the pegasus could not help but ask, and the blue mare blinked, stretching her wings a bit as she giggled. "Oh, these things?A friend of mine wanted to try out a spell that could make me look like a pegasus. I can't fly with 'em or nothing, just thought they'd look cute." she replied, and after a moment of trying to see if it was a lie or not, Solar nodded and smiled.
"Solar, come on- we'll be late." Cosmic Zephyr interrupted, and the pegasus nodded, only to be nuzzled softly by Sugar Heart once more. "Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?" the mare asked, and Solar shrugged. "Maybe, who knows what the day will bring." he replied, trotting off with his mother as the mare stared at him for a bit longer, a smile on her face before she trotted away herself.
Ten minutes passed by the time the mother and son made it to Breeze Runner's house, Cosmic Zephyr knocking on the door. Within moments, the door opened, and a dark blue mare with a straight mane. "Oh! C.Z! It's so good to see you. And you brought Lil'Solar with you too!" she greeted the two, pulling them into a hug before a dark yellow filly came by. "Cousin Sol!" she cheered, jumping to hug her older cousin once her mom had released him from the hug.
"Sunny Day, it's been too long." Solar smiled as his cousin instantly grabbed his hoof, trying to pull him with her. "Come on! I got another comic today and I thought we could read it together!" she explained enthusiastically, and Solar followed his cousin with a smile. Once the two went upstairs, the blue mare looked at Cosmic Zephyr. "Does he know about her...." she went to ask, and Cosmic nodded, a sad look in her eyes. "Yeah...to have to leave his father, and the knowledge of what's to come...I hope Ponyville will be kinder to him than fate has so far.." Solar's mother replied, and Breeze Runner wiped a few tears from her eyes as she gestured for her sister to follow her
"Come on...I'll make us some tea while they read their comics." she stated, and the two mares walked into the kitchen, while Solar Chaser and Sunny Day began reading comic books together.
In the span of three hours, Sunny Day and her cousin had managed to read through five full stories, although Sunny Day was a little confused at the end of the latest one. "Cousin Sol', why doesn't Batmare just kill The Prankster? No matter how many times she catches that psycho, the mare will always break out." the filly asked her cousin, looking hopefully for an answer. Sure, she was the one who read comics more, but she was too young to look into the deeper meaning of the characters. Solar smiled softly before looking at one of the Batmare comics.
" 'Cause it's ta' last thing Batmare has ta' prove she's not like them others...The mare herself is insane, but if she crosses that line, she will be no different than The Prankster- that is her last grip on her sanity." he replied, the filly smiling as the answer made sense to her. However, once the cousins yawned, Solar stood up. "Alright, Sunny, I think it's time for bed." he told his cousin, who whined softly.
"But I don't want to- OH!" she cried softly, seeing a glint in the sky. Quickly looking out the window, the two watched a star streak through the sky. Sunny Day immediately put her hooves together, closing her eyes as she began to pray. "Starlight, star bright, first star I've seen tonight...I wish I may, I wish I might...grant the wish I make tonight.." she started, Solar raising an eyebrow out of curiosity before she looked up into the starry night sky. "I wish...I wish a real superhero could come by....I really want to meet one.." she prayed softly, her breath wavering a little as Solar put a hoof on her shoulder.
"Come on, Sunny Day- ya' need to get your rest." he insisted, and the filly nodded, pecking her cousin on the cheek before hopping onto her bed as her cousin went to turn off the lights. "Good night, Solar!" she bid farewell, and Solar gave a soft smile.
"G'night Sunny." and with that, the pegasus turned off the lights, closing his cousin's bedroom door, slowly going down the stairs. It was during the short trip down the flight of stairs that Solar thought of something that brought a smile to his face. It seemed like such a great idea at the time, and if any other pony were in his place, they'd probably be thinking the same thing. He wanted to make Sunny Day's wish come true, it may have been her last wish upon a star, but he was certain he would make her happy. He had no way of knowing that Sunny Day's wish would have had such an effect on his life at the time.
"Ma, Sunny Day is-" he tried to be as quiet as possible, only to see the kitchen was empty with a piece of paper left on the counter.
Solar, I went home early, thought I could use some shut-eye myself after the long trip. Please come home safe
Ma
Solar sighed softly, but took the opportunity to think over what his plan was- what he needed to do. As he left his aunt's house, the colt gazed at the stars, thinking back to all of the super hero comics he and his cousin had been reading. He then realized that this would be tough to pull off alone, and he began thinking about who could help him. There was Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, and-WHAM! Solar Chaser had been knocked clean off of his hooves, laying on his side as somepony had collided with him and was laying on-top of him. Looking up, Solar's eyes widened a little before the pony realized what happened. "We really gotta stop meeting like this, Sugar Heart." he started, unable to help but see the horn on her head. "And you need to make up your mind." he joked, using his free hoof to gently prod her horn- causing the mare to blush. "First the fake wings...now this horn...And even a lighter coat of fur." he commented.
"The horn was nothing new." she quickly defended herself. "You just never noticed it behind my mane...and...well...They told me the navy dye was water-proof.." she lamented, but the yellow colt chuckled softly.
"You look better without it." he replied, pushing himself up and stretching a little. "What was the hurry, anyways?" he asked, causing the mare to hesitate.
"I...I just like galloping in the night. Is that a crime?" she asked, raising an eyebrow before giggling. "I'm totally kidding, hun. Come on, why don't I keep you company?" she asked, but did not wait for an answer as she began following the yellow pegasus. "So...You liking Ponyville so far?" she asked. Solar mulled it over for a few seconds before nodding.
"Yeah...I even found something to do here to pass the time." he replied, much to Sugar Heart's interest.
"Oh? What might that be?" Sugar questioned, and the pegasus did not want to risk spoiling the surprise. For all he knew, Sugar Heart would blab it for Sunny's sake.
"Well....Spending quality time with my cousin, is all."