Chapter 1
Echoed footsteps filled the halls of the magic academy as Dusk Shine rushed to his room, throwing open the door so hard that it hit the wall and made all the books on his shelves rattled. "Spike! We've got trouble!" He paused as a small purple and green dragon was sitting on his bed clinging to a jar of cookies with his mouth full. "Are you eating my cookies?" he asked in a sinister tone, the dragon shaking its head gently in response before munching a few times. "Would you get your claws out of my cookie jar for one minute! I need your help! Quick, find a book that has information on Nightmare Moon!"
As Dusk Shine's hands glowed with a violet aura, several books imitated and floated towards him. Spike gulped down his cookies and hopped off the bed. "Why do you need my help finding it? If you don't know where all your own books are, can't you just use your magic to make finding it easier?"
"If I knew a spell like that, I'd of used it by now! Now please, help me look for it!"
Spike groaned but did as he was asked, climbing up a step ladder and trailing his claws over a few books. He plucked one out that seemed like it could be relevant and gave the pages a few flips. "Hey, is this what you're looking for? The Legend of Nightmare Moon and the Black Hole Waltz?"
"THAT'S IT!" Dusk Shine ran over and yanked the book from Spike so hard he was flung off the ladder and face first into the floor. "Once upon a time, two sisters, yadda yadda yadda, jealousy, hatred, blah blah blah, and sealed in another dimension for a thousand years! Nightmare Moon swore to return when the spell was done, and to engulf the entire universe in a black hole like the one she'd been sent into. When that day comes, if no one can stop her, all light in the universe will be engulfed in... darkness."
Brushing himself off, Spike chuckled and said, "Sounds like a good premise to a video game, or a movie."
Dusk shook his head and said, "This isn't a fiction or a made up legend Spike. While in scrying class today, I looked into the future. Nightmare Moon is real, and her return is this year! We have to warn Principle Celestia!"
"Warn me of what, my most faithful student?" Dusk Shine turned with a fright to see Celestia standing in his doorway. She looked radiant with her multi-colored hair that flowed even without wind, and her elegant white dress that matched her angelic wings upon her back. She wore a soft smile as she gazed upon her most faithful student.
The pale skinned boy gulped and said, "Ma'am, I have grave news! Nightmare Moon is returning from another dimension this year! We need to prepare for her arrival!"
Celestia frowned and said, "Nightmare Moon? Where did you learn that name? How do you know this?"
"It was in scrying class ma'am. A message from the future from what I can tell." Celestia sighed and slowly made her way into Dusk Shine's room, sitting on his bed. Noticing a jar of cookies, she took one and nipped the edge off it. "Principle Celestia? What's wrong? Don't you believe me?"
With her soft smile returning, she nodded and said, "Of course I believe you. Nightmare Moon is real, and if your words are true she is in fact coming back this year." Dusk Shine fist pumped the air excitedly. "Sadly, there's nothing I can do about it."
Both Dusk Shine and Spike blinked and said in unison, "What?! But why?!"
"I've aged, and become wiser and more skilled with high level spells. Unfortunately, my age has made me weary and weak. I've lived for a thousand years Dusk Shine. I'm not the powerful young sorceress I once was." Dusk Shine fell to his knees with a look of despair, Spike giving his arm a comforting rub. "But at the same time, I've never had a student as gifted in every school of magic as you." The boy looked up in shock from the praise. "Dusk Shine, my most faithful student. You could be the one that defeats this evil."
Dusk Shine began to stutter, failing to find the words to respond. He finally stopped and took a deep breath. "But Celestia, even with my powers, I don't think I could take on a black hole generating sorceress from another dimension by myself!"
An amused laugh came from his mentor. "That is why I want you to form a team." Before he could ask what she meant, Dusk Shine found himself with a magic circle under his and Spike's feet. Celestia took out a bag and began putting a few of his things into it. "I'm sending you to Metropolis, a city filled with heroes and villains. I want you to form a team of super heroes, get a headquarters, and prepare yourselves for this oncoming threat. If my memory serves me right, you have exactly one month to be ready."
The boy felt a gust of wind engulf him and spiral around him from the cirlce, Spike clinging to his leg. "One month?! While that's more time than I thought we had, how do you know that Celestia?"
She answered his question only with a smile, before tossing him his bag. "The key to defeating a powerful villain is teamwork, so be sure to make some friends out of you cohorts. You'll be fine Dusk Shine. Trust me."
"But Principle Celestia, I don't-!" Before he could finish his sentence, he felt his feet lift off the floor, and he was engulfed in a bright light. When his vision cleared up, and he felt his feet safely on the floor, he found himself on the outskirts of a giant city full of activity. "...I don;t know how to make friends. Let alone recruit super heroes to my cause."
"At least you got me." Dusk Shine looked shocked that Spike was there, and dropped to his knees to give him a hug. Spike laughed and said, "You didn't think you'd be alone from the get go did you? After all, I'm your number one assistant. Heck, if you're going to be a super hero now, I'm like, your sidekick now!"
Dusk Shine lifted Spike up and onto his shoulders. "Okay Spike, the wonder dragon. Where should we begin our search for super hero allies?"
The young dragon shielded his eyes from sunlight and began looking around. "Well, we are on the outskirts of town. Hey, check it out! Just along this road is an apple orchard! We might not find a super hero or anything there, but I'm sure someone knows about a super hero or two we can look for."
"Good call Spike!" Dusk kept him on his shoulders as he walked down the dirt road, There was arch with an open gate leading into the orchard, so Dusk figured whoever lived here didn't mind visitors. He walked further down the road, while Spike continued to scan the surrounding area for any signs of life. "You see anyone yet Spike?"
"Hold on... I think so. Look over there. There's a tree shaking. Maybe someone is getting apple's from it."
"It's worth a go." Dusk Shine left the road and followed Spike's claw towards the trees, one after another shaking free of its apples. When they finally found the culprit, the froze in place as they discovered a woman that seemed to be performing Tai Chi. She had long blonde hair with the end tied off in a tuft, and green eyes. She wore a cowboy hat and boots, and on her hands were finger-less backless black gloves.
She exhaled slowly, pushing her hands out away from her chest and then slowly raising her foot in the air. She bent her knee, trailing her hands down to her foot, and a feint white glow followed them. She then balled her fists, stomped the tree, and the white glow shot up into the tree! Seconds later, every apple had fallen from their branches.
Dusk Shine and Spike began clapping, and the woman gasped, twisting to face them in shock. She said in a southern accent, "Aw shoot, did y'all two see that? Just... forget ya saw anything or I'll make ya!"
When the woman held up a fist, Dusk Shine held up his hands defensively and said, "Wait! I have super powers too! I'm not a civilian, or a villain, or anything like that!"
She sized him up and took a few steps forward. "I shoulda figured y'all were a super. No ordinary folk just got a baby dragon hanging over their shoulders. But how do I know you're not a villain sugar cube?"
He hadn't thought of that. Dusk Shine looked up to Spike for advice, but the dragon just shrugged, as clueless as he was. The boy sighed and said, "I don't know. All I can really give you is my word."
Two gloved hands grabbed the sides of his head, and he found his nose not even an inch from hers. She stared into his eyes intently, and he gulped nervously, blushing as he'd never been this close to a girl before. She smiled warmly and let him go. "I believe you, partner. You're aura is positive and lawful, and you're eyes are kind. There's worry in you're eyes though."
Dusk Shine scowled and said, "You're right. My name is Dusk Shine. I came to Metropolis to form a team of heroes. In one month, an evil sorceress will be free'd from her dimensional prison and will try to engulf the universe in darkness. I can't take her alone, I need to get stronger, and I need a team. Please, will you help me?"
The woman rubber her chin for a moment, taking in his words. "That sounds like quite the dangerous customer alright. I'm not much for the super hero scene like my siblings, but if there's a way I can help I'll do it." She spat into her palm and held it out to him. Dusk stared at her hand for a moment, and then back to her. "Well, pretty boy?"
He cleared his throat, and tried to spit into his own palm. Sadly, the spit didn't fully leave his mouth, and hung from his lip in one big glob. Her cheeks puffed up as she snorted at the humorous image, making Dusk Shine blush and just grab the spit before grabbing her hand with a somewhat disgusted chill up his spine. "W-Welcome to the team, miss..."
She shook his hand violently and said, "No need for the miss, sugarcube! The name's Applejack!" She let go, and he quickly wiped his hand off on his pants. "I'm a chi monk. I focus the flow of chi through my body and transfer it into my targets through martial arts. I can use it to basically give myself super strength, in a sense. What can you two do?"
Dusk Shine picked up Spike and set him down on the ground. "I'm a sorcerer. I can use magic from every school of magic. I'm not a master or anything like that, but I do have a variety of spells I can do. This is my partner Spike. When he eats gemstones, he can change into different types of dragons depending on what kind he eats."
Applejack tipped her hat to the small dragon and said, "Howdy there, Spike."
"Nice to meet you!" Spike responded with a wave. "We're lucky to of found an ally in you, but it's going to take more than just one."
Dusk Shine nodded in response to his words. "Spike is right. Applejack, do you know anyone else that could support our cause?"
"I know a couple, actually. Just let me get these apples in this here basket and I'll take you to one. Huh?" She blinked as all the fallen apples floated into the air, and placed themselves in the basket she had by the tree. "What in tarnation?" She noticed Dusk Shine's smirk as his hands stopped glowing. "Well how do you like them apples? Okay sugar cube. Right this way."
She led him far out into the apple orchard, until the trees began to thin out, and they reached the fence. Applejack hopped the fence and motioned for him to do the same. As he continued to tail her, he noticed they were approaching a forest. The trees were packed close together, creating a dark shroud within the woods, and a thin veil of fog trailed between the trees.
Dusk Shine gulped, and Spike clung to his leg. "We're not going in that forest are we? The entrance alone looks... evil."
A gloved hand was outstretched to him as Applejack wore a smile. "Sometimes the darkness can be your ally. Do you trust it? Do you trust me?"
The boys looked to each other, Spike shaking his head. Dusk's brow furrowed, and he grabbed her hand. "I trust you." She dragged him along with her, into the forest, until the light from the edge was just about gone. Then she stopped and let go of his hand. "What's wrong?"
"This is far enough. Don't wanna get lost looking for her." She took a deep breath and shouted out, "Olly olly oxen free!"
A whispered chattering echoed through the woods, slowly growing louder. Dusk Shine grew weak in the legs and fell to his knees, cuddling Spike like a little girl would her teddy bear. Then a low raspy voice called out to them. "What controls he who is born of the shadows?"
Applejack immediately responded, "The operator." The muttering madness stopped abruptly. "Fluttershy, I brought someone who needs our help. Please, hear him out."
Dusk Shine slowly stood back up, looking in the same direction that Applejack was staring. He was shocked when from behind a tree, a girl with long smooth pink hair and eyes as bright and blue as the sky peeked out. He could see she was wearing a yellow dress, and looked wary of him. He could feel his heart beating faster at the sight of her, but then, it double over when he saw something peek out from the other side of the tree. It was tall, and had long thin limbs and fingers. It seemed to be wearing a black suit and a red tie over a white undershirt, as white as its skin. It's head was featureless, no hair, not even a face, and black tendrils seemed to be writhing from its back.
He felt his vision blur, like static from a TV. It was unnatural, it horrified him. He rubbed his eyes, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. When he looked back up, the creature was gone, and the young woman stood directly before him. Startled, he let out a yelp and fell to the floor. Applejack chuckled and said, "Dusk Shine, Spike, meet Fluttershy."
The strange girl kneeled down and said in a very quiet tone, "Sorry if I startled you two." She slowly reached a hand out to a quivering Spike, who stopped and took a step forward. She scooped him up, and hugged him gently, making him smile and nuzzle her. "What an adorable little dragon you are, Spike."
Spike smirked over his shoulder at Dusk Shine, who felt a surge of jealousy for the dragon. He climbed to his feet and brushed himself off. "Fluttershy, I need help preparing for a powerful evil, and I'm trying to form a team of heroes. If you have a power that I could use, would you please join me?"
Fluttershy set Spike down and shook her head, hugging her knees. "I'm no hero. Every day is a mental battle to control the evils within me. I'm not a super hero, I'm a vessel, a prison for the darkness."
"Now cut that out!" Applejack grabbed the girl's ear and lifted her to her feet, making her squeak. "Fluttershy, everyday you protect the animals of this forest from hunters. You control that darkness inside of you so you can use it for good. It's time to leave this creepy forest and do some good for the world. You don't belong here." Fluttershy opened her mouth, but Applejack cut her off with a "No you don't! You don't belong alone in the Everfree, Fluttershy! Dusk Shine needs you! I need you! The world needs you!... Pinkie Pie misses you."
Fluttershy scowled, her eyes going blank as a pair of black shadowy tendrils burst from her back and grabbed the front of Applejack's shirt. "That's not fair! You can't use my personal relations to manipulate me! I'm a monster, just look at me!" Applejack just stood there, staring at her with sad eyes. Fluttershy cringed and let her go, fading back to normal. "I already know what you're going to say."
The southern girl took her shoulders and said, "Then I shouldn't have to say anything. You can control him, I know you can. Please, come back sugar cube."
Fluttershy teared up, sniffling as she stared at the floor. "Do you think Pinkie will forgive me?"
"She was never mad, hayseed." Applejack gave her friend a warm hug.
The sobbing girl wiped her eyes clean and turned to Dusk Shine. "My powers come from a demon sealed within me named Slenderman. I can control him like a puppet, but if I'm not careful, he will control me. I can also use his powers, but they take a lot of mental concentration. I hope I can be useful to whatever your mission is."
Dusk Shine smiled and said, "To control such a creature take's a lot of mental will. While I could use you, if you ever wanted me to remove that demon from-"
"No!" She shook her head. "This is a burden I took on over four hundred years ago. I'm not letting it back into the world."
"Four hundred years?!" both Dusk Shine and Spike chimed.
Applejack laughed and slapped her knee. "How about we all get on back to the orchard? Pinkie Pie should be up from her nap soon, so both of you can talk to her."
The group went towards the faint light in the distance, and it slowly grew brighter until they were back in the open daylight. Fluttershy squinted her eyes significantly tighter than the others after her time in the Everfree. Applejack helped her over the fence before jumping it herself, Dusk Shine and Spike close behind them. As they made it across the orchard and were back on the path that led to a house, presumably Applejacks, a loud explosion overhead caught their attention. A rainbow was trailed across the sky and growing. Dusk Shine said, "What is that?!"
With an annoyed sigh, Applejack answered, "That would be Rainbow Dash."
Dusk Shine couldn't make out more than a figure on the rainbow due to its height. With a wave of his hand, his vision was enhanced, and he was able to make out the figure. It was a girl with rainbow colored hair and rosey red eyes. She wore a cyan tank top, red and white tennis shoes, and jeans with the knees torn out. In her hands were a pair of luminescent orbs that left trails in the air as she ran forward, one red and one violet. The rainbow she was running on continuously forming in front of her.
A look of determination was on her face as she pressed the two orbs together, merging them. She skid to a halt, and threw the orb out into the air. It exploded in a blast of red with violet electrical sparks coursing through it. She got a smug look, until her attention was drawn downward by Applejack. "Rainbow Dash! Get your double rainbow butt down here you lazy minx!"
Rainbow Dash smirked and ran a loopy loop before running straight downward, picking up momentum as she did. Before hitting the floor, her rainbow made a ninty degree turn, and she ran on it just over the surface of the ground. The rainbow stopped abruptly, and she launched like a missile directly towards Applejack, her eyes closed from the speed.
"Not this again," Applejack said with an annoyed look. She then glanced to Dusk Shine and said, "Dusk Shine, I apologize."
He looked over with a confused expression, releasing the spell on his eyes. "Why are you-" Applejack grabbed him and switched places with him. "Oh."
Rainbow Dash slammed into him so hard that they rolled and skidded, leaving a trail in the dirt. Luckily they stopped just short of a tree. Rainbow Dash groaned and rubbed her head. "I think my everything is broken." She made a green orb appear and pressing it into her chest. Her whole body glowed green briefly before it faded.
Dusk Shine quickly casted a powerful healing spell on himself for the amount of pain he was in. He realized he was still suffocating, like from a big squishy pillow, and opened his eyes to see what it was. His eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as he found Rainbow's jean clad rump sitting directly on his face. Rainbow Dash looked back and said, "Applejack, what gives? Why didn't you catch..... you're not Applejack...... G-Get your face out of my butt you perv!"
He grabbed her butt and pushed it off his face with a gasp for fresh air. "Your butt was in my face first! And who are you calling a perv?!" He grunted as he tossed her to the side of him, and both scrambled to their feet and glared at each other.
"Alright, calm down you two." Applejack was snickering like crazy, Spike pointing and laughing his head off, and Fluttershy averting her gaze with a light blush. "I switched up on you Rainbow Dash. You're not the only one who pulls pranks."
Rainbow Dash stared at her in amazement for a moment, which quickly changed to mock anger. "So your the reason I ended up in that awkward position?" She lunged for Applejack's wrist, throwing her against the nearby tree, and pinning her arm against her back. "That wasn't very nice."
The cowgirl grunted angrily, trying to push off the tree, but Rainbow Dash pressed her shoulder into her back to pin her there. "What in tarnation do you think you're doing Rainbow?!" The sound of a loud smack filled the area. Dusk Shine, Spike, and Fluttershy all went red in the face as Rainbow Dash delivered a swift smack to Applejack's rear, causing her to yelp in shock and pain.
"What I think I'm doing is punishing a naughty southern bell."
"I'm not a bell! YEOW!" Applejack felt another swift smack and bit her lower lip, balling up her fist and pounding it on the tree. She took a deep breath and said, "Rainbow you let me go or I swear I'll make you regret this!"
Rainbow Dash said in a mockingly stern tone, "Oh? Threatening your punisher? That's another five spanks for you young lady." She cackled as she continued to swat the seat of Applejack's pants, making her growl in frustration.
In a whispered tone, Applejack stated, "I am not letting you dominate me in front of our guests."
"And since when do I need you to let me?" Rainbow Dash grinned, rubbed a hand over Applejack's hip. Then, the blonde snatched her wrist and twisted her off her back, and against the tree, turning the tables on her as she got her into the same exact position she'd been in. "ACK! Oh crud. A-Applejack, you know I was just fooling around... right? Right?"
Everyone turned away as Applejack's heavy palm smacked down twice as loud and hard as Rainbow's, causing the colorful haired tomboy to cry out and claw at the tree. "Gee Rainbow Dash, I'm so sorry I pranked you like you do to me ten times a day everyday! Please forgive me!"
"Ow ow ow! Okay, I get it! I'm no better, I'm sorry! Happy?!"
"And what about all the chores you shirked that you were supposed to help me with?"
Rainbow Dash broke out into a cold sweat and gulped audibly. "Er... that was today?"
"Rainbow, do I need to pull your pants down to get this message across?!"
Applejack grabbed the waistband of the girls jeans to emphasize her words. Rainbow Dash grabbed her pants with her freehand and gave her friend a worried look. "Wait, Applejack, please! I'm sorry! Really sorry!"
There was a heavy scowl on her face, but Applejack said, "You're only sorry because you're about to get punished worse."
"No Applejack, that's not why I'm sorry!... I'm sorry because I upset you." She looked to Applejack with big pleading eyes that shimmered as she pressed out her lower lip.
Applejack cringed from the sad gaze. "Okay, okay... I forgive ya." She let Rainbow Dash go, and gave her a warm hug. Rainbow Dash smiled and sucked back her tears with a giggle. "But if you blow me off like that again, I don't care who's around! I'll bare you and tan your hide as red as an apple! And I have plenty of examples to go off of around here. Got it?"
Rainbow Dash pouted a little, but she nodded. "Yeah, I got it. So are you going to introduce me to this new guy, or what?" She smiled and pat Fluttershy's shoulder. "Great to see you out of your forest by the way, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy silently nodded with a weak smile. Applejack said, "Dusk Shine, this is Rainbow Dash. Despite how much we fight, she's my best friend. Sure she needs a good smack on the pants every now and again, but she's one of the most powerful heroes I know." Rainbow Dash got a cocky grin, subconsciously striking a pose. "Rainbow Dash, this is Dusk Shine, and his partner Spike. He's a sorcerer, and he's trying to put together a team of super heroes."
Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up. "So this geeky looking egghead is a sorcerer huh? So that means you got magic powers and stuff? Show me some! Do something cool!"
Dusk Shine was taken back from the request, and looked around. He smiled and lifted an apple off the ground and high into the air, his hands aglow. He then fired a ball of white with a tint of blue towards it like a missile, and it blew up the apple. "Just a small example, but I think you get the point."
"That was so awesome!"
Spike stepped forward and said, "So what do you do Rainbow Dash? I noticed some colorful orbs and a rainbow road?"
This got the tomboy to giggle again. "Kind of. Those were plasma bombs. I generate them from cosmic energy. Different colors have different effects. I've been experimenting with combining them lately. The road you saw is made of the same energy. It generates in front of me, and I can use it to run through the sky or even upside down without falling. I seem to run a little faster when on it, but I don't completely get why. So what about you wee man?"
Spike crossed his arms and answered, "I transform into various dragons when I eat different kinds of gemstones."
This made Rainbow Dash laugh for some reason. "i'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you! It's just, I have a cousin that likes to use gemstones in a lot of her fashion designs. She'd probably faint if she heard your power. Anyways, if you're looking for super heroes, I'm your girl! Me and my partner Pinkie Pie!"
There was no doubt in Dusk Shine's mind. Rainbow Dash had potential to be an amazing super hero, but she seemed a little immature. "You guys have mentioned Pinkie Pie a lot. What's she like?"
He was startled when Fluttershy touched his shoulder, causing him to blush and sweat a little. The quiet girl said, "Pinkie Pie is very... different."
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash butted in. "You could say she's even 'out of this world'!" Applejack groaned and punched her arm. "Hey!" She jumped on Applejack's back and clung to her.
"What in tarnation are you up to now Rainbow dash?!"
"You spanked me too hard, and now my legs aren't working. Carry me."
"Your legs were working fine a second ago sugar cube."
"It's a delayed reaction. Now less talky, more walky."
Applejack growled, but she carried Rainbow Dash towards the house. "Next thing you'll be asking me for is to make you a sandwhich."
"Well, I didn't wanna say anything, but-"
"Don't you dare." Despite her annoyed tone, Rainbow Dash had a giggle fit. Surprisingly, it wasn't long before Applejack joined her.
Spike scratched a claw on his head and said, "Who wants to bet how long it takes for those two to realize they love each other?"
Fluttershy picked him up and walked alongside Dusk Shine. "They already know that. They're just both too tough to show public signs of affection."
Dusk Shine frowned and said, "But Applejack said they were best friends. Are they ashamed of their relationship because they're both... girls?"
"Not everyone is okay with same sex relationships, Dusk Shine. So what about you? How do you feel about them?"
The boy shrugged a little. "I don't really mind them. I mean, heck, who am I to talk? I fooled around with a guy once."
Fluttershy's face went completely red, and suddenly a pair of shadowy wings burst from her back and sprang outward, one smacking into Dusk Shine and knocking him to the floor with a yelp. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! I-I lost focus for a second there because... Spike is adorable!" Spike grinned and winked to Dusk, clicking his tongue and earning another jealous glare from him.
The group made it to the house and Applejack let them in. She sat down on the couch, squishing Rainbow Dash with a strained groan. "Y'all go upstairs and wake Pinkie Pie if she's not awake already."
Dusk Shine noticed Fluttershy looked nervous and gave her shoulder a comforting rub. "Tell you what. I'll go in first, and call you in. How does that sound?" Fluttershy's expression lightened and she gave an approving nod. They both went upstairs. It was easy to find the room, they just had to follow the snores. The door was open, so Dusk Shine went in while Fluttershy stayed back hiding behind the wall. She kept Spike in her arms for comfort.
He blinked at what he found. They weren't kidding about her being different. Her hair was a pink curly and puffy mass. Her shirt was yellow and pink striped, and one of her stockings was sky blue and pink striped. her other stocking was yellow and covered in sky blue spots. She also wore a regular blue skirt, and was sprawled out on the bed. When he walked in, he could hear a hiss that froze him in place. Pinkie stirred and sat up with a stretch. "What is it chewy? Hmm? Hey, who are you?"
Dusk Shine gulped, wondering if there was a snake or something in the room he couldn't see. "My name is Dusk Shine. I'm a friend of Rainbow Dash and Applejack? They told me to come talk to you about something. You are Pinkie Pie, right?"
"That's my name! So Dusk Shine huh? I've never seen you before, but you're very pretty, effeminate even! Your hair is purple, and you have a couple of highlights in it. Are you gay? You look gay. They asked you to come talk to me about something? Is it the birds and the bees, because I know about the birds and the bees. Or is it my turn to clean the toilets?! Oh no! Or maybe-"
"Please!" Dusk's head was spinning from the barrage of constant questions without a moment to answer a single one. "First of all I'm not gay. Bi-curious if anything close. Second of all, the reason I'm here is because I'm recruiting super heroes to battle an ancient evil in exactly one month. You're friends have agreed to join my team, and I'd like to ask you to join it too. Though, I'm curious what power you have."
Pinkie Pie got a mischievous smile and said in a sing song tone, "You really wanna know?" Dusk Shine blinked and nodded. "Okay, I'll introduce you to Chewy and Gooey." She reached over to a watch on her wrist, yanking it off and tossing it to the side. His jaw slowly dropped lower and lower as her ears stretched out into pointed tips and her skin turned orange. Her pupils were glazed over with the same shade of blue as her eyes, and her arms all the way up to her shoulders became a different shade of pink than her clothes or hair. Where her hands once were, a pair of snake like heads now resided on the ends of her arms with yellow eyes. She bit her lower lip playfully and her right handed snake head morphed into a hammer, smashing down on the bed.
Dusk Shine stuttered, speechless. When he finally found the words he said, "What are you?!"
The obviously not human girl laughed her head off at this question, falling on her back and kicking her feet. She was obviously 'tickled pink' by the question. One of the snakes stretched up and wiped her eyes as she calmed down. "I'm a martian."
This got another shocked pause from Dusk Shine. "You mean there is life on Mars?!"
"Not anymore there's not." Pinkie jumped off the bed, her hammer hand turning back into a snake. "You're looking at the last martian, and one with super powers no less! My arms are rubberized, so I can stretch and shapeshift them. They kinda have minds of their own though, as you can see." The two snake hands reared back and nuzzled again'st the orange woman's cheeks. "Aww, I love you guys too! So, if you want a super hero, me and Dashie are definitely your girls!"
Dusk Shine took on an expression of immense joy. "This is great! I thought it would take a few days, but I already have four super heroes willing to hear me out and help me!" He supposed that when you meet one hero, they're sure to know more. Sure, all the heroes he had right now were girls, but there wasn't anything wrong with that, right? "Oh, speaking of the other heroes, there's someone here that wants to talk to you."
He knocked gently on the wall, and after a moment or two, Fluttershy walked in. She had put down Spike, and her long bangs now hung over one of her eyes as she avoided Pinkie's gaze. Pinkie Pie squealed excitedly, and her snake arms stretched out and wrapped around Fluttershy's waist, yanking her into a warm hug. "I missed you! I missed you! I missed you, Fluttershy!"
Spike walked in and looked at the two of them, Fluttershy squeaking and squirming adorably in the martian's embrace. "I heard everything you two said. So that girl is the last martian huh? Well, I've seen weirder things."
When Fluttershy couldn't wiggle free of her friends affectionate embrace she finally gave up trying. "Oh Pinkie, how can you forgive me for what I did?"
"You're supposed to ask CAN I ever forgive you," Pinkie noted with a burst of giggles. "And of course I forgive you. It was an accident after all, big sister." Pinkie's gaze dropped and her eyes became sad. "It was hard to recover. Not because of the pain I was in... but because my big sister wasn't there to comfort me through it all."
Warm tears immediately flowed down Fluttershy's cheeks as she sniffled and cried, hugging the smaller girls face to her chest. "I'm so sorry Pinkie! I was a fool to think you didn't want to see me!"
Pinkie smiled and sighed, rubbing her sobbing friend's back. "There there, big sis."
Spike nudged Dusk Shine's leg, gaining his attention. "I think we should give them a moment."
Dusk Shine and Spike stepped out, letting the two girls hug it out as they went back downstairs. Oddly, they heard a lot of giggling as the approached the living room. "Rainbow Dash, give me back my hat!"
"No! You're not getting it from me. Nyeh!"
"Oh? Then I'll just have to get you!"
Rainbow Dash squealed and said, "Lemme go you dork!" Dusk Shine and Spike had slowed their descent, and were not far enough down the stairs to see the two girls. Rainbow Dash had kicked off her shoes and was wearing rainbow socks, not to mention she also had on Applejack's hat. She was also sitting back in the other girls lap who was embracing her from behind, both girls blushing and giggling.
Applejack looked up, and with a shocked look shoved Rainbow Dash off her lap and to the floor, causing her to yelp. "Dusk Shine, Spike! You done with Pinkie already... how long have you been standing there?"
With a smug grin, Spike said, "Long enough. Don't stop on our accounts."
Dusk Shine balled is fist and snatched Spike up, giving him a noogie. "Quit it, quit it, quit it!"
"Owwww! You quit it!" Spike bit his arm, making Dusk scream in pain and drop him. "That's what you get!" The little dragon scurried down the stairs and out of the room before Dusk Shine could chase him down.
Dusk walked down the stairs, rolling up his sleeve to see if his arm was okay. Then he turned to the two girls and said, "I know it's none of my business, but as much as you're worried about how others will view your relationship, you don't have to hide it in front of your friends. You know that right?"
Rainbow Dash tipped the cowboy hat over his face while Applejack blushed profusely, rubbing her arm and looking away. "We appreciate it sugar cube, but me and Dash just want to keep it private for right now. It's not that we're ashamed or anything, we just... don't like to publicize it."
When a set of other footsteps came down the stairs, Rainbow Dash quickly tossed Applejack her hat. Pinkie and Fluttershy walked in to join everyone else, the pink haired martian with an excited, "Howdy doody everybody!" She had put back on her watch and her human disguise was active again. It creeped Dusk shine out a little that hidden in those hands were a pair of rubberized living snakes.
Dusk Shine smiled and said, "I'm really lucky to of found a group of super heroic friends when I just got here. I guess I should give you guys the story, before settle on being a team, picking a name and finding a headquarters, and all that-"
"I know someone who can help us with a headquarters!" Pinkie's outburst caught his attention, as well as everyone else in the room. "Someone who can also be considered a super hero! Someone strong, skilled, elegant... rich... and related to Rainbow Dash."
"We get it Pinkie." Rainbow Dash groaned and said, "I hate to admit it, but she's right. Maybe we should recruit my cousin Rarity before you give the details, egghead."
Applejack put Rainbow Dash in a headlock with an annoyed look. "You know fully well I can't stand yer cousin!"
"ACK! I can't stand her either! But she teaches our little sister's so you know she's smart! And you can't deny her skill with that blade!"
Applejack reluctantly let her go and crossed her arms. Dusk Shine said, "The more the merrier in all, but this girl sounds like she can be of real use to our team! Where is she anyways?"
Rainbow Dash stretched a little now that she was free. "At this hour, she's probably at her design studio in the city. If Applejack is willing, we can go visit her. She's the only one with a vehicle."
Pinkie gave Applejack a puppy dog plead. Dusk Shine got next to Pinkie and imitated her, causing the girl to scoot away looking a little worried. When Rainbow Dash joined them, she blushed and bared her teeth growling, swaeting as if she was trying to fight it. When Fluttershy joined in alongside Pinkie, Applejack gripped her chest and said, "Okay! Okay! I'll drive us to Rarity's studio, just turn off the eyes! My heart can't take it!"
Everyone cheered and high fived. Spike scurried past everyone and to the front door with a quick, "I call shot gun!"
The truck was a two seat vehicle, so Applejack got the drivers seat, and Dusk Shine got the passenger seat. Spike sat in Dusk's lap, while the other girls got in the back of the truck. Rainbow Dash leaned over the edge of the sides, while Fluttershy sat against the window to the diving portion of the truck. Pinkie laid in her lap and purred like a kitten while the older girl pet her like one.
They followed the road out of the orchard and into the city. Applejack knew the way, so it was a short drive before they came to a very tall building with a parking garage on the side. She pulled up to the garage, and Rainbow Dash gave the guard a wave. He seemed to recognize her, and lifted the barricade so they could drive in and find a parking space. As they walked into the building, Dusk was pestered with questions about all the different kinds of spells he could use. He explained a few different schools of magic in the simplest way he could, so that he didn't lose them in his explanations.
When the group got to an elevator, Rainbow Dash hot a button that would lead them to the top. Dusk Shine finally asked, "So what is this building for? What does Rarity do?"
Everyone stepped away from Rainbow, much to her dismay, so she could be the one to tell him. "You all suck lemons. Rarity is a fashion designer. She's been top of the fashion charts for a long time, and because of that she's very wealthy. As passionate as she is about her career though, the only thing she loves more is being a teacher. She funds a lot of schools with supplies like text books, and even home schools several kids. I think the only reason she doesn't have a kid herself is because she's always so wrapped up in her job. Maybe if we can talk her into working with us, it will give her something more important to focus on."
A loud ding sounded their arrival on the top floor, and they exited the elevator to find a counter with a secretary behind it and a door next to the counter. The woman had long well kept black hair, violet eyes, and a grey dress. As the approached, she looked up and stated in a calm professional tone, "The chairman is on break, no appoint-" She stopped when she saw Rainbow Dash among everyone. "Um... R-Rarity is taking her break in... France."
Rainbow rolled her eyes and walked past her. "Knock it off, Octavia. I know she's here." She shoved open the door and led everyone into a very large and fancy looking office, with windows on the walls that showed much of the surrounding city. There was an area with furniture and a tea set, mannequins everywhere, and material's for crafting clothes all over the room. Marble columns lined the walls, and a red carpet led from the door to a desk at the end of the room. "Hey Rarity! We need to talk!"
Over by one of the windows came a soft sigh, calling everyone's attention to a red cushioned lounge chair. Upon it laid a lovely woman with smooth purple hair that curled at the ends. Her eyes were blue, and her lips were ruby red with lipstick.She wore a white button up collared shirt with long sleeves, and black pants with suspenders. She took a sip of some tea before she said, "Did you have to just come barging in here? And with guests no less? My office is a mess, and I haven't had time to change into something less big business."
Spike stared at this polite toned woman with a growing blush. Dusk Shine swore he could see his friend's heart beating out of his chest for a moment, before he stepped forward and said, "Please, excuse our rude entrance." He took Rarity's hand, and kissed the back of it. "My name is Dusk Shine, and I'm desperately in need of your assistance."
Rarity blushed and smiled, causing Spike to snap out of it and gasp. Dusk Shine flashed him a smug grin, causing the dragon to stomp his foot growling. Satisfied with the payback reaction he'd gotten from his friend, he looked back to Rarity as she said, "My, what a gentleman. Please, do go one Dusk Shine."
With a quick clear of his throat, Dusk Shine said, "I'm a sorcerer who is trying to put together a team of super heroes. I'm in need of serious help if I wish to stand up to a particularly large threat. I'll be honest, we need your resources, Miss Rarity." She giggled at being called that. "But even more than that, we need your blade."
Her eyebrow twitched a little when she heard that. "My blade, hmm? It's been a while since I've use my sword outside of a training room. I'll admit, I am skilled with it. Are you certain about this, Mister Dusk Shine?" He nodded gently. "Very well then." She reached under her lounge chair, and took out a sheathed katana. The handle was white with a gold trim, and had violet lacing on it. The sheath matched the pure white tone, both ends laced in gold, the tip having a particularly larger amount as it was etched with three diamonds ornately decorated into it. "Since you are such a gentleman, me and my Harmony Blade are at your service."
Dusk Shine bowed to her, and then turned around to everyone else. "This is the rest of the team."
Rarity giggled and said, "Funny, we all know each other, and have interacted as friends for a while, and yet I never saw us all forming a team together. Funny how this one boy has managed to get us all in the same room as a squad of super heroes, no?"
"Now is there anyone else you guys would like to add for right now?"
Pinkie giggled and said, "I can think of a ton of heroes we could invite!"
Applejack placed her hand on the girls head and gave it a rub. "I think this is enough for one day, Pinkie Pie."
Crossing his arms, Dusk shine said, "Good. Now to explain everything to you guys. In one month-" He was cut off by a loud explosion outside, the sound of crumbling buildings could be heard. What seemed to be a large mutated insect smacked against the glass behind Rarity, causing her to leap from her seat with a shrill cry. "What on earth is that thing?! And what's going on outside?!"
Rainbow Dash scowled and said, "I'm going to the roof to check it out!"
As she ran off, Applejack gave chase. "Wait! Rainbow Dash, it could be dangerous! Would ya slow down!"
Pinkie squealed excitedly and ran after them, dragging Fluttershy so fast her feet left the ground. "Battle stations, battle stations!"
"Pinkie!" Fluttershy cried as she flailed her free hand.
Dusk Shine picked up Spike over his shoulder and ran after them, Rarity close behind with her blade in hand. Spike blinked, being face to face with Rarity, and said, "Er, h-hi. My name's Spike. I'm Dusk Shine's partner."
Rarity smiled and said, "Pleasure to meet you Spike. Dusk Shine you have a very adorable little dragon. I've never seen one in person, and if it weren't for the commotion outside, I might be a little more excited." Spike got a bashful look, chuckling like a dork.
The group ran past Octavia at the front desk and to a door to the side. Past the door was a staircase, and they followed it up and on to the roof. Once there, Rainbow Dash led everyone to the edge and froze in shock, everyone doing the same. There was a giant mechanical ant made of white metal crawling around the city. it was covered in green chambers that mutant insects seemed to be crawling from, and on it's back was what looked like a square windowed construction.
Rarity covered her mouth and said, "What is that awful thing?!"
One of the insects flew up to their height and dove for them. Rainbow generated a red plasma bomb and threw it at the creature. When it made contact, the creature exploded and disintegrated. She looked back to Dusk Shine and said, "I think it's our first villain take down. What do you say Dusk Shine?"
Dusk Shine stepped to the edge, looking out over the scene. The mechanical ant was spraying out a liquid that seemed to be melting things on contact, causing people to run and scream in terror. "We're definitely not going to just sit idly by while this monstrosity terrorizes the city right in front of us. Okay team, are you ready?"
Rainbow took out a pair of plasma bombs, while Pinkie turned off her watch and transformed her snake hands into hammers. Fluttershy's eyes went wide as black tendrils crept from her back. Applejack tightened her gloves and took a fighting stance, while Rarity drew her blade. Spike sat on his shoulder with a thumbs up, and Dusk Shine's hands began to glow. "Alright team, let's take this thing out!"
End Chapter 1
Author's Note
To satisfy my desire for both action and romantic comedy, I created this story. It was originally going to be a different super hero idea that I had, but I modified it to make it something I would enjoy working on even more. The first chapter is pretty long compared to anything else I've written up to date, but I'm very proud of it, I must say. I look forward to working on this story in the near future and hope for some positive feedback! ^^
Also, all the images in this chapter were drawn by le-okami on deviantart for a tumblr I was going to do in the past. He's a good friend of mine, but he was too busy to work on the tumblr anymore. I decided to make it into a fiction instead, and found use for all the images in this chapter. I hope you like them, but don't expect anymore in future chapters unless this somehow becomes popular enough to warrant fanart. XD
