The Hero Within

" Reinforcements incoming, newbies! " a voice sounded over the creepy laugh of the Voidians.

One of the creatures actually said:

" Oh, no. "

Sudden fog covered the whole square. The ponies weren't able to see anything. They just heard other ponies and the Voidians' screams. From time to time there was a sudden outburst of red or white light, and sometime there was a weaker purple one, but otherwise nothing outside of the group was visible.

" Hey, we might want to see something from this, if you don't mind? " Loky turned to Breeze. The six - winged pegasus nodded in responce. A strong wind, guided by his front wings, his bat wings, split the fog in half, but before Twilight was able to see anything, the fog thickened again and a strange voice warned them:

" Hidden you must stay, otherwise... you're prey. "

" Hey, wasn't that Zecora? " Rainbow Dash was confused. And after she thought about it, Twilight realized, that the voice really sounded like the one of Zecora. Well, it would of been nice, if they had a friendly pony, zebra in this case, to explain them what's happening here. But something was still unclear. What was Zecora doing? Was she actually fighting Voidians? The purple mare knew, that Zecora mustn't be underestimated, but yet... fighting Voidians? That was way beyond her possibilities.

Emma Frost was also confused. The fog looked like it followed somepony's orders. Emma Frost didn't ever get to know Zecora personally, altough she had to spy on her once or twice to be sure, that she wouldn't be able to find A.I.M.'s secret Everfree facility. The unicorn wondered what had happened to A.I.M.. She hoped, that the ponies, that stood bellow her with Wanda, Johny and Hase, were going to run the facilities and catch up with Stark Industries. But what if they were just doing nothing?

Emma's thoughts were interrupted by an unknown presence. Unknown mental presence. She quickly closed her mind for the unknown attacker and warned the others:

" They have a telepath with them! "

That wasn't good. The screams of the Voidians have stopped, but Twilight wasn't sure if those " reinforcements " were friendly or hostile. When she heard Emma, the alicorn got even more scared. An unknown pony was now reading hers and everybody else's minds!  But before she can perform a mind- protecting spell, the mare heard a voice in her head:

' Ttt...twilight? ' the purple alicorn recognized this voice pretty easily. She didn't believe her ears... or in this case her head. This voice couldn't possibly belong to the pony she was thinking of, but yet she replied:

' Sweetie Belle? '

' Yes!  her excitement could even be felt in her head  ' Girls, where have you been? '

' What do you mean? We were on a mission, that was well - known, according to Princess Celestia. '

' The Princess is.... with you? ' Sweetie Belle hardly believed her words. But in her mind there wasn't use of lying, since Sweetie, with her yet to be explained telepathic powers would of been able to check this quite easily. She was silent for a minute, obviously checking the words of Twilight, so Twilight spoke again:

' Both of the Princesses are with us, yes. They decided to join us near the end of the journey. But what do you mean under " Where have you been? " We were gone only for a week! '

' A week? Twilight, dear, you'll see, that it isn't just a week. '

' Since when does Sweetie use " dear " in a conversation ?  ' Twilight thought, this thime to herself. There was something strange about Sweetie, asides from the telepathic skills. Her voice sounded too mature for just a filly, it was something like a mixture of hers and Rarity's voice. Apparently really more than " just a week " had passed. The alicorn mare once again wondered what Hase had done. But her doubts were ended with the reveal of four figures.

On the left side was a unicorn mare with a white coat and purple - pink mane. No doubt, that was Sweetie Belle... but she wasn't a filly anymore. She was about Twilight's size. Her mane style resembled the one, that Rarity used to have before turning to the Queen of the Moon. She smiled, but not half as widely as she did while she was a filly. On her chest there was a strange badge: a circle with an " X " in it. But the most strange thing about her, was that a weird purple sword, emitting the same light as her horn was floating next to her. Twilight left with her mouth open.

The other figures also looked somehow familliar. On the right side there was a yellow earth pony mare, who kind of looked like Applejack. However, her red mane was shorter. Applejack smiled, threw away her shield and rushed at the mare, yelling:

" Applebloom! Cam here, yah filly! "

But as Applejack nearly touched her sister, who was now obviously her age, something strange happened. Applejack passed through Applebloom. It was like this was just an image of Applebloom. The Captain was confused.

Applebloom looked towards Sweetie. The purple- pink maned mare nodded:

" They... they are real, dear. "

Now it was Applebloom's time to smile. The two sisters ran at eachother, bumped and fell on the ground laughing.

" So nice tah see yah, sister. It's been so long! " Applebloom even cried. That confused AJ:

" It's been justa week, Applebloom! "

Her sister looked back at her strange. She didn't believe her. And than Applejack noticed a strange symbol on her chest. A badge, consisting from a circle and a X.

The other two mares also joined the reunion. One of the mares had an orange coat and a purple mane. The mask of the Iron Patriot armour lifted and Rainbow flew towards the grown - up Scotaloo. She landed nearby and smiled. Scotaloo raised her head and smiled back. But something about the orange pegasus scared Dash: on the place of her eyes there was a pair of strange looking sunglasses. Not exactly a pair, actually. A long, red glass or something like that hid both of her eyes and was attached to metal parts. It didn't hide her forehead, but it looked weird. And very sci - filly too.

" An... interesting choice of sun glasses. " Rainbow nodded and Scotaloo's smile somehow faded.

" It isn't just about style, Rainbow Dash. " the orange pegasus spoke while hugging Dash. A badge with an X fell on the ground. Scoot picked it up and put it back on place. Some kind of magic held it.

And the last mare... was Zecora, but not the way they knew her before. Her mane was longer than usual and fell free, instead of being held in the zebra's traditional manecut. She was wearing a gray hood with an X badge on the chest and was floating above the ground. She smiled to Twilight and her eyes became white. The fog vanished and her eyes came back to normal. That made Twilight shivver.

" Your noble team I must esteem. Finally returned you have and fly again may the peace dove. " Zecora smiled at the Princesses.

" Errr.... what does the striped want to say? " Pony Stark was confused. Zecora turned to him and replied:

" Rare will I not speak in rhymes, and to make them difficult is... sometimes. "

" That is confusing. I must hire a translator. " the Iron Stallion noted. Pinkie laughed. Scotaloo stepped in front of the other three and spoke:

" Well, let's leave the santimental part for later. We have a long story to tell and it's getting dark. You don't want to stay outside when it gets dark. "

" I like your style, young filly. " Rainbow smiled and landed next to Scoot. The mare smiled back and answered:

"  Thanks, Dash, but it has been a lot of time since we were young fillies. The world has changed. But we must go. "

Twilight was interested. What has happened? Rogue Moon, Voidians, adult Cutie Mark Crusaders... it was going to be a long story.

' You are absolutely right, Twilight, you have to know what happened. I'll explain. ' Sweetie Belle spoke in her mind, and than spoke for real:

" Guys, do you have any idea how long it has been since your departure? "

" One week? " Dash made a guess.

Sweetie waved her head:

" It has been 15 years. "

When Celestia heard that, her heart stopped for a second. She and Luna were missing from Equestria for 15 years? No wonder the moon was behaving so strange.

" But what has happened to Equestria without us? " she asked.

Zecora frowned and replied :

" In your absence many evil things happened had. To tell it I won't be glad. This story to Psylocke I shall leave, otherwise my rhymes can deceive. "

" Who is Psylocke? " Dash was confused.

" I am Psylocke. " Sweetie replied.

" Come on, Sweetie, I'm sure you were able to think of a better name! " Rarity came to the front of the group, with Light Warrior behind her. Now it was Sweetie's turn to be confused:

" Rrrarity? What has happened to you? " she spoke after hugging her. Before Rarity was on the back of the group and Sweetie probably didn't see her.

" Always your older sister. " Rarity joked " Well, it is a sad story. " the eyes of the unicorn mare filled up with tears again.

" You haven't heard ours yet to decide what's sad. " Scotaloo nodded.

" Oh, it is sad. " Rarity replied through tears. It was hard for her to speak right now, so Light Warrior took the responcibility to tell the story:

" Released from the poisoning effect of the Nightmare, Rarity was elected to be the new Queen of the Moon and the folk of the Moon Ponies. Now she has to take the throne, since our king-to-be, Hase , sacrificed himself for our whole folk. Even if we can't bring him back to good, we shall never forget his noble deed. "

" What do you mean? I though the Princess of the Moon was Luna? " Sweetie Belle was even more confused.

" She is the Princess of the Night and the Ruler of the Dreams. There is a difference. " the unicorn responded.

" And why haven't we never heard of the so - called moon ponies? " Scoot asked.

Light Warrior didn't have any trouble answering to that either:

" You may know us... as the Nightmare Spirits. But Hase, the beloved of our queen, willingly took the curse of our whole folk upon himself, turning to a villain. Now Rarity is our Queen, the Queen of the Moon and the Master of the Bright Side of the Moon. "

" Wait... that's new. What is the Bright Side of the Moon. " Rarity had stopped crying, only her eyes were still a bit red.

" It's obvious, my queen. " Light Warrior replied " The two rulers of the Moon represent it's two sides: the Bright... and the Dark. Sometimes the Queen is the Bright, sometimes the Dark. It isn't set to a specific ruler, it's different for every one. As you can understand from your shining coat, you represent the Bright Side, my Queen, the one, that the ponies in Equestria see... or used to see. The two rulers of the Moon have mysterious magical powers, based on their Side of the Moon. After the crown appears on your head, my Queen, I shall start to train you. I fear, that those powers may prove importrant for bringing our King back. "

" Wait... if you rule the Bright Side... does this mean... " Sweetie murmled

" Our King rules the Dark Side, yes. " Light Warrior frowned.

" Well, that kinda explains da Moon's freaky beheivia' " Applebloom said.

" What's so freaky about the Moon? " Luna got interested.

" It's easy to tell, your Highness. " Light Warrior's frown got even more sad " Without you or my Queen to navigate the Moon, Hase had taken it over. And now Equestria faces... the Dark Side of the Moon. It explains why it's so dark. As you probably know, the Bright Side of the Moon reflects the Sun's light and shines, throwing light over the world, especially on full moon. As it's position changes, it looks like the Moon becomes thinner and thinner, but this isn't the Dark Side, just the half of the Moon is in shadow. The Moon reflects the sunlight, because the sand in the Bright Side contains Moon glass and other light- reflecting crystals.

But the Dark Side's sand... is made mostly of lumendevorantis crystals. "

" Lumen de what? " even Luna was confused from the name.

" Lumendevorantis - translated from the anient language of our ancestors - Lunlatin, it means light - devouring. This mysterious mineral absorbs light and stores it as energy. We suspect, that in ancient times, those dark crystals were created with magic, because they are very strange: they can store an unlimited amount of energy, and they never run out. If they did, we should of exhausted them millenia ago. But no, they grow back. That's why there is only one lumendevorantis mine - there isn't any need for another. "

" What kind of villain should of created those crystals of darkness? " Luna wondered out loud, but Light Warrior just laughed at this profound:

" Villain? Princess Luna, those crystals are the reason our technology is so more advanced than yours. A crystal, only a week old, no matter of the size, if constantly exposed to the sun, can power a three ton machine! Month old crystals can be recharged only one day per week and it will still be able to power that machine! With the age the number of recharge needs becomes lower and lower. The oldest crystal of them all is the Moon's core. Probably the first lumendevorantis crystal ever created, it is the reason for the moon to be populated. Without it, the gravity would of been 6 times lower than the one of your world, " the unicorn knight told the Princess of the Night " , Princess Luna. With so much magic built in, it holds our atmosphere in place. You see, the Moon is soaked with magic. It's heart is magic. " he smiled.

" And how does the core recharge? I suppose it isn't directly exposed to the sun. " Celestia became curious. If she only knew the Moon was so special...

" That's right. " Light Warrior nodded " Princess Celestia, the reason, that the core of the Moon doesn't lose power is the

so - called intentiometaphora phenomenon. "

" Could you please stop using your ancient latin terminology? " Luna interrupted the unicorn.

" OK, than charge transfer. If the lumendevorantis crystals are touching eachother, over time they will equalize their energy, I mean in percents. The core is always fully charged, most of the crystals are too. Even though the core hasn't got any access to sunlight, the whole dark side of the moon charges it.

That's why this ore is so importrant - the crystals are able to recharge themselves, and we dig them fully charged. We have other sources of power too, but those crystals aren't just the key to our civilisation, it's the reason the Moon is being populated. " Light Warrior finished.

" But let's return to the other thing. Why are they calling you " Psylocke "  ? " Rarity asked her sister.

" This is my code name. My hero name. " Swetie Belle replied.

" Your hero name? " the purple- meaned unicorn was confused.

" Yes, you know, the name I use while using my powers and rescuing ponies together with the rest of the Avengers... duh? The same way Pony is the Iron Stallion, Fluttershy is the Shyulk, etc. " Sweetie ended her sister's confusion

" Last time I checked you weren't part of the Avengers. " Pony joined the conversation. Sweetie Belle laughed and answered him:

" The ponies won't call you the Avengers anymore. You are known as the original Avengers, the ponies, that started it all. The team, known as the Avengers, now includes far more ponies, far more heroes, split in three groups: the Technocrates, the Living Miracles and ... the X- Ponies. "

" Oh, so that's what the X stands for! I was going to say... X- citing! X - treme! " Pinkie bounced nearby.

" We would appreciate a proper explanation. " Celestia noted.

" Yes, dear. And why are you all part of the third? " Rarity asked.

" The Technocrates are the ponies, whose superpowers origin from technology. You, " Scoot turned to Pony " , will join them. Their leader, however, is a bit ... extreme. Her name is Omega Sentinel... She's ... well, she's Vinyl.  "

" So... what are ha' super powers? Leave da town for a week and ol' of ya become superheroes. " Applejack wondered. A fair procent of Ponyville's villagers were now superheroes. That was confusing... a lot.

" Her powers... " Scotaloo was unsure " ... is connected to a long story, including our own. You sure you wanna listen for so long? "

' I'm tired of stories. ' Rainbow thought. This week's stories were probably able to fill up a normal - sized book. But anyway, they were going to hear this story now or later, so Dash preferred to hear it now.

" Go on, tell me about it. We'll have to hear a lot of stories these days anyway. " the pegasus sighed.

" It's the whole story of the mutants: mutants consist the X- ponies. Before this team was separate from the Avengers, but after Hase' army took over Manehatten, we had no choice but to move.  " Scoot spoke " The X - ponies exist thanks to Dr. Charles Xavier. It is a very old organisation, it exists since 40 years... "

" You mean it existed when we left? Was it hidden? Equestria had heroes 25 years before us?  " Twilight was confused.

" You see, we had to hide. Mutants weren't accepted well in the society, as Wanda and Emma told you 15 years ago. And yes, they are mutants too. The definition for a mutant is a pony, who has extraordinary skills since the day he or she is born. Even if we stop Hase and you return 15 years ago and this apocalypse never happens, we'll still be mutants.

We found about our powers 2 months after you left. Most of the ponies doubted you'll ever return, so we all lived by Granny Smith and Big Macintosh. But than strange things began to happen... "

" Ah found out ah could walk through walls... for real. My mutation is the ability tah phase my body and anything that I touch. It was a bit confusing when my hooves went through the apple tree insteada hitting it. " Applebloom blushed, as she remembered about it.

" One question, sugarcube. Is Big Mac a mutant? " Applejack asked her sister.

" Yep. Usually the mutant genes cover da whole family. We call 'im " Colossus " . He's able ta turn his own skin ta steel and possesses big power. About yah... sometimes there are exceptions, but anyway, you're like us. " Applebloom replied.

" Except that they would probably send you to Living Miracles, since you aren't a mutant. " Scoot noted.

" Anyway, the year after... after Granny Smith died we were approached by an adult stallion - Professor X ... "

" I would ask you to use the normal names together with the hero ones, If you don't mind. we're getting very confused. "

Rarity said Scoot.

" Alright, we were approached by Professor Charles Xavier a.k.a. Professor X . He offered us to learn us how to control our powers. We agreed, and Big Mac said " yep. " and so we moved to Manehatten, where Professor X' s mansion used to be. We were given codenames. ... "

" Sorry, but what were your powers,kid ? " Dash asked.

" Dash, I asked you not to tell me I am a kid! " Scoot got a bit cross.

" OK, than what are the rest of the pack's superpowers, bub? "

Scotaloo stopped walking for a second. Everypony stopped too and wondered what had just happened. Scoot's muzzle wrinkled. She got even more cross than before.

" Don't.... use... that... word... Never... again. " she growled.

" Ouch! " Sweetie noted and her expression became a little unpleasant.

" What? it's just a casual word! " Dash defended herself.

" No, no... Scoot is having a kind of a quarel with a pony, who uses this word. Better don't use that word again. Use " Cyclops. " " Sweetie told the pegasus.

" Your code name, I guess? " Dash spoke

" Yes. " Scotaloo chilled a bit, but it became obvious, that Sweetie had to continue the story.

" So... you want to know about our superpowers? As you saw, all of us are mutants. My code name is Psylocke. I have telepathic skills like Professor X and Emma, but I can also create things out of magic... like that blade I used during the battle. However, they aren't real and dissapear as soon as I end my magic, so I mainly use it for weapons.

You heard about Applebloom's powers from herself, she just missed to tell you, that her code name is Apple's Pride. "

That made Applejack make a wide smile. The Apples shouldn't of been underestimated.

" Scoot... her power... well, it destroyed the Sweet Apple Acres farm. "  Sweetie became even more worried. Scoot got cross again. She didn't need to be reminded, that she had destroyed her own home. The pegasus just sighed and  joined the conversation:

" My eyes are portal to another dimension, only consisting of energy. It can not be closed and as a result of this, if open, my eyes constantly unleash a destructing beam of red energy, destroying everything on it's way. It can be only blocked by ruby quartz, my visor is made from it, vibranium and adamantium. When my power first manifested I cut the farm in half. Sorry AJ! " Applejack looked more cross than Scotaloo. Luckily, Applejack only asked:

" What's adamantium? "

Cyclops shut up again. This question was obviously a taboo for her. Twilight wondered what kind of pony was able to make Scotaloo so angry. Usually she was very friendly. The alicorn wasn't sure she wanted to meet that pony.

" It's an alloy of vibranium. " Sweetie quickly answered the question and changed the topic " On the way to Manehatten, near the Everfree, Zecora joined us too. She has the ability to control the weather with her mind... "

" From now on, you may call me Storm. " Zecora suddenly spoke

" .... yes, that's her code name. In the professor's mutant training facility, masked as Xavier's school for gifted youngsters, we learned how to control our powers and use them for good, since there were many villainous mutants, that believed we should rule over Equestria, because we are better than " the dicease called Equine Sapiens! " , I am quoting Magneto. Yes, for a while Magneto was our primary enemy, but the year after we joined, the other villains, led by his right hoof - a changeling mutant, called Mistique, took the rule. Realizing they want the world for themselves, not for mutantkind, Magneto joined the X- ponies. That's our story. " Sweetie finished.

" And what about Vinyl ? " Twilight reminded her.

" Oh, right. Thanks Twilight. " Sweetie smiled nervously " But first, are you absolutely certain you want to hear about it? The story is very sad. It reveals only a part of the horrors Hase had brought upon this land. "

" Sweetie, this isn't our Hase. I'm sure you remember how caring he was, while he was taking care of you three. " Twilight tried to defend her firend " We must bring him back. For his and our sake. "

" You think we haven't tried? This is way harder than separating Luna from Nightmare Moon, I must warn you, Twilight. " Scoot said the purple alicorn " We didn't have the Elements of Harmony, really, but Cadence and Shining Armour tried really hard, and it didn't work. I mean at all. "

" Shining! Are they with Cadence OK? " Twilight got worried. She didn't want to lose her brother.

" They are both OK. They're now the rulers of Equestria. " Scoot calmed her down. " But if love can't stop him, will friendship be able to deal with him? "

" We don't know. " Dash told her " But we must try. Anyway, what was the story? "

" It's about.... Octavia and Vinyl. " Sweetie began " You know, that they are best of friends. Though their interests are completely different, they've been friends since their foalhood. How things turned out to be... for a while Octavia's heart was broken. "

" Why? " Rarity was confused

" Octavia has ... an unpleasant mutation. Mostly for herself. When she touches ponies, she drains their strength and gets their abilities for a while. She's a part of our team, but she will never be able to touch anypony. Her code name is Rogue. "

" Oh. " Rarity felt sorry for Octavia. Such a talented mare was limited by her mutation. Not able to touch anypony.... Rarity felt awful only from the thought of it.

" But as Professor X came to recruit us, the Professor detected Octavia's mind. Mutant minds feel more different than the normal ponies. So the Professor decided to recruit Octavia too, if possible. Octavia was happy she was going to learn how to control her powers and stop hurting ponies, but she insisted on bringing Vinyl with her. The Professor, unlike Magneto before he joined us, was tolerant to normal ponies, so he agreed. On the way to Manehatten, our group was attacked by masked ponies. They didn't know what they're dealing with, of course, but something strange happened. Vinyl ripped Octavia off the hands of one of the attackers, but Octavia's powers didn't affect her.

Instead, electric sparks ran across her and her hooves opened.... "

" Wait, what do you mean by opened? " Vortex was surprised by Sweetie's choice of words.

" I mean they opened... literally. All kinds of flamethrowers, plasma blade projectors and dart guns started popping out of her hooves. Parts of her skin were actually covers. When they opened, we saw, that inside of Vinyl there's no bones and muscles... but metal and wires. Vinyl was a robot. We still remember how back than she rushed at us, fired and only Applebloom's phasing skills, Zecora's winds and Scoot's eye beams saved us from being killed. Vinyl stopped for a second, obviously struggling against herself. "

" That sounds... unbeliavable. " Twilight commented " How weren't we able to find out she was a robot before? "

" She isn't just a robot. " Sweetie frowned " She is the only Omega Prime Sentinel ever constructed. "

" OK, time out. " Dash crossed her hooves, which sounded strange because of the War Marechine suits " What are the Sentinels? " she asked.

" Sentinels are mutant - killing machines. " Scotaloo replied " They are programmed to find and destroy mutants. "

" But why do they exist? Who has created them? " Twilight wondered.

" Actually... Hase had created them. Thousand years ago. " Sweetie replied.

This answer left the most ponies from the group speechless.

" While he was still working for Princess Celestia, before she assigned him with the job to create an invincibility potion, many mutants stole his ideas, constructed machines and tried to take over cities. Hase knew, that mutants weren't evil, but still... he needed protection. So he designed the 30 feet tall sentinels, horrible pony- like robots. They detect any mutants nearby and hunt them to death. The only mutants, that the Sentinels are programed not to attack, are Emma and Wanda. We found that out from a defeated sentinel like 2 years ago. "

" You mean they still exist ? " Twilight was horrified.

" Yes. 10 years ago Hase attacked, but we, the X- ponies, stopped him. But sadly he is a quick learner. He re- activated all of his Sentinels, who he had hid after his act of treason, and started building new ones. The Sentinels learn during the battle and memorize your moves. It's hard to defeat one of them, not to speak of an entire army. We had to flee to Ponyville, and Hase took over the Crystal Empire, engulfing Equestria in fear and horror.

But let's return to Vinyl. Vinyl is the supreme Sentinel. Her powers outmatch any normal Sentinel. That's because she was designed to guard Hase' personal laboratory. Now Vinyl doesn't want to have anything in common with her former master. The mutant hunting protocol was erased from her mind after she was captured by Royal Guards. Now she fights for us. And, colt, we need it. We need all the help we can get. " Sweetie finished. " And there we are. "

A big part of the space between the Everfree forest and Ponyville was occupied by a big, big base. The Helicarrier was on it's roof, so obviously this was S.H.I.E.L.D. 's new base. Nearby there was a big and beatiful palace on a hill, which kind of looked like the Canterlot castle.

" S.H.I.E.L.D. base and the Royal Castle. " Scoot spoke " Now prepare to get tested. "

" Tested for what? " Luna grew suspicious.

" If you're real or just a decoy of darkness, sent by Hase. If you are the second, you won't live for a long. " Scoot replied.

Twilight quietly swallowed and the group entered the base.