Justice and Friendshipby Mr-AstoundingChaptersTo the Batcave!!Giving ExplanationsChallenge Accepted (again)Avengers Assemble!!!Giving Explanations (again)Challenge AcceptedAuthor's noteTo the Batcave!!Chapter 1 In Ponyville, two weeks later… Twilight Sparkle looked at the night sky from the castle vanity and sighed. "Everything okay?" her trusted dragon assistant, Spike, inquired. "Sort of," she replied, "I'm just wondering if we're alone in what we do." "I certainly hope not," Fluttershy, who was there at the palace for a sleepover with the others, remarked. "Honestly, I'm not sure if aye know what ya'll mean," Applejack retorted. Sighing, Twilight asked them, "Remember a while back when I traveled to that alternate world where all of you were humans?" "Of course we do, darling," Rarity replied, before smirking, "You're missing Flash Sentry right now, aren't you?" "Don't be ridiculous," the Equastrian princess quickly replied with a blush, "Not only does he have a counterpart here, but I didn't even really know him." "Then what's the problem?" Rainbow Dash inquired, "Surely if they needed your help they could contact you again?" "That's just it," Twilight replied, gesturing to the mirror, "Canterlot High had, in essence, mirror images of you guys: they were EXACTLY the same as you guys in terms of names and personality. Part of me wonders if we're the ONLY ones who know what true friendship is like." "Come on," Pinkie Pie retorted, "You've got NOTHING to worry about." "She's right," Applejack stated, "It wouldn't matter what our counterparts looked like or acted, so long as they've got the proper lifestyle to match with the Element they represent." "I hope you're right," the voice of Princess Celestia replied, "because I believe there is a new crisis on another world entirely: one that seems to different faces to the Elements of Harmony." "I hope if my counterpart will be respectful of us," Fluttershy replied. "I bet MY counterpart is going to be totally AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "What's the crisis?" Spike inquired, to which Celestia sighed, "I cannot say anything for certain, but it seems that Discord has found a new ally in bringing about chaos, one who wishes to see if you match the power of the heroes who have defeated him in the past. I'm sending ALL of you to aid the ones known in this parallel earth as 'the Justice League' to help them stop the one known as Darkseid." "Let's get going then," Twilight stated, turning to Celestia, "I don't suppose you have a way to get to this alternate world?" "I do," she said, giving Spike a small pendant, "From what little I've been able to gather, your assistant's counterpart has some connections with powerful organizations. That said he may be able to help you reactivate this charm when you need to return." "Let's get going then, ya'll," Applejack declared. With a nod, everypony touched the amulet and in a flash, the Mane 6 and Spike were gone. Meanwhile, in Gotham City... "Thanks for the information, Miss Kyle," one Alfred Pennyworth said over a secure line of communication, "I'll be sure to tell Master Bruce. Yes, I suppose the shock of learning that two of the most loyal people you've ever meet are one and the same DOES take a while to recover from." "What is it, Alfred?" Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, inquired from behind one of the machines in the Batcave, to which his trusted butler, after he had hung up, stated, "Seems that Miss Kyle has located where the enemies of the Justice League have all gathered, with a little help from Master Timothy." "New costume, new sidekick, possibly a new girlfriend," Clark Kent, also known as Superman, who was visiting the Manor with the rest of the League, remarked, "If you don't mind me asking…" "As a matter of fact, I DO mind you asking me to work FOR the law enforcement agency instead of WITH it," Bruce interrupted, "Let's just say my goal is to scare criminals, not children, not to mention the old look slowed me down." Reaching for his tool kit, he continued, "Also, Selina ISN'T my girlfriend, and neither is Catwoman. As much as I WANT to pursue a relationship with someone, I will NOT let anyone come into harm's way for simply being close to me." Suddenly realizing something, he sighed, "Barry, give me back my wrench." "Sorry," Barry Allen, also known as The Flash, stated zipping into the room, "but I noticed a few things out of place upstairs involving the decorations for that big celebration at the Manor." "Sometimes I wonder if he was like this BEFORE the lightening," Hal Jordan, also known as Green Lantern, stated from Batman's evidence display, "and I STILL can't believe that you have to trade blows with your former best friend." Pausing long enough to see that he was by the giant penny from not so long ago, Bruce sighed, "He's STILL my best friend deep down: I just wish that he knew that himself." "True friendships can survive the harshest of turmoil," stated John Jones, also known as the Martian Manhunter, from the observatory, "From what you've told us, a part of this Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, is trying to break the influence of his darker nature." "He might have an easier time without that coin of his," Hal stated, to which Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, who was by the Bat suits, replied with, "I'm not so sure: from what Bruce has told us, that coin he always carries on him is one of the last things he has left of his old life. It's possible the darkness in his soul is present because he has trouble accepting how much his life has changed." "You are correct," Alfred replied, "Mr. Dent's two-sided coin USED to be a symbol of how much control he had in his own life: when one side of it was practically destroyed alongside half his face and a suitable portion of one of his arms due to events beyond his control, he became convinced that his decisions no longer made any difference." "THAT'S why he needs to flip a coin to decide on whether to rob a bank or get ice cream?" Hal questioned in understanding and in horror, "That's messed up!" "Yeah: ice cream is NEVER a bad thing," Barry remarked. Having listened in on all this, Clark thought he had an idea on how to help straighten the ex-district attorney out. Before he could voice it, however, an alarm registered on the Bat Computer. "What is it?" he directed at Bruce, who replied with, "If these readings are accurate, we have six, no wait, SEVEN unidentified users of the Slideways Teleport I installed inside the Cave." "Why do you even NEED that thing? You have your own rocket, right?" Hal inquired, to which Bruce, who was already preparing his suit, stated, "Okay, one, it's a jet, not a rocket, and two, don't you think a vehicle heading for the Watchtower from Wayne Manor would look a little suspicious?" "He DOES seem to like to camouflage the entryways to his hideouts," John replied, shape shifting into his Martian form. "Let's just get this done as fast as possible," Barry replied, quickly changing into his costume. Making his uniform appear, Hal asked if he should guard Alfred. "Thank for your concern, Mr. Jordan," Batman's butler replied as he readied a shotgun, "but I can handle myself just fine." "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Clark said changing into his costume. "That's sometimes all we CAN do," Diana replied, transforming into Wonder Woman. "Indeed," Martian Manhunter said as Batman finally came back in full costume. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother taking this thing off," the Dark Knight said with a sigh when he saw that he was the last person in uniform, AGAIN. a few minutes later... "Get ready team," Superman stated, "We don't know what's coming out of that doorway." As if on cue, seven creatures suddenly appeared in front of it: a purple alicorn, two pegasuses (or was it pegasi?), one blue with a rainbow-colored mane and one yellow, a white unicorn with a purple mane, two ponies, one pink and one orange (wearing a cowboy hat), and a small dragon with purple and green scales. "Okay, admit it," Flash said looking at the apparent screen, "Who saw that coming?" "WHO are you talking to?" Batman inquired, to which Flash said, "The audience." "But there's…but you can't just… (Sigh) never mind," the Caped Crusader groaned. Suddenly, the pink pony zoomed over to Flash and started bouncing, saying stuff like, "You can see them too? I don't believe it! Do you like muffins? We're so much alike!" "PINKIE!" the blue pegasus retorted, "Can you TRY and calm down a bit? We still need to figure out what's going on here!" "Did they just talk?" Green Lantern gapped, "Okay, I DON'T think they're from around here." "Perhaps you could…" Superman directed at Martian Manhunter, who shook his head, "You know I only use my mind reading power when absolutely necessary; besides, I'm not sure if it would work on them." "Not to be rude or anything, but SOMEONE better provide some answers soon," Wonder Woman retorted. "I can be of assistance there," the alicorn stated, "but we don't have a lot of time: we need to stop Discord and Darkseid." "DARKSEID?!" the members of the Justice League exclaimed. "I KNEW that this was somehow all a diversion," Superman said with anger. "What do you mean by that?" the yellow pegasus inquired. "Come with us and we'll explain," Alfred said from behind them. "How long has he been here?" the dragon remarked. "Longer then you know," the butler replied with a smile, to which Batman simply smirked. Author's Note In case it's unclear, this takes place after Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks. Also, I borrowed the idea of the Slideways Teleport from Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. There's also a quote from a certain Justice League film in here: try to find where it is and where it came from... Giving ExplanationsChapter 2 "So, be honest: who or WHAT are you?" Green Lantern asked bluntly, to which Wonder Woman growled, "I know 16 different ways to make sure you don't speak for a week; unless you want to see number 12, I suggest you be a little less rude around them." "Well, you see…" Twilight began after the shock wore off, only for Martian Manhunter to interrupt with, "You're from a parallel world: it's the only thing that makes sense, given we've experienced something similar." "So let's get this straight," Superman surmised with a smirk, "Somewhere in the multi-verse, we've got NEIGH-bors." "Yeah, leave the jokes to ME," Flash remarked. "Let's focus on what's important right now," Batman retorted, "Countless lives our depending on us. Alfred, get the files I set aside earlier: it should help our guests get up to speed on what's happening." "Right away, sir," the faithful butler replied. As he watched him leave, Spike smirked, "Okay, I think I have a good idea of which one of us matches up with these guys." "Save the theories for later, Spike: we've got a job to do," Twilight remarked, "So who ARE you guys, anyway?" "We could ask you the same question," Batman retorted. "Well, that wasn't very nice," Pinkie Pie remarked, to which Superman stated, "Don't take it personally: he doesn't trust ANYONE who hasn't proved themselves." "A wise policy," Fluttershy noted. "I'm Hal Jordan, also known as Green Lantern," the galactic law enforcer stated, having decided to just get started already, "I was chosen to wield a special ring that runs on willpower: the only limit to what it can do is my own imagination." "I am John Jones, known to the humans as Martian Manhunter: I can take on many forms, including intangible and invisible," Martian Manhunter replied, demonstrating his point and showing everyone that Hal had the right idea, "I also have telepathic abilities, but I consider it rude to use them, so I reserve it for only the most dire of situations." "My name is Barry Allen, but secretly, I am the Flash, the fastest man alive," Flash stated, "Ask me what the weather in France is like." "Alright: what's the weather in…?" Rainbow Dash began, only for Flash to run out of the cave and burst back in with a beret and holding a bag of pastries, and simply stated, "It's quite nice, actually; anyone want a crepe?" "Ooh, I'll take one," Pinkie Pie replied, before asking, "What's a crepe?" After explaining what a crepe was, and Pinkie eagerly took one, Wonder Woman cleared her throat. "To continue: I am Diana, warrior princess of the Amazons, but in the world of man, I'm called Wonder Woman. I possess strength and power that no mortal human has, as well as an unbreakable lasso that is able to shed light on the truth," she explained, "though I sometimes wish that I didn't need to force something so essential in life." "Life isn't fair, Diana," Batman replied, before stating, "As for me, I am known in the criminal underworld by many names, but the two I use most often are Bruce Wayne, billionaire philanthropist, and Batman, crime fighting avenger. While I have no true powers, I am skilled in multiple forms of combat, a master of deductive reasoning, and employ a wide variety of equipment, as well as a highly successful global organization at my command, all of which allow me to deter legal corruption by day, and to turn fear on those who prey on the fearful by night." "When does he sleep?" Twilight mumbled to herself, to which Superman replied with, "I ask myself that question all the time." "How did you…?" Twilight began, only for Superman to reply, "I have yet to find a limit on my powers. The name's Clark Kent, but in this circle I'm known as Superman. My powers include flight, super strength, enhanced senses, various vision-based abilities, super breath, and super speed." "That reminds me: we never DID find out which one of us is faster…" Flash hinted, to which Batman replied, "Let it go, Allen: we still need to find out who these guys are." "If I may be so bold sir," Alfred interrupted, a cluster of documents in hand, "These strange creatures may be THEIR world's greatest heroes: you HAVE once said that the morality makes the hero, not the power." Nodding, Batman stated, "Perhaps, but that doesn't tell us their names or skills." "I'm Applejack, strong-willed bearer of the Element of Honesty," the pony with the cowboy hat declared, before pointing to the yellow pegasus and stating, "That's Fluttershy, holder of the Element of Kindness." "Hi there," was her VERY quiet reply. "Alfred, could you bring down some of herbal tea?" Bruce directed at his butler, "I can't tell if she's nervous or has a sore throat, but either way, she needs it." Recognizing the situation, Spike suddenly stated, "Since I've been helping these girls for quite some time, maybe I could help you, Mr.…?" "Alfred Pennyworth," the faithful butler replied, "and that would be greatly appreciated, though I never caught your name." "Just call me Spike," the dragon assistant insisted. As the two walked away, Pinkie Pie looked at the apparent screen and stated, "Is anyone else, in a kind of weird sort of way, starting to see double? It can't just be me." "As much as I want to agree with you, darling," Rarity declared, choosing to ignore the fact that Pinkie had broken the fourth wall again, "I'm not entirely sure that's the case: I mean I can't really see any of us doing what they've described." "I'm Pinkie Pie, owner of the Element of Laughter: your argument is invalid," was the pink pony's reply. "Let me guess: she does the impossible a lot?" Batman referred to Rainbow Dash about what was just said by the equine comedian, to which she nodded and asked, "You know someone like that, right?" Looking over to where Flash was seated, only for the speedster to declare hunger and literally run through one of the walls of the cave, the Dark Knight sighed and stated, "You could say that." Not even 30 seconds later, Barry returned, large doggie bag in hand and stated, "Sorry I took so long: had a bit of trouble finding the exact change." "You frighten me sometimes, Barry," Green Lantern confessed, to which he followed with a wince, "WHY did I say that?" "It's alright, darling," Rarity gently stated, "None of us think any less of you. Oh, by the way, my name is Rarity, and I harness the Element of Generosity." "That's fine and all, but I'm not sure if that tells them ALL of our skills," Rainbow Dash remarked, "Twilight HAS told us that these alternate worlds aren't always exactly the same as others." Gesturing to herself and Fluttershy, she stated, "The two of us have flight capabilities, Rarity has a talent for casting spells, Twilight has a mixture of both, and Applejack and Pinkie each have a special connection with nature, as well as the animals and plants that live in it. Now that the basics are all out of the way, I'm called Rainbow Dash, and I hold the power of the Element of Loyalty." "Even though that was just scratching the surface of the basics, I'm certain that once they see our abilities in action, they'll know we're MORE than capable of helping them," Twilight stated with a small grin, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, by the way, and my Element of Harmony is that of Magic." Musing to himself, Batman nodded, "I think I may have an idea of what's going on." "You do?" everyone inquired. "Over the last week or so, I've gotten reports of strange disappearances from various prisons across the country," the Dark Knight began, "The only connecting factor being a magical chaos energy reading that even I'm having trouble identifying." "Discord," Spike, who'd just returned with Alfred, practically growled, "The Equestrian god of chaos: my friends have met him before." "Don't tell me: he turned at least one of you into something you're not," Superman stated with barely suppressed anger. "Sadly, yes," Twilight began, "He himself doesn't seem like such an evil creature, but that hasn't stopped him from being a nuisance." "Which would explain WHY he's working with Darkseid," Krypton's last son began, "All that monster ever does is pursue chaos." "I don't think we can rule out the possibility that Discord isn't THE villain here," Green Lantern remarked. "He's right," Rainbow Dash stated, "It's possible that Darkseid was about to threaten our world anyway. Didn't he once say that he doesn't CREATE chaos, but GUIDES it?" Nodding, Twilight stated, "Anyway you look at it though, we're dealing with forces unlike anything we've seen before." "I hate to say it, sugarcube," Applejack said with a sigh, "but I don't know if we can face this threat alone." "I have a suggestion then," Wonder Woman declared, offering her hand, "Don't." A few minutes later, everyone had nodded and placed their hand/claw/hoof into the circle the Amazon warrior had started. "So, what's the plan?" Spike inquired, to which Batman scoffed, "Plan? Simple: we take down Darkseid." To be continued… Author's Note Anybody care to guess the references I made in this chapter? Anyway, anyone who can guess which Justice League member is a parallel version of the Equestria gang gets a request for a character to appear. You only get one chance, however, so think carefully. Also, quick disclaimer: Batman's "crime fighting avenger" title is NOT to be confused with the Marvel team known as "The Avengers" Challenge Accepted (again)Chapter 3 Meanwhile on Apokolips... While all this was transpiring, a figure was secretly watching them with a smile that he was quick to hide, though not quick enough. "You seem to be happy that your world's heroes have joined forces with mine," Darkseid declared, to which Discord forced a chuckle. "I'm just glad all the pieces are coming together for the plan," the draconequus stated in a half lie. He mentally scolded himself for letting his guard down, for the plan HE had in mind was to STRENGTHEN the power of Equestria's heroes, for he only guided chaos: he DIDN'T create it, unlike… His thoughts were cut short by a new voice declaring, "Don't get TOO excited: there is ANOTHER threat." "And WHO might YOU be?" the ruler of Apokolips demanded. Discord himself was shocked at the intruder's appearance: a man with a slightly pale skin tone, scepter in hand, and wearing what looked like royal armor along with a horned helmet. "I'm the being who's come to warn you of MY world's greatest heroes," the figure deadpanned. Deciding to play it cool, Discord simply stated, "Explain." Smirking, the mystery man stated, "And there came a day unlike any other: when earth's mightiest heroes were united against a common threat. On that day, they became the Avengers: the invincible armored Iron Man, Thor, prince of thunder, the master marksman, Hawkeye, Black Widow, super spy extraordinaire, the Hulk, strongest hero there is, and Captain America, the first Avenger." Musing to himself for a minute, Darkseid declared, "I suppose it would do us no good to have ANOTHER set of heroes chasing our tale. No offence, Discord." Glaring, the chaos god replied with, "None taken, but perhaps we should ask this potential ally his name before we get in too deep." Nodding, Darkseid declared, "Tell us how you know so much about these 'Avengers' and I might consider letting you live." "I know, because Thor is my inferior adopted brother," the man declared, "for you see, I am called Loki." As Darkseid gave a dark chuckle at this new revelation, Discord thought to himself, "THIS may complicate things a little." To be continued… Author's Note Anyone want to suggest some characters from any of the three worlds to appear in this story? Also, Loki's monologue is a callback to the second season of "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" Avengers Assemble!!!Chapter 4 Meanwhile, in Marvel Universe's version of New York City... "Talk to me, Stark: how are we on pursuing Loki to…wherever it is he's gone?" Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, asked his fellow Avenger. "That's the thing," Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, declared, "Even factoring in the stuff that Thor's let us in on, I have NO idea where in the universe that mischief maker has gone off to." Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk, was scanning the area with a high-tech device and suddenly asked, "What if it's not THIS universe he's in?" "Pardon me, Dr. Banner," declared the voice of Edwin Jarvis, Tony Stark's personal butler, from another room, "but I thought that the archer was the jokester." "HEY!" yelled Clint Barton, alias Hawkeye, "I can be serious!" "It's true," Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, remarked going over some security footage from earlier, "Or have you forgotten who it was who got ME to quit working with the Red Room?" "Thou shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Thor, the Asgardian god of Thunder, directed at her, "The deaths of those men and women were the fault of this 'Red Room', not you." "I guess," she stated, not entirely convinced, only for a female hand to grasp her shoulder. "At least YOU only have to make up for only ONE person's ill deeds," declared Betty Ross, who had been staying with them ever since an attack by MODOK had given her abilities that she was now just barely beginning to master. While it was true that only time would tell if she would EVER fully control the Harpy, everyone knew that WASN'T what she meant. "Right, I keep forgetting that your father was in charge of trying to capture or kill the man you loved," Natasha declared. "Even though an IDIOT could have seen that Big Green was the VICTIM, and not a TRUE criminal," Tony added. "That's nice and all," Bruce stated in a way that you could tell he meant it, "but regardless, I'm not joking: these readings I'm getting are similar to the time we were trapped inside the Negative Zone." "You're suggesting that Loki's on another Earth entirely?" Steve inquired, to which a NEW voice stated, "I'm afraid it's EXACTLY what happened." Turning around, they were gob smacked to discover a orangish-yellow unicorn with a yellow and red mane standing in the room, a portal closing behind it. "Who or WHAT are you?" Betty declared, only for the unicorn to chuckle. "I had a similar reaction once to creatures like YOU," she remarked, before continuing with, "My name is Sunset Shimmer: I was TRYING to use a portal some of my friends put together to get the world where the greatest heroes of two world's are currently gathered, but something must have gone wrong with the Dimensional Doorway." After mulling it over a bit, Steve Rogers declared, "Maybe WE can help." "Pardon me, but are you certain of this?" Jarvis declared, to which the super soldier nodded, "I don't think it's a coincidence that someone goes looking for a world where inter-dimensional travel has already taken place around the same time Loki steals the Cosmic Cube and suddenly vanishes. Personally, I think we're looking at a war of worlds: of PARALLEL worlds." Everyone nodding in agreement, the head of Stark Industries took a look at the saddlebag Sunset Shimmer was wearing, which seemed to be the Dimensional Doorway mentioned earlier. "Yeah, I think I see the problem," he declared, "Not only are a few wires crossed, but the power source is shot: you're lucky you ended up here and not some hell-like dimension." "You think that maybe…" Bruce began, to which Tony nodded, taking the saddlebag over to a computer. "Just need to match the energy signatures and…done!" he declared, before turning back to the group, "I've connected the Doorway with the Arch Reactor here in the building. Theoretically, this'll allow us to open a portal back to our respective worlds even in these parallel worlds." "I'm not sure that's a good idea," Sunset Shimmer declared, "If that falls into the hands of our enemies, who knows what they'll do." "I know there's a risk," Tony admitted, "but we can't be certain if we'll necessarily be staying in one singular dimension, and we might need supplies from our home worlds." "I hate to admit it, but he's got a point," Clint remarked, "I can't shoot an apple off anyone's head if I don't have any arrows to do it with." "Do us all a favor, my friend," Thor declared, "Don't be imitating this 'William Tell' unless absolutely necessary." "Fair enough," was the reply as the portal opened up again. Later, in Gotham City... Just as the Justice League and Mane 6 were about to depart to search for clues as to where Darkseid and Discord were hiding, an alarm was heard. "Warning: intruders detected in Batcave sub-basement B," the Bat computer declared. "That's the same area that holds the back-up generators," Batman declared, using his cape to glide down into the darkness. Flash quickly caught up to him and stated, "Whoa there; don't do anything rash: we don't know if these guys will be on our side or not." "Just in case there not, I've already called Carol and told her to come over," Green Lantern declared, to which the Dark Knight sighed, silently praying that Star Sapphire wouldn't lose control of herself again. Using an awareness spell on herself, Twilight gasped, "It's okay: they're NOT hostiles." "How do you know that?" Superman inquired, to which she stated, "I know one of our new guests personally." Using her alicorn magic, she opened the bay door and ran to embrace her friend from Canterlot High. To be continued… Author's Note First things first: just so we're clear, I'm NOT making the girlfriend of the green goliath a winged…Hulk; instead, I'm making it so that she can turn into it at will, but has a little trouble controlling it afterwards due to some mood swings the transformation seems to cause; also, just so that I get it out of the way, I want to inform everyone that I'll be adding two elements of Harmony to the regular arsenal: Hope and Choice (though an alternate name for the later might be "Redemption"); I'll wait to hear what you think of this. Also, 1) Jarvis is NOT an Artificial Intelligence in this story, and 2) anyone care to guess the references I made in this chapter? Giving Explanations (again)Chapter 5 "Is somepony, or somebody, I guess, going to introduce everyone?" Rarity inquired. Sighing, the Avenger's leader stated, "I'm Steve Rogers, aka Captain America: thanks to an experimental serum, I'm at the physical and mental peak that a man can achieve. I also carry a shield that is nearly indestructible." "That he likes to use as a Frisbee," Tony joked, before noticing his teammates' glares. "Oh, like I'm the only one who's had that thought," he whined. "You're just mad you haven't replicated the metal it's made of," Clint pointed out, to which Tony sighed, "Fine, I'll introduce myself: Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, though the armor I wear when fighting crime is ACTUALLY made of a gold-titanium alloy." "Wow: we have the same metal mixture in some of our fighter planes," stated a new voice, "Sorry I'm late: had to fight off the Zamaron's control AGAIN." "Its fine, Carol," Hal reassured, "Just remember that you control the power, not the other way around." "Thanks for the pep talk," the new figure said with a grin, "I'm Carol Ferris, but lately I've been going by Star Sapphire: my powers are similar to Hal's, though they're powered by strength of heart instead of willpower." "At least Natasha and I seem to have someone who we can relate to," Betty remarked, "I'm Elizabeth Ross, but I prefer Betty: after an unfortunate hostage situation gone wrong, I have the ability to take on a super strong, winged form known as the Harpy, though I'm still working on controlling myself in that state." "At least you can control your transformations," Bruce lamented, "I'm Dr. Bruce Banner, leading expert in Gamma radiation: ever since an accident I had, whenever I get angry or stressed, I become a creature of unbridled might, which the public of my home world has dubbed 'The Incredible Hulk.'" "What do you mean 'unbridled might'?" Sunset Shimmer inquired, "I'm called Sunset Shimmer, by the way." "Put simply, the more anger Hulk feels, the stronger he gets," Natasha simplified, "While I'm at it, I'm Natasha Romanoff, also called the Black Widow: while not as strong as Steve, I'm JUST as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as our resident super soldier." "Forgive her if she doesn't give you anything else," Jarvis stated, "Unlike the rest of us, she didn't have a very good childhood; I'm Edwin Jarvis, by the way." "And I am Thor Odinson," Thor declared, "Besides strength and speed of the gods, my hammer allows one to wield the power of the lightening storm, but only if you've proven yourself worthy of its power." "If you're not, then you better hope it doesn't land on your foot," Clint said with a slight chuckle, "I'm Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye." As a stalactite suddenly began to fall, he took out his bow and an arrow and fired, destroying in before it could hurt anybody, or anypony, I guess. "And that's just ONE of the trick arrows I carry," he remarked as he breathed a sigh of relief that he reacted fast enough, "Haven't missed a shot yet. So what can the rest of you guys and gals do?" One reintroduction of the Justice League and Equestria gang later… "Why does it feel like that went faster than last time?" Flash inquired, only for Hawkeye to look at the apparent screen and stated, "Like he even needs to ask." "Clint, you're like a brother to me, but PLEASE try not to refrain from doing that," Natasha pleaded. Looking at the apparent screen, Pinkie Pie stated, "We do this all throughout the story." "If I may interrupt the occasional talking to the ceiling or whatever," Batman growled, "I think we should ask these folks what they're doing in our dimension." "I got this," Iron Man declared, "Loki, a mischief making figure of our world, stole a powerful item known as the Tesseract, or Cosmic Cube, as I like to call it. It's said that it can make one deepest desires become reality, so when he simply vanished alongside a large portion of our world's villains, we were instantly curious, and a bit worried as well." "Power like that in the hands of Darkseid could mean the end of us all," Superman declared, now more than a little worried himself. "You don't know the half of it," declared a new voice. Turning around, the heroes of three worlds were shocked to say the least. "I know I don't have a lot of good press on my side," the figure known as Discord declared, "but believe me when I say that even I wouldn't wish for what those two are planning to come to pass." "And just what ARE they planning?" Captain America retorted. "Something that will destroy the multiverse itself," the Equine deity of chaos said by way of reply, "which is why I'm asking for your help." To be continued… Challenge AcceptedPrologue Darkseid surveyed Apokolips, his home world, his back towards a mirror. "They are the world's greatest heroes," he stated, seemingly to himself, "Green Lantern: galactic law enforcer; John Jones: the shape-shifting Martian Manhunter; Flash: the fastest man alive; Wonder Woman: Amazon Princess of Themyscira; the Dark Knight detective: Batman; the Man of Steel: Superman; together, they are the Justice League, the most powerful force for good on Earth." Finally turning to the mirror, he yelled, "And you expect me to believe that some pathetic creatures from a world I've never heard of can defeat me as THEY have?!" The mirror flickered a little, revealing the shadow of a dragon-like creature. "What you believe is of no importance to me," the creature replied, "The fact is that they can do it. If you don't believe me, however, perhaps you would wish to put them to the test." "As much as I would LOVE to simply crush them, I believe you may be on to something," the warlord admitted, "First, I will test their PHYSICAL capabilities, then their MENTAL prowess, and THEN they will ultimately face ME!" "I can help you with that, if you wish," the mysterious dragon replied, to which Darkseid shrugged, "You know this new threat to my power better then I, so I guess I can accept, though I never caught your name." "You can call me Discord," the creature said by way of reply, smile evident even in the distorted image. Author's noteSorry to have to do this, but I'm officially canceling this story. Don't get me wrong: I have nothing against the concept of what I've created. Actually the REAL problem is that I started this story before I actually understood the characters of the MLP franchise, and it bugs me now knowing that I'm writing the heroes (and Discord, whom I see as a strange sort of balance between anti-HERO and anti-VILLIAN, if you know what I mean) are out of character. Plus, I'm not exactly bursting with ideas on how to make a rewrite. If anyone feels like taking the reins of this story, no pun intended, I won't stop you, but I just can't in good conscious continue a story that's already ruined for me, and seeing how I'm the one that wrote it, that should tell you something. Don't worry though: I have plans on how to integrate some of this story's ideas into some of my other works. That said, I once again apologize for this inconvenience and I hope that you will continue to enjoy my other stories.
To the Batcave!!Chapter 1 In Ponyville, two weeks later… Twilight Sparkle looked at the night sky from the castle vanity and sighed. "Everything okay?" her trusted dragon assistant, Spike, inquired. "Sort of," she replied, "I'm just wondering if we're alone in what we do." "I certainly hope not," Fluttershy, who was there at the palace for a sleepover with the others, remarked. "Honestly, I'm not sure if aye know what ya'll mean," Applejack retorted. Sighing, Twilight asked them, "Remember a while back when I traveled to that alternate world where all of you were humans?" "Of course we do, darling," Rarity replied, before smirking, "You're missing Flash Sentry right now, aren't you?" "Don't be ridiculous," the Equastrian princess quickly replied with a blush, "Not only does he have a counterpart here, but I didn't even really know him." "Then what's the problem?" Rainbow Dash inquired, "Surely if they needed your help they could contact you again?" "That's just it," Twilight replied, gesturing to the mirror, "Canterlot High had, in essence, mirror images of you guys: they were EXACTLY the same as you guys in terms of names and personality. Part of me wonders if we're the ONLY ones who know what true friendship is like." "Come on," Pinkie Pie retorted, "You've got NOTHING to worry about." "She's right," Applejack stated, "It wouldn't matter what our counterparts looked like or acted, so long as they've got the proper lifestyle to match with the Element they represent." "I hope you're right," the voice of Princess Celestia replied, "because I believe there is a new crisis on another world entirely: one that seems to different faces to the Elements of Harmony." "I hope if my counterpart will be respectful of us," Fluttershy replied. "I bet MY counterpart is going to be totally AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "What's the crisis?" Spike inquired, to which Celestia sighed, "I cannot say anything for certain, but it seems that Discord has found a new ally in bringing about chaos, one who wishes to see if you match the power of the heroes who have defeated him in the past. I'm sending ALL of you to aid the ones known in this parallel earth as 'the Justice League' to help them stop the one known as Darkseid." "Let's get going then," Twilight stated, turning to Celestia, "I don't suppose you have a way to get to this alternate world?" "I do," she said, giving Spike a small pendant, "From what little I've been able to gather, your assistant's counterpart has some connections with powerful organizations. That said he may be able to help you reactivate this charm when you need to return." "Let's get going then, ya'll," Applejack declared. With a nod, everypony touched the amulet and in a flash, the Mane 6 and Spike were gone. Meanwhile, in Gotham City... "Thanks for the information, Miss Kyle," one Alfred Pennyworth said over a secure line of communication, "I'll be sure to tell Master Bruce. Yes, I suppose the shock of learning that two of the most loyal people you've ever meet are one and the same DOES take a while to recover from." "What is it, Alfred?" Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, inquired from behind one of the machines in the Batcave, to which his trusted butler, after he had hung up, stated, "Seems that Miss Kyle has located where the enemies of the Justice League have all gathered, with a little help from Master Timothy." "New costume, new sidekick, possibly a new girlfriend," Clark Kent, also known as Superman, who was visiting the Manor with the rest of the League, remarked, "If you don't mind me asking…" "As a matter of fact, I DO mind you asking me to work FOR the law enforcement agency instead of WITH it," Bruce interrupted, "Let's just say my goal is to scare criminals, not children, not to mention the old look slowed me down." Reaching for his tool kit, he continued, "Also, Selina ISN'T my girlfriend, and neither is Catwoman. As much as I WANT to pursue a relationship with someone, I will NOT let anyone come into harm's way for simply being close to me." Suddenly realizing something, he sighed, "Barry, give me back my wrench." "Sorry," Barry Allen, also known as The Flash, stated zipping into the room, "but I noticed a few things out of place upstairs involving the decorations for that big celebration at the Manor." "Sometimes I wonder if he was like this BEFORE the lightening," Hal Jordan, also known as Green Lantern, stated from Batman's evidence display, "and I STILL can't believe that you have to trade blows with your former best friend." Pausing long enough to see that he was by the giant penny from not so long ago, Bruce sighed, "He's STILL my best friend deep down: I just wish that he knew that himself." "True friendships can survive the harshest of turmoil," stated John Jones, also known as the Martian Manhunter, from the observatory, "From what you've told us, a part of this Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, is trying to break the influence of his darker nature." "He might have an easier time without that coin of his," Hal stated, to which Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, who was by the Bat suits, replied with, "I'm not so sure: from what Bruce has told us, that coin he always carries on him is one of the last things he has left of his old life. It's possible the darkness in his soul is present because he has trouble accepting how much his life has changed." "You are correct," Alfred replied, "Mr. Dent's two-sided coin USED to be a symbol of how much control he had in his own life: when one side of it was practically destroyed alongside half his face and a suitable portion of one of his arms due to events beyond his control, he became convinced that his decisions no longer made any difference." "THAT'S why he needs to flip a coin to decide on whether to rob a bank or get ice cream?" Hal questioned in understanding and in horror, "That's messed up!" "Yeah: ice cream is NEVER a bad thing," Barry remarked. Having listened in on all this, Clark thought he had an idea on how to help straighten the ex-district attorney out. Before he could voice it, however, an alarm registered on the Bat Computer. "What is it?" he directed at Bruce, who replied with, "If these readings are accurate, we have six, no wait, SEVEN unidentified users of the Slideways Teleport I installed inside the Cave." "Why do you even NEED that thing? You have your own rocket, right?" Hal inquired, to which Bruce, who was already preparing his suit, stated, "Okay, one, it's a jet, not a rocket, and two, don't you think a vehicle heading for the Watchtower from Wayne Manor would look a little suspicious?" "He DOES seem to like to camouflage the entryways to his hideouts," John replied, shape shifting into his Martian form. "Let's just get this done as fast as possible," Barry replied, quickly changing into his costume. Making his uniform appear, Hal asked if he should guard Alfred. "Thank for your concern, Mr. Jordan," Batman's butler replied as he readied a shotgun, "but I can handle myself just fine." "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Clark said changing into his costume. "That's sometimes all we CAN do," Diana replied, transforming into Wonder Woman. "Indeed," Martian Manhunter said as Batman finally came back in full costume. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother taking this thing off," the Dark Knight said with a sigh when he saw that he was the last person in uniform, AGAIN. a few minutes later... "Get ready team," Superman stated, "We don't know what's coming out of that doorway." As if on cue, seven creatures suddenly appeared in front of it: a purple alicorn, two pegasuses (or was it pegasi?), one blue with a rainbow-colored mane and one yellow, a white unicorn with a purple mane, two ponies, one pink and one orange (wearing a cowboy hat), and a small dragon with purple and green scales. "Okay, admit it," Flash said looking at the apparent screen, "Who saw that coming?" "WHO are you talking to?" Batman inquired, to which Flash said, "The audience." "But there's…but you can't just… (Sigh) never mind," the Caped Crusader groaned. Suddenly, the pink pony zoomed over to Flash and started bouncing, saying stuff like, "You can see them too? I don't believe it! Do you like muffins? We're so much alike!" "PINKIE!" the blue pegasus retorted, "Can you TRY and calm down a bit? We still need to figure out what's going on here!" "Did they just talk?" Green Lantern gapped, "Okay, I DON'T think they're from around here." "Perhaps you could…" Superman directed at Martian Manhunter, who shook his head, "You know I only use my mind reading power when absolutely necessary; besides, I'm not sure if it would work on them." "Not to be rude or anything, but SOMEONE better provide some answers soon," Wonder Woman retorted. "I can be of assistance there," the alicorn stated, "but we don't have a lot of time: we need to stop Discord and Darkseid." "DARKSEID?!" the members of the Justice League exclaimed. "I KNEW that this was somehow all a diversion," Superman said with anger. "What do you mean by that?" the yellow pegasus inquired. "Come with us and we'll explain," Alfred said from behind them. "How long has he been here?" the dragon remarked. "Longer then you know," the butler replied with a smile, to which Batman simply smirked. Author's Note In case it's unclear, this takes place after Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks. Also, I borrowed the idea of the Slideways Teleport from Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. There's also a quote from a certain Justice League film in here: try to find where it is and where it came from...
Giving ExplanationsChapter 2 "So, be honest: who or WHAT are you?" Green Lantern asked bluntly, to which Wonder Woman growled, "I know 16 different ways to make sure you don't speak for a week; unless you want to see number 12, I suggest you be a little less rude around them." "Well, you see…" Twilight began after the shock wore off, only for Martian Manhunter to interrupt with, "You're from a parallel world: it's the only thing that makes sense, given we've experienced something similar." "So let's get this straight," Superman surmised with a smirk, "Somewhere in the multi-verse, we've got NEIGH-bors." "Yeah, leave the jokes to ME," Flash remarked. "Let's focus on what's important right now," Batman retorted, "Countless lives our depending on us. Alfred, get the files I set aside earlier: it should help our guests get up to speed on what's happening." "Right away, sir," the faithful butler replied. As he watched him leave, Spike smirked, "Okay, I think I have a good idea of which one of us matches up with these guys." "Save the theories for later, Spike: we've got a job to do," Twilight remarked, "So who ARE you guys, anyway?" "We could ask you the same question," Batman retorted. "Well, that wasn't very nice," Pinkie Pie remarked, to which Superman stated, "Don't take it personally: he doesn't trust ANYONE who hasn't proved themselves." "A wise policy," Fluttershy noted. "I'm Hal Jordan, also known as Green Lantern," the galactic law enforcer stated, having decided to just get started already, "I was chosen to wield a special ring that runs on willpower: the only limit to what it can do is my own imagination." "I am John Jones, known to the humans as Martian Manhunter: I can take on many forms, including intangible and invisible," Martian Manhunter replied, demonstrating his point and showing everyone that Hal had the right idea, "I also have telepathic abilities, but I consider it rude to use them, so I reserve it for only the most dire of situations." "My name is Barry Allen, but secretly, I am the Flash, the fastest man alive," Flash stated, "Ask me what the weather in France is like." "Alright: what's the weather in…?" Rainbow Dash began, only for Flash to run out of the cave and burst back in with a beret and holding a bag of pastries, and simply stated, "It's quite nice, actually; anyone want a crepe?" "Ooh, I'll take one," Pinkie Pie replied, before asking, "What's a crepe?" After explaining what a crepe was, and Pinkie eagerly took one, Wonder Woman cleared her throat. "To continue: I am Diana, warrior princess of the Amazons, but in the world of man, I'm called Wonder Woman. I possess strength and power that no mortal human has, as well as an unbreakable lasso that is able to shed light on the truth," she explained, "though I sometimes wish that I didn't need to force something so essential in life." "Life isn't fair, Diana," Batman replied, before stating, "As for me, I am known in the criminal underworld by many names, but the two I use most often are Bruce Wayne, billionaire philanthropist, and Batman, crime fighting avenger. While I have no true powers, I am skilled in multiple forms of combat, a master of deductive reasoning, and employ a wide variety of equipment, as well as a highly successful global organization at my command, all of which allow me to deter legal corruption by day, and to turn fear on those who prey on the fearful by night." "When does he sleep?" Twilight mumbled to herself, to which Superman replied with, "I ask myself that question all the time." "How did you…?" Twilight began, only for Superman to reply, "I have yet to find a limit on my powers. The name's Clark Kent, but in this circle I'm known as Superman. My powers include flight, super strength, enhanced senses, various vision-based abilities, super breath, and super speed." "That reminds me: we never DID find out which one of us is faster…" Flash hinted, to which Batman replied, "Let it go, Allen: we still need to find out who these guys are." "If I may be so bold sir," Alfred interrupted, a cluster of documents in hand, "These strange creatures may be THEIR world's greatest heroes: you HAVE once said that the morality makes the hero, not the power." Nodding, Batman stated, "Perhaps, but that doesn't tell us their names or skills." "I'm Applejack, strong-willed bearer of the Element of Honesty," the pony with the cowboy hat declared, before pointing to the yellow pegasus and stating, "That's Fluttershy, holder of the Element of Kindness." "Hi there," was her VERY quiet reply. "Alfred, could you bring down some of herbal tea?" Bruce directed at his butler, "I can't tell if she's nervous or has a sore throat, but either way, she needs it." Recognizing the situation, Spike suddenly stated, "Since I've been helping these girls for quite some time, maybe I could help you, Mr.…?" "Alfred Pennyworth," the faithful butler replied, "and that would be greatly appreciated, though I never caught your name." "Just call me Spike," the dragon assistant insisted. As the two walked away, Pinkie Pie looked at the apparent screen and stated, "Is anyone else, in a kind of weird sort of way, starting to see double? It can't just be me." "As much as I want to agree with you, darling," Rarity declared, choosing to ignore the fact that Pinkie had broken the fourth wall again, "I'm not entirely sure that's the case: I mean I can't really see any of us doing what they've described." "I'm Pinkie Pie, owner of the Element of Laughter: your argument is invalid," was the pink pony's reply. "Let me guess: she does the impossible a lot?" Batman referred to Rainbow Dash about what was just said by the equine comedian, to which she nodded and asked, "You know someone like that, right?" Looking over to where Flash was seated, only for the speedster to declare hunger and literally run through one of the walls of the cave, the Dark Knight sighed and stated, "You could say that." Not even 30 seconds later, Barry returned, large doggie bag in hand and stated, "Sorry I took so long: had a bit of trouble finding the exact change." "You frighten me sometimes, Barry," Green Lantern confessed, to which he followed with a wince, "WHY did I say that?" "It's alright, darling," Rarity gently stated, "None of us think any less of you. Oh, by the way, my name is Rarity, and I harness the Element of Generosity." "That's fine and all, but I'm not sure if that tells them ALL of our skills," Rainbow Dash remarked, "Twilight HAS told us that these alternate worlds aren't always exactly the same as others." Gesturing to herself and Fluttershy, she stated, "The two of us have flight capabilities, Rarity has a talent for casting spells, Twilight has a mixture of both, and Applejack and Pinkie each have a special connection with nature, as well as the animals and plants that live in it. Now that the basics are all out of the way, I'm called Rainbow Dash, and I hold the power of the Element of Loyalty." "Even though that was just scratching the surface of the basics, I'm certain that once they see our abilities in action, they'll know we're MORE than capable of helping them," Twilight stated with a small grin, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, by the way, and my Element of Harmony is that of Magic." Musing to himself, Batman nodded, "I think I may have an idea of what's going on." "You do?" everyone inquired. "Over the last week or so, I've gotten reports of strange disappearances from various prisons across the country," the Dark Knight began, "The only connecting factor being a magical chaos energy reading that even I'm having trouble identifying." "Discord," Spike, who'd just returned with Alfred, practically growled, "The Equestrian god of chaos: my friends have met him before." "Don't tell me: he turned at least one of you into something you're not," Superman stated with barely suppressed anger. "Sadly, yes," Twilight began, "He himself doesn't seem like such an evil creature, but that hasn't stopped him from being a nuisance." "Which would explain WHY he's working with Darkseid," Krypton's last son began, "All that monster ever does is pursue chaos." "I don't think we can rule out the possibility that Discord isn't THE villain here," Green Lantern remarked. "He's right," Rainbow Dash stated, "It's possible that Darkseid was about to threaten our world anyway. Didn't he once say that he doesn't CREATE chaos, but GUIDES it?" Nodding, Twilight stated, "Anyway you look at it though, we're dealing with forces unlike anything we've seen before." "I hate to say it, sugarcube," Applejack said with a sigh, "but I don't know if we can face this threat alone." "I have a suggestion then," Wonder Woman declared, offering her hand, "Don't." A few minutes later, everyone had nodded and placed their hand/claw/hoof into the circle the Amazon warrior had started. "So, what's the plan?" Spike inquired, to which Batman scoffed, "Plan? Simple: we take down Darkseid." To be continued… Author's Note Anybody care to guess the references I made in this chapter? Anyway, anyone who can guess which Justice League member is a parallel version of the Equestria gang gets a request for a character to appear. You only get one chance, however, so think carefully. Also, quick disclaimer: Batman's "crime fighting avenger" title is NOT to be confused with the Marvel team known as "The Avengers"
Challenge Accepted (again)Chapter 3 Meanwhile on Apokolips... While all this was transpiring, a figure was secretly watching them with a smile that he was quick to hide, though not quick enough. "You seem to be happy that your world's heroes have joined forces with mine," Darkseid declared, to which Discord forced a chuckle. "I'm just glad all the pieces are coming together for the plan," the draconequus stated in a half lie. He mentally scolded himself for letting his guard down, for the plan HE had in mind was to STRENGTHEN the power of Equestria's heroes, for he only guided chaos: he DIDN'T create it, unlike… His thoughts were cut short by a new voice declaring, "Don't get TOO excited: there is ANOTHER threat." "And WHO might YOU be?" the ruler of Apokolips demanded. Discord himself was shocked at the intruder's appearance: a man with a slightly pale skin tone, scepter in hand, and wearing what looked like royal armor along with a horned helmet. "I'm the being who's come to warn you of MY world's greatest heroes," the figure deadpanned. Deciding to play it cool, Discord simply stated, "Explain." Smirking, the mystery man stated, "And there came a day unlike any other: when earth's mightiest heroes were united against a common threat. On that day, they became the Avengers: the invincible armored Iron Man, Thor, prince of thunder, the master marksman, Hawkeye, Black Widow, super spy extraordinaire, the Hulk, strongest hero there is, and Captain America, the first Avenger." Musing to himself for a minute, Darkseid declared, "I suppose it would do us no good to have ANOTHER set of heroes chasing our tale. No offence, Discord." Glaring, the chaos god replied with, "None taken, but perhaps we should ask this potential ally his name before we get in too deep." Nodding, Darkseid declared, "Tell us how you know so much about these 'Avengers' and I might consider letting you live." "I know, because Thor is my inferior adopted brother," the man declared, "for you see, I am called Loki." As Darkseid gave a dark chuckle at this new revelation, Discord thought to himself, "THIS may complicate things a little." To be continued… Author's Note Anyone want to suggest some characters from any of the three worlds to appear in this story? Also, Loki's monologue is a callback to the second season of "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes"
Avengers Assemble!!!Chapter 4 Meanwhile, in Marvel Universe's version of New York City... "Talk to me, Stark: how are we on pursuing Loki to…wherever it is he's gone?" Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, asked his fellow Avenger. "That's the thing," Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, declared, "Even factoring in the stuff that Thor's let us in on, I have NO idea where in the universe that mischief maker has gone off to." Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk, was scanning the area with a high-tech device and suddenly asked, "What if it's not THIS universe he's in?" "Pardon me, Dr. Banner," declared the voice of Edwin Jarvis, Tony Stark's personal butler, from another room, "but I thought that the archer was the jokester." "HEY!" yelled Clint Barton, alias Hawkeye, "I can be serious!" "It's true," Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, remarked going over some security footage from earlier, "Or have you forgotten who it was who got ME to quit working with the Red Room?" "Thou shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Thor, the Asgardian god of Thunder, directed at her, "The deaths of those men and women were the fault of this 'Red Room', not you." "I guess," she stated, not entirely convinced, only for a female hand to grasp her shoulder. "At least YOU only have to make up for only ONE person's ill deeds," declared Betty Ross, who had been staying with them ever since an attack by MODOK had given her abilities that she was now just barely beginning to master. While it was true that only time would tell if she would EVER fully control the Harpy, everyone knew that WASN'T what she meant. "Right, I keep forgetting that your father was in charge of trying to capture or kill the man you loved," Natasha declared. "Even though an IDIOT could have seen that Big Green was the VICTIM, and not a TRUE criminal," Tony added. "That's nice and all," Bruce stated in a way that you could tell he meant it, "but regardless, I'm not joking: these readings I'm getting are similar to the time we were trapped inside the Negative Zone." "You're suggesting that Loki's on another Earth entirely?" Steve inquired, to which a NEW voice stated, "I'm afraid it's EXACTLY what happened." Turning around, they were gob smacked to discover a orangish-yellow unicorn with a yellow and red mane standing in the room, a portal closing behind it. "Who or WHAT are you?" Betty declared, only for the unicorn to chuckle. "I had a similar reaction once to creatures like YOU," she remarked, before continuing with, "My name is Sunset Shimmer: I was TRYING to use a portal some of my friends put together to get the world where the greatest heroes of two world's are currently gathered, but something must have gone wrong with the Dimensional Doorway." After mulling it over a bit, Steve Rogers declared, "Maybe WE can help." "Pardon me, but are you certain of this?" Jarvis declared, to which the super soldier nodded, "I don't think it's a coincidence that someone goes looking for a world where inter-dimensional travel has already taken place around the same time Loki steals the Cosmic Cube and suddenly vanishes. Personally, I think we're looking at a war of worlds: of PARALLEL worlds." Everyone nodding in agreement, the head of Stark Industries took a look at the saddlebag Sunset Shimmer was wearing, which seemed to be the Dimensional Doorway mentioned earlier. "Yeah, I think I see the problem," he declared, "Not only are a few wires crossed, but the power source is shot: you're lucky you ended up here and not some hell-like dimension." "You think that maybe…" Bruce began, to which Tony nodded, taking the saddlebag over to a computer. "Just need to match the energy signatures and…done!" he declared, before turning back to the group, "I've connected the Doorway with the Arch Reactor here in the building. Theoretically, this'll allow us to open a portal back to our respective worlds even in these parallel worlds." "I'm not sure that's a good idea," Sunset Shimmer declared, "If that falls into the hands of our enemies, who knows what they'll do." "I know there's a risk," Tony admitted, "but we can't be certain if we'll necessarily be staying in one singular dimension, and we might need supplies from our home worlds." "I hate to admit it, but he's got a point," Clint remarked, "I can't shoot an apple off anyone's head if I don't have any arrows to do it with." "Do us all a favor, my friend," Thor declared, "Don't be imitating this 'William Tell' unless absolutely necessary." "Fair enough," was the reply as the portal opened up again. Later, in Gotham City... Just as the Justice League and Mane 6 were about to depart to search for clues as to where Darkseid and Discord were hiding, an alarm was heard. "Warning: intruders detected in Batcave sub-basement B," the Bat computer declared. "That's the same area that holds the back-up generators," Batman declared, using his cape to glide down into the darkness. Flash quickly caught up to him and stated, "Whoa there; don't do anything rash: we don't know if these guys will be on our side or not." "Just in case there not, I've already called Carol and told her to come over," Green Lantern declared, to which the Dark Knight sighed, silently praying that Star Sapphire wouldn't lose control of herself again. Using an awareness spell on herself, Twilight gasped, "It's okay: they're NOT hostiles." "How do you know that?" Superman inquired, to which she stated, "I know one of our new guests personally." Using her alicorn magic, she opened the bay door and ran to embrace her friend from Canterlot High. To be continued… Author's Note First things first: just so we're clear, I'm NOT making the girlfriend of the green goliath a winged…Hulk; instead, I'm making it so that she can turn into it at will, but has a little trouble controlling it afterwards due to some mood swings the transformation seems to cause; also, just so that I get it out of the way, I want to inform everyone that I'll be adding two elements of Harmony to the regular arsenal: Hope and Choice (though an alternate name for the later might be "Redemption"); I'll wait to hear what you think of this. Also, 1) Jarvis is NOT an Artificial Intelligence in this story, and 2) anyone care to guess the references I made in this chapter?
Giving Explanations (again)Chapter 5 "Is somepony, or somebody, I guess, going to introduce everyone?" Rarity inquired. Sighing, the Avenger's leader stated, "I'm Steve Rogers, aka Captain America: thanks to an experimental serum, I'm at the physical and mental peak that a man can achieve. I also carry a shield that is nearly indestructible." "That he likes to use as a Frisbee," Tony joked, before noticing his teammates' glares. "Oh, like I'm the only one who's had that thought," he whined. "You're just mad you haven't replicated the metal it's made of," Clint pointed out, to which Tony sighed, "Fine, I'll introduce myself: Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, though the armor I wear when fighting crime is ACTUALLY made of a gold-titanium alloy." "Wow: we have the same metal mixture in some of our fighter planes," stated a new voice, "Sorry I'm late: had to fight off the Zamaron's control AGAIN." "Its fine, Carol," Hal reassured, "Just remember that you control the power, not the other way around." "Thanks for the pep talk," the new figure said with a grin, "I'm Carol Ferris, but lately I've been going by Star Sapphire: my powers are similar to Hal's, though they're powered by strength of heart instead of willpower." "At least Natasha and I seem to have someone who we can relate to," Betty remarked, "I'm Elizabeth Ross, but I prefer Betty: after an unfortunate hostage situation gone wrong, I have the ability to take on a super strong, winged form known as the Harpy, though I'm still working on controlling myself in that state." "At least you can control your transformations," Bruce lamented, "I'm Dr. Bruce Banner, leading expert in Gamma radiation: ever since an accident I had, whenever I get angry or stressed, I become a creature of unbridled might, which the public of my home world has dubbed 'The Incredible Hulk.'" "What do you mean 'unbridled might'?" Sunset Shimmer inquired, "I'm called Sunset Shimmer, by the way." "Put simply, the more anger Hulk feels, the stronger he gets," Natasha simplified, "While I'm at it, I'm Natasha Romanoff, also called the Black Widow: while not as strong as Steve, I'm JUST as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as our resident super soldier." "Forgive her if she doesn't give you anything else," Jarvis stated, "Unlike the rest of us, she didn't have a very good childhood; I'm Edwin Jarvis, by the way." "And I am Thor Odinson," Thor declared, "Besides strength and speed of the gods, my hammer allows one to wield the power of the lightening storm, but only if you've proven yourself worthy of its power." "If you're not, then you better hope it doesn't land on your foot," Clint said with a slight chuckle, "I'm Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye." As a stalactite suddenly began to fall, he took out his bow and an arrow and fired, destroying in before it could hurt anybody, or anypony, I guess. "And that's just ONE of the trick arrows I carry," he remarked as he breathed a sigh of relief that he reacted fast enough, "Haven't missed a shot yet. So what can the rest of you guys and gals do?" One reintroduction of the Justice League and Equestria gang later… "Why does it feel like that went faster than last time?" Flash inquired, only for Hawkeye to look at the apparent screen and stated, "Like he even needs to ask." "Clint, you're like a brother to me, but PLEASE try not to refrain from doing that," Natasha pleaded. Looking at the apparent screen, Pinkie Pie stated, "We do this all throughout the story." "If I may interrupt the occasional talking to the ceiling or whatever," Batman growled, "I think we should ask these folks what they're doing in our dimension." "I got this," Iron Man declared, "Loki, a mischief making figure of our world, stole a powerful item known as the Tesseract, or Cosmic Cube, as I like to call it. It's said that it can make one deepest desires become reality, so when he simply vanished alongside a large portion of our world's villains, we were instantly curious, and a bit worried as well." "Power like that in the hands of Darkseid could mean the end of us all," Superman declared, now more than a little worried himself. "You don't know the half of it," declared a new voice. Turning around, the heroes of three worlds were shocked to say the least. "I know I don't have a lot of good press on my side," the figure known as Discord declared, "but believe me when I say that even I wouldn't wish for what those two are planning to come to pass." "And just what ARE they planning?" Captain America retorted. "Something that will destroy the multiverse itself," the Equine deity of chaos said by way of reply, "which is why I'm asking for your help." To be continued…
Challenge AcceptedPrologue Darkseid surveyed Apokolips, his home world, his back towards a mirror. "They are the world's greatest heroes," he stated, seemingly to himself, "Green Lantern: galactic law enforcer; John Jones: the shape-shifting Martian Manhunter; Flash: the fastest man alive; Wonder Woman: Amazon Princess of Themyscira; the Dark Knight detective: Batman; the Man of Steel: Superman; together, they are the Justice League, the most powerful force for good on Earth." Finally turning to the mirror, he yelled, "And you expect me to believe that some pathetic creatures from a world I've never heard of can defeat me as THEY have?!" The mirror flickered a little, revealing the shadow of a dragon-like creature. "What you believe is of no importance to me," the creature replied, "The fact is that they can do it. If you don't believe me, however, perhaps you would wish to put them to the test." "As much as I would LOVE to simply crush them, I believe you may be on to something," the warlord admitted, "First, I will test their PHYSICAL capabilities, then their MENTAL prowess, and THEN they will ultimately face ME!" "I can help you with that, if you wish," the mysterious dragon replied, to which Darkseid shrugged, "You know this new threat to my power better then I, so I guess I can accept, though I never caught your name." "You can call me Discord," the creature said by way of reply, smile evident even in the distorted image.
Author's noteSorry to have to do this, but I'm officially canceling this story. Don't get me wrong: I have nothing against the concept of what I've created. Actually the REAL problem is that I started this story before I actually understood the characters of the MLP franchise, and it bugs me now knowing that I'm writing the heroes (and Discord, whom I see as a strange sort of balance between anti-HERO and anti-VILLIAN, if you know what I mean) are out of character. Plus, I'm not exactly bursting with ideas on how to make a rewrite. If anyone feels like taking the reins of this story, no pun intended, I won't stop you, but I just can't in good conscious continue a story that's already ruined for me, and seeing how I'm the one that wrote it, that should tell you something. Don't worry though: I have plans on how to integrate some of this story's ideas into some of my other works. That said, I once again apologize for this inconvenience and I hope that you will continue to enjoy my other stories.
