Crystal Spire- The Unknown Heroby The REAL Mister PkmnChaptersOriginsScouting Out Some Heroes, Part 1: The War With Emperor Dragon LoomsThe Glory Days BeginOriginsThere was once a time in Equestria before superheroes. It all started ten years before the return of Nightmare Moon. There was an incident involving a gang of thugs that was escalating quickly. The Royal Guard was getting thrashed, unable to handle the rowdy aggressors. But then, out of the dead of night came a strange figure. A unicorn stallion wearing a bodysuit made of ice blue silk with green stripes lining the seams. He had a symbol of a teal crystal spire on the front of his suit’s barrel, and he stood imposing as he spoke to the guards. “Leave this to me. I’ll handle this.” None of the guards could take this guy seriously. The captain of the regiment stood up, and brought herself face-to-face with this green-eyed mystery stallion. A huff of anger expelled from her. “You expect us to sit back and watch? We’re the feathering Royal Guard! We don’t take orders from civilians!” The stallion was unfazed, and looked into the captain’s blue eyes with unflinching determination. He spoke calmly. “I don’t expect you to trust me immediately. You can intercede if you think that I can’t handle it. Regardless… I’ll do my job.” For a moment, the two traded looks for a while until the captain finally sighed. “Fine.” She shook her head, her black mane bobbing. “But as soon as it gets too dangerous for you, we’re butting in!” The stallion smiled. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you.” He then turned to the thugs and jumped down towards them. He spoke in a bold voice. “Enemies of the law! Surrender, or I’ll bring you down!” The thugs turned towards the stallion, and one muscular one in particular scoffed. “Look boyz. Some nutjob thinks that ‘e can boss us ‘round.” He smiled to show off his (probably stolen) golden tooth. “Why don’t we show this fool who’s in charge here!” His lackeys cheered, and started to run towards the stallion. A sigh accompanied a shake of his head. “I tried doing this the easy way… Oh well.” He reared up, and slammed his hooves down. The shockwave was stronger than one might expect from a unicorn, but that wasn’t all. Multi-colored spires of crystal shot out from his forehooves towards the approaching foes. The sheer force of the shards combined with the shockwaves knocked down most of his approaching accosters. Some did manage to shake off the attack, but they were just a small number. The apparent leader shook off his shock temporarily as he responded to the devastation to his goons. “What in the…? Who are you? What are you?” The stallion smirked at his terrified enemies, and spoke. “I’m Crystal Spire, a superhero.” He widened his stance, sending a daring look to the gang boss. “Well? Aren’t you gonna fight back? I could use a good test of my abilities…” The thug boss stared at Crystal Spire for a moment, then snarled. “You…!! We are! Boyz, get up! Let’s show this fool why we’re not to be messed with!” The conscious thugs stood their ground as the boss took out some syringes from a black case. They were filled with strange fluid, and there were enough for all the remaining thugs to each take one. Crystal Spire watched as the underlings used the syringes and seemed to grow more powerful. He scoffed. “Steroids.” His face then bore a smile. “Well, this should prove interesting…” He took a deep breath and grew more rigid. He struck hard against the first to attack, causing the pony to slightly wobble back before regaining fervor. Crystal Spire blinked in surprise. “Well. That failed. Time for a new angle…” Though, that thought had to wait. The rest of the roided thugs swarmed him as their boss sat back and watched. He couldn’t quite keep them away. He needed time to gather his magic. Luckily, the Royal Guard did come to help. He smiled at the captain as she knocked some of them out. “Ample timing, captain. I need time to cast a spell.” She huffed indignantly as she knocked out another thug with a maroon hoof swinging a shock baton. “I don’t take orders from you.” She paused as she saw the odds were still against them, and sighed. “I’ll keep them occupied, though. This spell of yours had better be amazing, Crystal Spire.” After she went off to distract the rest of the thugs, Crystal Spire focused his magic to work in tandem with his powers. He hadn’t tried this in his practice, and now he was regretting that decision. He built up the spell for a moment and then opened his eyes. He redirected his spell to his hooves and stomped to release another shockwave of crystals. But, though the thugs tried to evade, they couldn’t. He knocked the rest of them out and the crystals stopped to form a cage around the thug’s leader. Crystal Spire let out a sigh of relief as the guard captain placed hoof cuffs on the thug leader so he could release the crystal prison attack. “Well that was more draining than I expected… I’ll need more practice before trying that again.” The guard captain sighed as she approached, letting the other guards take away the thugs. “Look. I don’t know who you are exactly, but… you helped us out. I’m sorry for being so testy. Can you forgive me?” Crystal Spire flashed a smile and nodded. “Water under the bridge, captain. I look forward to working with the guard again. Now, I have places to be! Crystal Spire, away!” He stomped a hoof and was instantly lifted off the ground by crystals. The guard watched in awe as he surfed away on his wave of crystals. The guard captain shook her head. “Showoff.” She turned to lead her regiment from the scene. How was she to explain this to her superiors, let alone Celestia? It certainly was a fantastical tale… She decided to worry about that later. Later, In Canterlot… Celestia raised an eyebrow. “A superhero? That’s what he said he was?” The captain nodded. “You can ask any of my regiment that saw the battle, Princess. It may seem absurd, but… He had powers unlike any pony that I’d seen before. Without his help… we’d likely not have gotten out of that mess as cleanly.” Celestia paused as she took all that in. She looked the captain in the eye. “Captain Nocturne, tell me… Just who is this Crystal Spire, in your opinion?” A thoughtful look was upon Nocturne’s face for a moment. She gave a shrug. “I don’t know. He could be any male unicorn with green eyes. We might never know who he is. But one thing I do know is that he is a good pony. He’ll show up again.” Silence prevailed in the room for a while before Celestia gave a nod. “Very well. I will allow Crystal Spire to continue his work. However…” Concern raised upon her face before she continued. “Crystal might only be the first of a new type of pony. I don’t know how he got his powers, but we must be ready in case others with powers aren’t so benevolent.” Nocturne gave a bow. “I’ll search for others like him, if you wish. It would be an honor.” After a bit of deliberation, Celestia nodded. “Very well. You and your regiment will be assigned the special task of finding these super-ponies and ascertaining if they will be helpful for us. It might take a while to find some, but I wish you the best.” After this moment, everything changed in Equestria. Nocturne’s regiment went on to find many super-ponies, each vastly different from all the others. The powers they displayed were unlike anything that had been seen. These ponies were documented and listed, each considered to help Equestria. But whenever they found one that was breaking the law, Crystal Spire had already captured them and put them in prison. All the other super-ponies had another identity, and they’d all been documented- except for Crystal Spire. He was an enigma. Nocturne sat alone one night in her house going over copies of the files that they’d written. Super-Pony Files Entry 001: Crystal Spire Alter-Ego: UNKNOWN Gender: Male Eye Color: Green Coat Color: UNKNOWN Hair Color: UNKNOWN Cutie Mark: UNKNOWN Hero Symbol: Teal Crystal Spire Tribe: Unicorn Height: 5’7” Weight: 180 lbs Power: Summoning & Controlling Crystals Origin: UNNOWN Notes: Nobody knows who’s behind the suit, aside from Crystal Spire himself. One day, I’ll find out who he is… Entry 002: The Hunter Alter-Ego: Snow Shard Gender: Female Eye Color: Purple Coat Color: White Hair Color: Silver Cutie Mark: Shattering Snowflake Villainess Brand: Bow w/ Snake Arrows Tribe: Pegasus Height: 4’9” Weight: 170 lbs Power: Can shoot her feathers like arrows. Origin: Crashed into a vat of magic sludge, woke up with powers the next day. Notes: Crystal Spire has fought her many times, and she escapes often. Though, she seems to think that they’re dating… Entry 003: The Inferno Alter-Ego: Prized Peach Gender: Male Eye Color: Blue Coat Color: Dull Orange Hair Color: Blonde Cutie Mark: Peach Villain Brand: Fire Tribe: Earth Height: 6’0” Weight: 200 lbs Power: Can summon fire and control it. Origin: Inhaled some kind of magic gas, woke up with powers the next day. Notes: It seems that this one likes to cause havoc wherever he goes. Crystal Spire has defeated him multiple times. Entry 004: Mecchis Alter-Ego: Springworks Gender: Female Eye Color: Amber Coat Color: Gray Hair Color: Metallic Blue Cutie Mark: Springs Heroine Symbol: Springs Tribe: Complicated… Height: 5’2” Weight: 180 lbs Power: Various mechanical gadgets that come from her body. Origin: Almost died, got a friend to conduct an experimental surgery on her to implement machines into her body. Notes: This one has been useful to us when Crystal Spire is busy elsewhere in Equestria. The rest of the entries went on like that, listing things written in her own hoofwriting. Things had changed in the short time since she had met Crystal Spire. The public was aware of these super-ponies, and each town seemed to have a resident one that it preferred. However, there was no doubt that many appreciated what Crystal Spire did. He’d been known to do things that other supers couldn’t. It had been some time since they last worked together. She let out a sigh. With so many super-ponies, how could she be sure that the world was safe? For every good super, there were as many bad ones. Was that how it naturally balanced out? Nocturne pinched her brows for a bit. Sometimes, she wished things could return to the way they were, before the world needed supers. But with dangers mounting, those days wouldn’t return. She was shook out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door. A bit surprised, she got up to check. Not many disturbed her at night, so she was curious as to who would. She opened the door to find somebody unexpected. “Crystal Spire? What’re you doing at my door?” He seemed exhausted. She let him in, and he sat down on her couch. He then spoke. “I’ve been thinking recently. Do you think what I do is worth it? I’m asking because… all the supervillains I lock up always escape. Is what I’m doing an exercise in futility?” Nocturne hadn’t heard any of the other heroes talking like this. The others always seemed to be so confident, like Crystal Spire always was in public. Yet here hee was, doubting himself. She sat next to him, and spoke. “You’re doing what’s right. Evil might rise, but it’s your job to stand up against it. It shouldn’t matter how many times it returns, you should always stand up. You’ve got to do that so we maintain some semblance of peace.” Crystal Spire smiled gently, nodded, and then left. Nocturne could only hope that what she said helped him. Author's Note Now it's ready! Certainly took a while.... Scouting Out Some Heroes, Part 1: The War With Emperor Dragon LoomsLocation: Thyme Square, Manehattan The scene before Crystal Spire was interesting, to say the least. He had found Mecchis fighting her arch-rival villain, Master Magus. Luckily, the innocents were being held at bay by Nocturne and her squad. Mecchis was in her iconic silver-plated power suit, and she was staring down Master Magus. “Listen, Boast Master, we all know how this ends. You on the floor, and me locking you up. Can’t you just quit?” A cobalt unicorn mare wearing a purple bodysuit and a golden cape glared back at her. “Never! I can’t stop now, Not with Emperor Dragon trying to ruin the game! I need to make my mark before he rules everything!” She adjusted the clasp for her cape, and it sent out a signal sound that some of the “citizens” responded to. They shed their civilian disguises, and donned colored capes of their own. “Now, my Mage Minions! Show Manehattan who’s in charge now!” As the minions encroached on the crowd, Mecchis was busy with Master Magus herself. Spells clashed with metallic extensions, and neither seemed to have an edge over the other for now. Not questioning his luck, Crystal Spire jumped into help. “Care for a crystalline support, Mecchis? There’s too many of them for you to handle yourself, right?” Snarkily, Mecchis replied. “Sure, Carbon Boy. Knock yourself out. Not like you’d let me stop you.” Shaking his head, Crystal Spire let himself smile. It was a good start, but there were more heroes he needed to build camaraderie with if they were to have a chance of defeating Emperor Dragon. He easily knocked the minions around like sacks of flour with his crystals. As he knocked down the last one, he glimpsed back to see Master Magus in hoof cuffs. Mecchis gave her over to Nocturne, who took off the purple eye mask from Master Magus. “You know the drill by now, Starwish. I’m hardly surprised that you’re here again. It’s just sad how delusional you are.” As she heard that, she turned to see his minions abandon her. However, before all of them could escape, Crystal Spire trapped one with crystal around the pegasus’ hooves and wings. “Where do you think you’re going? Did Emperor Dragon give you an offer too?” The tan mare glared at the assembly before her, planning to hold her tongue. However, something shifted with her demeanor. She started laughing. After a few minutes, she calmed down and began to talk. “Emperor Dragon is the pinnacle of supers. He has a gift that nobody else does. Not only does he have an impressive power of his own, he can give non-supers gifts of their own! All at the cost of loyalty to his cause. If you think that you can stop him, you’re way out of your depth.” Crystal Spire, Mecchis, and Nocturne shared a worried look. If that was true, they needed a very versatile team to take him down. Crystal teleported some letters to himself and gave one of them to Mecchis. Mecchis raised an eyebrow. “An invitation to the team, I presume? So you‘re hoofing them out already?” Shaking his head, Crystal Spire replied. “You’re the first that I’ve approached about it. Aside from the two of us, I’ve been keeping my eye on five other heroes. In Nocturne’s little Super Index, they are Entry 006: Typhoon Blast, Entry 017: Fasttrack, Entry 024: Gigavolt, Entry 025: Rampage, & Entry 030: Blizzardian. We’re going to need all the help we can get.” Crystal lit his horn, and spoke one more time before leaving. “Just don’t be late.” He then teleported away. Location: Cloudsdale He ended up teleporting above the clouds a bit and started to fall. Thinking quickly, Crystal used his power to slow his descent. With the extra time he was afforded, he used a cloud-walking spell so he wouldn’t fall through. Once he landed, he started looking for who Nocturne had labeled as Entry 006: Typhoon Blast. A lilac pegasus stallion with a navy blue flight suit and eye mask shouldn’t be too hard to spot, given the situation. He was knocked out of his thoughts when he saw Typhoon Blast fighting a villain. The villain in question was a blue pegasus mare in a jet black flight suit of her own. Her periwinkle eyes were framed by a ski mask. She clapped her forehooves together, and a shockwave of immense force shot out towards Typhoon Blast. Typhoon countered by rubbing his hooves together and then a pushing motion. A wall of circling wind came from his hooves, and met the shockwave half-way. The two canceled each other out. Irritated, the mare glared at Typhoon, cyan mane billowing in the wind. “You’re getting on my last nerve, Typhoon Blast! Why can’t you just quit!?” Typhoon let a smirk light up his face. “Because you never stop either, Shrieker. I’d rather not have to do this, but it’s my job. Honestly, you’re wasting your gift with a criminal career. I’d rather you join me in fighting evil. We could make a great team!” For a moment, it looked like Shrieker was considering it. However, She shook her head and let out a belting shriek from her mouth. With Typhoon distracted while covering his ears, Shrieker escaped to fight another day. Crystal Spire walked up and patted Typhoon on the shoulder. “That’s rough, buddy. Trying to get through to villains is a lost cause in my opinion. Might as well let her go.” Typhoon got up and turned to face Crystal Spire. He was about to counter that when he noticed a letter in his vision. He grabbed it, and asked. “What’s this about?” Crystal Spire looked back before he left. “Read it, Typhoon. I expect that you’ll understand when you know the contents. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Crystal Spire used another teleportation spell. Location: Fillydelphia As Crystal clutched his head, he chided himself. Teleporting himself more than once a day gave him a major headache. As he was about to go off to get some medication, he felt a cool sensation form around his head. He sighed, and turned to see Blizzardian in her iconic ice armor. “I didn’t know you used your powers for such an application. Shouldn’t you be fighting a villain or something?” She lifted a scrawny diamond dog in a clown costume off the ground. “I already took care of Circus Dog. He won't be causing any more trouble for a while.” She tilted her head as Crystal Spire gave her a letter. “An invitation to join your Super Team, I presume? I heard from Mecchis that you might stop by for this…” Crystal got up and shook off the cooling air. “Yes, but I don’t have time to give out the invites to others personally. One thing for it, I suppose.” He took out the other two and focused. He teleported the letters off to their intended recipients, and let out a sigh. “I hope everyone shows. I’ll be off now…” Crystal Spire shot off into the distance, using his crystals to propel him. Location: Canterlot’s Old Crystal Mines Six heroes walked in, all with an idea of why they were called there. Mecchis looked around. “All right Crystal Spire, we’re all here. Can we start this meeting already?” Landing from his flight, Typhoon Blast set down near her. He brushed off his White Typhoon hero symbol on his chest. “He might not be here yet, Mecchis. In our line of work, it’s likely that he got caught up in a fight…” “That couldn’t be further from the truth, Typhoon Blast… I never allow myself to be caught in a fight when I have more important things to do.” Crystal Spire exited the shadows, an amused look on his face. “I didn’t realize that you thought that I was on your level.” Agitation was apparent on Typhoon’s face, but a light gray forepaw clad in icy blue armor stopped him. “Enough of this, both of you. Now, we all came here like you asked. Could you please get to the point?” A nod came from Crystal Spire. “Sorry about that, Blizzardian. I called each of you here because you are the best of the best. The other heroes just aren’t cut out for this.” An Earth Pony mare in a white bodysuit stepped forward. Tilting her head, she spoke up with curiosity in her amber eyes. “Are you sure? We might need all the help that we can get!” Looking straight at her, He snorted. “Yes, Fasttrack. I’m sure. The rest are only fit for the petty criminals. We have handled Super Villains! It takes someone with that kind of strength to be a part of The Super Squad.” The griffon hero with Green Lightning adorning his leather jacket harrumphed. “Seriously? That’s what we’re going to call ourselves? What about something cool, like- ‘The Evbliterators?”’ Crystal Spire shook his head. “Too obtuse, Gigavolt. Simple and to the point is the key with a team’s name. Nice try, though.” A white catfolk swishes his tail in anticipation. “The name’s not important as long as I get to break some bad guys. Working with others is just a side-thing for me.” Looking around, Crystal Spire made a mental note that he would need to build the group’s teamwork more before they worked together on a bigger scale. He spoke. “All right. We will all meet here after hero work each day to work on our camaraderie. If we are to face down this threat, we need to be a team. Let’s begin.” Location: Nocturne’s home Nocturne looked down at her files again. She had to keep track of everything going on, after all. She could use a refresher on some of the Supers that came into the scene today. Anything to get her mind off of Crystal Spire. She perused the pages again… Entry 005: Mage Master Alter-Ego: Starwish Gender: Female Eye Color: Indigo Coat Color: Cobalt Hair Color: Pepper Cutie Mark: Shooting Star Villainess Brand: Blue Starburst Tribe: Unicorn Height: 5’3” Weight: 160 lbs Power: Peak Unicorn abilities. Origin: Born a prodigy, thought himself entitled to more. Entry 006: Typhoon Blast Alter-Ego: Slipstream Gender: Male Eye Color: Dark Blue Coat Color: Lilac Hair Color: Cutie Mark: Gust of wind Hero Symbol: White Typhoon Tribe: Pegasus Height: 5’5” Weight: 175 lbs Power: Conjuring powerful wind storms. Origin: Accident with a new weather spell. Entry 007: Shrieker Alter-Ego: Downpour Gender: Female Eye Color: Periwinkle Coat Color: Blue Hair Color: Cyan Cutie Mark: Raincloud Villainess Brand: Tribe: Pegasus Height: 5’0” Weight:160 lbs Power: Creating powerful sonic attacks. Origin: Discovered her sonic abilities by chance one day. Unknown if she was born with them or not. Entry 017: Fasttrack Alter-Ego: Sandstone Gender: Female Eye Color: Amber Coat Color: Beige Hair Color: Blonde Cutie Mark: Sandstone Hero Symbol: Stop-Watch Tribe: Earth Pony Height: 5’4” Weight: 170 lbs Power: Slowing down time. Origin: Chemical accident. Entry 024: Gigavolt Alter-Ego: Gilford Gender: Male Eye Color: Blue Down Color: Chocolate Hair Color: Auburn Hero Symbol: Green Lightning Tribe: Griffon Height: 5’7” Weight: 180 lbs Power: Electricity manipulation Origin: Cells suddenly mutated. Entry 025: Rampage Alter-Ego: Franz Gender: Male Eye Color: Red Fur Color: White Hair Color: Lavender Hero Symbol: Broken Pillars Tribe: Catfolk Height: 6’0” Weight: 170 lbs Power: Super strength Origin: Exposed to a radioactive stone. Entry 029: Circus Dog Alter Ego: Oscar Gender: Male Eye Color: Hazel Fur Color: Muted Brown Villain Brand: Red Nose Tribe: Diamond Dog Height: 4’5” Weight: 150 lbs Power: None (unless you count insanity) Origin: Unknown She then updated the entry for Emperor Dragon with the new information, citing that it was only a rumor at this point. However, if it were true… She shook her head. The thought of him having an army of supers sent chills down her spine. She packed away the files once more, and decided to step out for a bit of air. To Be Continued… Author's Note Sorry I was late with this. I might not have as much time as like for this soon. Hopefully I can get a good balance soon... The Glory Days BeginSome time after Crystal Spire had his talk with Nocturne, things started to change. More heroes popped up all over the place, balanced out by all the villains. Nocturne was leading her squad against the newest threat. The villain was a griffon clad in a white suit coat and tophat. He wore a gray mask that concealed his eyes. He sneered through his beak as he tapped the tip of his Diamond-tipped cane on the glass of the display cases, shattering them instantly. “You can’t stop me, Nocturne. I am a different class of villain! It’s all about profit, profit, profit!” He made a gesture with his auburn wings, and his goons raised their talons. “Tear the lot of them to shreds!” As they were about to attack, a wall of crystal swept across the floor. Nocturne smirked. “Took your sweet time, huh? I thought you might not show up!” Crystal Spire jumped onto the scene as the crystals abated. “Sorry that I’m late. Traffic was Tartarus!” He looked at the villain. “So, what’s your deal, huh? Stealing is so overdone. There must be more to it, right? You can’t possibly be that bland.” Anger crept upon the griffon's mug. “I see that you’re overly flashy. You must be this Crystal Spire that I’ve heard so much about.” The anger faded, and a smile grew. “Perfect. Now I, the Baron of Bling, may finally debut my gift!” Lifting his cane, it started to glow with light. “I think I’ll take one of your tricks, Spire!” He then banged the cane on the ground and a wave of crystals shot out from the point of contact. Crystal Spire didn’t even blink. He just let the crystals approach. He scoffed, and let a smile grace his face. “I see. A copycat? I don’t exactly know how you can do that, but just so you know-” The crystals stopped short, and he stomped his forehooves. The crystals flew from the ground, and hung in the air for a bit. Crystal Spire chuckled. “There’s nobody quite like the original.” He then made a pointing gesture with his right forehoof, and the crystals flew back towards the Baron. As much as he tried, his cane couldn’t wrest control of the crystals from Crystal Spire. The crystals crashed into the ground to surround the Baron. Crystal’s horn lit, and he snatched the cane from the Baron’s grasp. “Nice toy. I think that I might just keep it as a souvenir.” Talons grasping at the crystal bars, the Baron hissed. “No! Without it, I’m nothing! Give it back!” His goons looked at him and started to flee. He barked at them. “Where do you think you’re going!? I’m your boss, get me out of this!” One of the goons produced a flier from his vest. “Correction: Former boss. The boys and I are leaving to work for a higher class of villain. You’re just a washed-up wannabe. The Emperor Dragon sends his regards.” He tossed the flier at the base of the cage, and then ran off. Nocturne called out to her squad. “After them! Don’t let them escape!” Crystal Spire picked up the flier, and he lifted an eyebrow. “The Emperor Dragon, huh? Looks like we’ve got a new villain on the horizon.” He looked at the baron with a sympathetic look, taunting him by twirling the Baron’s cane with his magic. “Must be pretty lonely having all your underlings leave you for somebody else.” The Baron growled with irritation. “So? What’s your point? I’ll get out of this mess, and then they’ll see that they shouldn’t have betrayed me!” A sigh escaped Nocturne as she approached. “I doubt that, Garreth. It’s going to be all over the news how incompetent you were.” Garreth’s jaw hung for a moment as Crystal removed the mask from the griffon. “How did you know who I was? How do you do that!?” Crystal Spire smirked. “You’ve got quite the identifying birthmark on the back of one of your wings. You’re the only griffon with the birthmark of-” Garret squawked with embarrassment as his wings beat wildly. “That’s quite enough!” He calmed himself, and sighed as he looked at Nocturne. “I’ll go quietly for now. But know this! The world hasn’t seen the last of the Baron of Bling!” Nocturne escorted him to the police chariot and rolled her eyes as she cuffed him. “You and everybody else, buddy.” She sighed as the door shut and the driver went off. She turned to see that Crystal Spire was still around. “So, what do you think the deal is with this ‘Emperor Dragon’ that his goon mentioned?” Taking a look at the flier, Crystal Spire was silent. The flier was red with an emblem of a silhouetted dragon’s head with a crown on it encased in a twelve-pointed star. Under the emblem were the words: “The Emperor Dragon wants you for his army. Enroll today!” Using his magic, he gave the flier to Nocturne. “Whoever he is, it can’t be good. My guess? World domination is his goal.” A chill hung in the air. A dragon with superpowers bent on world domination was a terrifying thought. It might be presumptuous to think that the Emperor Dragon had powers beyond a normal dragon, but it was best to err on the side of caution. Nocturne sighed. “If we end up having to fight such a threat, can we count upon your help?” A smile graced Crystal’s face as he nodded. “Do you even have to ask?” He shook his head. “Though, it’ll be best to get myself a team if he’s recruiting an ‘army’. I’ll get on team-building efforts with some of the other Supers.” As Crystal was readying to leave, Nocturne debated calling out. Nocturne had kept things between them professional, but the intrigue was a bit too alluring. She approached, and started to close the gap. She might regret it later, but she had to know. However, Crystal Spire’s hoof stopped her. “Listen Nocturne. I’m flattered, really. But I’m a superhero. If I entertain your feelings, you will end up getting used against me. I can’t exactly afford to have that on my conscience. It’s best that we keep things professional.” Before she could refute, Crystal Spire used her stupor as an opportunity to leave. A sigh escaped Nocturne’s lips. Of course she had to have a crush on the most practically-minded Super. Still, she couldn’t help being irritated at his logic. She shook her head as she left. It wouldn’t be good to dwell on it, so she decided to instead focus on updating the Super-Being Files. The name was changed, now that non ponies were showing up with superpowers. She found her way to her office, and started writing. Super-Being Files Entry 030: Blizzardian Alter Ego: Rumblessa Gender: Female Eye Color: Ice Blue Fur Color: Light Gray Heroine Symbol: Snowflake emblazoned upon a shield Tribe: Diamond Dog Height: 6’0” Weight: 200 lbs Power: Manipulating ice Origin: Discovered her powers when caught in a blizzard. Unknown if it was latent, or if there was something special about that storm. Notes: One of few heroes that seem to be on par with Crystal Spire. One can only hope that she’ll be part of his new Super Team. Entry 031: Baron of Bling Alter-Ego: Garreth Gender: Male Eye Color: Hazel Down Color: Auburn Hair Color: White Villain Brand: Diamond-tipped cane Tribe: Griffon Height: 5’5” Weight: 190 lbs Power: Copying Powers Origin: Found his iconic cane and was gifted with the ability to copy superpowers for a brief period. Notes: The most laughable addition to the rogues gallery. His only goal is to amass a large amount of wealth through any method necessary. Entry 032: Emperor Dragon Alter Ego: UNKNOWN Gender: Male Eye Color: UNKNOWN Scale Color: UNKNOWN Belly Color: UNKNOWN Villain Brand: An emblem of a silhouetted dragon’s head with a crown on it encased in a twelve-pointed star Tribe: Dragon Height: UNKNOWN Weight: UNKNOWN Power: UNKNOWN Origin: UNKNOWN Notes: More will become apparent about this foe once we do some research. I just hope that Crystal Spire’s new Super Team can cake him on. Elsewhere… A griffon bows to a massive black dragon. “I humbly accept your offer, Emperor Dragon.” The black dragon showed off a toothy grin that reached his golden eyes. “Excellent. Another lesser villain successfully sabotaged. I need to beat the competition if I’m to rule this world.” The griffon raised his head and spoke. “Sir, what about the heroes? Now that they know about you…” Glaring at the griffon, the black dragon’s rainbow belly shimmered in the light. “They are of no consequence. Nobody can or will stand in my way. My reign is a foregone conclusion.” A cheer rang out in the cave, as ponies, griffons, and many other races shouted out the cry: “All hail the Emperor Dragon! May his power crush even the Princesses themselves! May his reign be ever-lasting!” To be continued… Author's Note Here it is, at last! I've got some big plans, as evidenced by the new villain being hinted at.
OriginsThere was once a time in Equestria before superheroes. It all started ten years before the return of Nightmare Moon. There was an incident involving a gang of thugs that was escalating quickly. The Royal Guard was getting thrashed, unable to handle the rowdy aggressors. But then, out of the dead of night came a strange figure. A unicorn stallion wearing a bodysuit made of ice blue silk with green stripes lining the seams. He had a symbol of a teal crystal spire on the front of his suit’s barrel, and he stood imposing as he spoke to the guards. “Leave this to me. I’ll handle this.” None of the guards could take this guy seriously. The captain of the regiment stood up, and brought herself face-to-face with this green-eyed mystery stallion. A huff of anger expelled from her. “You expect us to sit back and watch? We’re the feathering Royal Guard! We don’t take orders from civilians!” The stallion was unfazed, and looked into the captain’s blue eyes with unflinching determination. He spoke calmly. “I don’t expect you to trust me immediately. You can intercede if you think that I can’t handle it. Regardless… I’ll do my job.” For a moment, the two traded looks for a while until the captain finally sighed. “Fine.” She shook her head, her black mane bobbing. “But as soon as it gets too dangerous for you, we’re butting in!” The stallion smiled. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you.” He then turned to the thugs and jumped down towards them. He spoke in a bold voice. “Enemies of the law! Surrender, or I’ll bring you down!” The thugs turned towards the stallion, and one muscular one in particular scoffed. “Look boyz. Some nutjob thinks that ‘e can boss us ‘round.” He smiled to show off his (probably stolen) golden tooth. “Why don’t we show this fool who’s in charge here!” His lackeys cheered, and started to run towards the stallion. A sigh accompanied a shake of his head. “I tried doing this the easy way… Oh well.” He reared up, and slammed his hooves down. The shockwave was stronger than one might expect from a unicorn, but that wasn’t all. Multi-colored spires of crystal shot out from his forehooves towards the approaching foes. The sheer force of the shards combined with the shockwaves knocked down most of his approaching accosters. Some did manage to shake off the attack, but they were just a small number. The apparent leader shook off his shock temporarily as he responded to the devastation to his goons. “What in the…? Who are you? What are you?” The stallion smirked at his terrified enemies, and spoke. “I’m Crystal Spire, a superhero.” He widened his stance, sending a daring look to the gang boss. “Well? Aren’t you gonna fight back? I could use a good test of my abilities…” The thug boss stared at Crystal Spire for a moment, then snarled. “You…!! We are! Boyz, get up! Let’s show this fool why we’re not to be messed with!” The conscious thugs stood their ground as the boss took out some syringes from a black case. They were filled with strange fluid, and there were enough for all the remaining thugs to each take one. Crystal Spire watched as the underlings used the syringes and seemed to grow more powerful. He scoffed. “Steroids.” His face then bore a smile. “Well, this should prove interesting…” He took a deep breath and grew more rigid. He struck hard against the first to attack, causing the pony to slightly wobble back before regaining fervor. Crystal Spire blinked in surprise. “Well. That failed. Time for a new angle…” Though, that thought had to wait. The rest of the roided thugs swarmed him as their boss sat back and watched. He couldn’t quite keep them away. He needed time to gather his magic. Luckily, the Royal Guard did come to help. He smiled at the captain as she knocked some of them out. “Ample timing, captain. I need time to cast a spell.” She huffed indignantly as she knocked out another thug with a maroon hoof swinging a shock baton. “I don’t take orders from you.” She paused as she saw the odds were still against them, and sighed. “I’ll keep them occupied, though. This spell of yours had better be amazing, Crystal Spire.” After she went off to distract the rest of the thugs, Crystal Spire focused his magic to work in tandem with his powers. He hadn’t tried this in his practice, and now he was regretting that decision. He built up the spell for a moment and then opened his eyes. He redirected his spell to his hooves and stomped to release another shockwave of crystals. But, though the thugs tried to evade, they couldn’t. He knocked the rest of them out and the crystals stopped to form a cage around the thug’s leader. Crystal Spire let out a sigh of relief as the guard captain placed hoof cuffs on the thug leader so he could release the crystal prison attack. “Well that was more draining than I expected… I’ll need more practice before trying that again.” The guard captain sighed as she approached, letting the other guards take away the thugs. “Look. I don’t know who you are exactly, but… you helped us out. I’m sorry for being so testy. Can you forgive me?” Crystal Spire flashed a smile and nodded. “Water under the bridge, captain. I look forward to working with the guard again. Now, I have places to be! Crystal Spire, away!” He stomped a hoof and was instantly lifted off the ground by crystals. The guard watched in awe as he surfed away on his wave of crystals. The guard captain shook her head. “Showoff.” She turned to lead her regiment from the scene. How was she to explain this to her superiors, let alone Celestia? It certainly was a fantastical tale… She decided to worry about that later. Later, In Canterlot… Celestia raised an eyebrow. “A superhero? That’s what he said he was?” The captain nodded. “You can ask any of my regiment that saw the battle, Princess. It may seem absurd, but… He had powers unlike any pony that I’d seen before. Without his help… we’d likely not have gotten out of that mess as cleanly.” Celestia paused as she took all that in. She looked the captain in the eye. “Captain Nocturne, tell me… Just who is this Crystal Spire, in your opinion?” A thoughtful look was upon Nocturne’s face for a moment. She gave a shrug. “I don’t know. He could be any male unicorn with green eyes. We might never know who he is. But one thing I do know is that he is a good pony. He’ll show up again.” Silence prevailed in the room for a while before Celestia gave a nod. “Very well. I will allow Crystal Spire to continue his work. However…” Concern raised upon her face before she continued. “Crystal might only be the first of a new type of pony. I don’t know how he got his powers, but we must be ready in case others with powers aren’t so benevolent.” Nocturne gave a bow. “I’ll search for others like him, if you wish. It would be an honor.” After a bit of deliberation, Celestia nodded. “Very well. You and your regiment will be assigned the special task of finding these super-ponies and ascertaining if they will be helpful for us. It might take a while to find some, but I wish you the best.” After this moment, everything changed in Equestria. Nocturne’s regiment went on to find many super-ponies, each vastly different from all the others. The powers they displayed were unlike anything that had been seen. These ponies were documented and listed, each considered to help Equestria. But whenever they found one that was breaking the law, Crystal Spire had already captured them and put them in prison. All the other super-ponies had another identity, and they’d all been documented- except for Crystal Spire. He was an enigma. Nocturne sat alone one night in her house going over copies of the files that they’d written. Super-Pony Files Entry 001: Crystal Spire Alter-Ego: UNKNOWN Gender: Male Eye Color: Green Coat Color: UNKNOWN Hair Color: UNKNOWN Cutie Mark: UNKNOWN Hero Symbol: Teal Crystal Spire Tribe: Unicorn Height: 5’7” Weight: 180 lbs Power: Summoning & Controlling Crystals Origin: UNNOWN Notes: Nobody knows who’s behind the suit, aside from Crystal Spire himself. One day, I’ll find out who he is… Entry 002: The Hunter Alter-Ego: Snow Shard Gender: Female Eye Color: Purple Coat Color: White Hair Color: Silver Cutie Mark: Shattering Snowflake Villainess Brand: Bow w/ Snake Arrows Tribe: Pegasus Height: 4’9” Weight: 170 lbs Power: Can shoot her feathers like arrows. Origin: Crashed into a vat of magic sludge, woke up with powers the next day. Notes: Crystal Spire has fought her many times, and she escapes often. Though, she seems to think that they’re dating… Entry 003: The Inferno Alter-Ego: Prized Peach Gender: Male Eye Color: Blue Coat Color: Dull Orange Hair Color: Blonde Cutie Mark: Peach Villain Brand: Fire Tribe: Earth Height: 6’0” Weight: 200 lbs Power: Can summon fire and control it. Origin: Inhaled some kind of magic gas, woke up with powers the next day. Notes: It seems that this one likes to cause havoc wherever he goes. Crystal Spire has defeated him multiple times. Entry 004: Mecchis Alter-Ego: Springworks Gender: Female Eye Color: Amber Coat Color: Gray Hair Color: Metallic Blue Cutie Mark: Springs Heroine Symbol: Springs Tribe: Complicated… Height: 5’2” Weight: 180 lbs Power: Various mechanical gadgets that come from her body. Origin: Almost died, got a friend to conduct an experimental surgery on her to implement machines into her body. Notes: This one has been useful to us when Crystal Spire is busy elsewhere in Equestria. The rest of the entries went on like that, listing things written in her own hoofwriting. Things had changed in the short time since she had met Crystal Spire. The public was aware of these super-ponies, and each town seemed to have a resident one that it preferred. However, there was no doubt that many appreciated what Crystal Spire did. He’d been known to do things that other supers couldn’t. It had been some time since they last worked together. She let out a sigh. With so many super-ponies, how could she be sure that the world was safe? For every good super, there were as many bad ones. Was that how it naturally balanced out? Nocturne pinched her brows for a bit. Sometimes, she wished things could return to the way they were, before the world needed supers. But with dangers mounting, those days wouldn’t return. She was shook out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door. A bit surprised, she got up to check. Not many disturbed her at night, so she was curious as to who would. She opened the door to find somebody unexpected. “Crystal Spire? What’re you doing at my door?” He seemed exhausted. She let him in, and he sat down on her couch. He then spoke. “I’ve been thinking recently. Do you think what I do is worth it? I’m asking because… all the supervillains I lock up always escape. Is what I’m doing an exercise in futility?” Nocturne hadn’t heard any of the other heroes talking like this. The others always seemed to be so confident, like Crystal Spire always was in public. Yet here hee was, doubting himself. She sat next to him, and spoke. “You’re doing what’s right. Evil might rise, but it’s your job to stand up against it. It shouldn’t matter how many times it returns, you should always stand up. You’ve got to do that so we maintain some semblance of peace.” Crystal Spire smiled gently, nodded, and then left. Nocturne could only hope that what she said helped him. Author's Note Now it's ready! Certainly took a while....
Scouting Out Some Heroes, Part 1: The War With Emperor Dragon LoomsLocation: Thyme Square, Manehattan The scene before Crystal Spire was interesting, to say the least. He had found Mecchis fighting her arch-rival villain, Master Magus. Luckily, the innocents were being held at bay by Nocturne and her squad. Mecchis was in her iconic silver-plated power suit, and she was staring down Master Magus. “Listen, Boast Master, we all know how this ends. You on the floor, and me locking you up. Can’t you just quit?” A cobalt unicorn mare wearing a purple bodysuit and a golden cape glared back at her. “Never! I can’t stop now, Not with Emperor Dragon trying to ruin the game! I need to make my mark before he rules everything!” She adjusted the clasp for her cape, and it sent out a signal sound that some of the “citizens” responded to. They shed their civilian disguises, and donned colored capes of their own. “Now, my Mage Minions! Show Manehattan who’s in charge now!” As the minions encroached on the crowd, Mecchis was busy with Master Magus herself. Spells clashed with metallic extensions, and neither seemed to have an edge over the other for now. Not questioning his luck, Crystal Spire jumped into help. “Care for a crystalline support, Mecchis? There’s too many of them for you to handle yourself, right?” Snarkily, Mecchis replied. “Sure, Carbon Boy. Knock yourself out. Not like you’d let me stop you.” Shaking his head, Crystal Spire let himself smile. It was a good start, but there were more heroes he needed to build camaraderie with if they were to have a chance of defeating Emperor Dragon. He easily knocked the minions around like sacks of flour with his crystals. As he knocked down the last one, he glimpsed back to see Master Magus in hoof cuffs. Mecchis gave her over to Nocturne, who took off the purple eye mask from Master Magus. “You know the drill by now, Starwish. I’m hardly surprised that you’re here again. It’s just sad how delusional you are.” As she heard that, she turned to see his minions abandon her. However, before all of them could escape, Crystal Spire trapped one with crystal around the pegasus’ hooves and wings. “Where do you think you’re going? Did Emperor Dragon give you an offer too?” The tan mare glared at the assembly before her, planning to hold her tongue. However, something shifted with her demeanor. She started laughing. After a few minutes, she calmed down and began to talk. “Emperor Dragon is the pinnacle of supers. He has a gift that nobody else does. Not only does he have an impressive power of his own, he can give non-supers gifts of their own! All at the cost of loyalty to his cause. If you think that you can stop him, you’re way out of your depth.” Crystal Spire, Mecchis, and Nocturne shared a worried look. If that was true, they needed a very versatile team to take him down. Crystal teleported some letters to himself and gave one of them to Mecchis. Mecchis raised an eyebrow. “An invitation to the team, I presume? So you‘re hoofing them out already?” Shaking his head, Crystal Spire replied. “You’re the first that I’ve approached about it. Aside from the two of us, I’ve been keeping my eye on five other heroes. In Nocturne’s little Super Index, they are Entry 006: Typhoon Blast, Entry 017: Fasttrack, Entry 024: Gigavolt, Entry 025: Rampage, & Entry 030: Blizzardian. We’re going to need all the help we can get.” Crystal lit his horn, and spoke one more time before leaving. “Just don’t be late.” He then teleported away. Location: Cloudsdale He ended up teleporting above the clouds a bit and started to fall. Thinking quickly, Crystal used his power to slow his descent. With the extra time he was afforded, he used a cloud-walking spell so he wouldn’t fall through. Once he landed, he started looking for who Nocturne had labeled as Entry 006: Typhoon Blast. A lilac pegasus stallion with a navy blue flight suit and eye mask shouldn’t be too hard to spot, given the situation. He was knocked out of his thoughts when he saw Typhoon Blast fighting a villain. The villain in question was a blue pegasus mare in a jet black flight suit of her own. Her periwinkle eyes were framed by a ski mask. She clapped her forehooves together, and a shockwave of immense force shot out towards Typhoon Blast. Typhoon countered by rubbing his hooves together and then a pushing motion. A wall of circling wind came from his hooves, and met the shockwave half-way. The two canceled each other out. Irritated, the mare glared at Typhoon, cyan mane billowing in the wind. “You’re getting on my last nerve, Typhoon Blast! Why can’t you just quit!?” Typhoon let a smirk light up his face. “Because you never stop either, Shrieker. I’d rather not have to do this, but it’s my job. Honestly, you’re wasting your gift with a criminal career. I’d rather you join me in fighting evil. We could make a great team!” For a moment, it looked like Shrieker was considering it. However, She shook her head and let out a belting shriek from her mouth. With Typhoon distracted while covering his ears, Shrieker escaped to fight another day. Crystal Spire walked up and patted Typhoon on the shoulder. “That’s rough, buddy. Trying to get through to villains is a lost cause in my opinion. Might as well let her go.” Typhoon got up and turned to face Crystal Spire. He was about to counter that when he noticed a letter in his vision. He grabbed it, and asked. “What’s this about?” Crystal Spire looked back before he left. “Read it, Typhoon. I expect that you’ll understand when you know the contents. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Crystal Spire used another teleportation spell. Location: Fillydelphia As Crystal clutched his head, he chided himself. Teleporting himself more than once a day gave him a major headache. As he was about to go off to get some medication, he felt a cool sensation form around his head. He sighed, and turned to see Blizzardian in her iconic ice armor. “I didn’t know you used your powers for such an application. Shouldn’t you be fighting a villain or something?” She lifted a scrawny diamond dog in a clown costume off the ground. “I already took care of Circus Dog. He won't be causing any more trouble for a while.” She tilted her head as Crystal Spire gave her a letter. “An invitation to join your Super Team, I presume? I heard from Mecchis that you might stop by for this…” Crystal got up and shook off the cooling air. “Yes, but I don’t have time to give out the invites to others personally. One thing for it, I suppose.” He took out the other two and focused. He teleported the letters off to their intended recipients, and let out a sigh. “I hope everyone shows. I’ll be off now…” Crystal Spire shot off into the distance, using his crystals to propel him. Location: Canterlot’s Old Crystal Mines Six heroes walked in, all with an idea of why they were called there. Mecchis looked around. “All right Crystal Spire, we’re all here. Can we start this meeting already?” Landing from his flight, Typhoon Blast set down near her. He brushed off his White Typhoon hero symbol on his chest. “He might not be here yet, Mecchis. In our line of work, it’s likely that he got caught up in a fight…” “That couldn’t be further from the truth, Typhoon Blast… I never allow myself to be caught in a fight when I have more important things to do.” Crystal Spire exited the shadows, an amused look on his face. “I didn’t realize that you thought that I was on your level.” Agitation was apparent on Typhoon’s face, but a light gray forepaw clad in icy blue armor stopped him. “Enough of this, both of you. Now, we all came here like you asked. Could you please get to the point?” A nod came from Crystal Spire. “Sorry about that, Blizzardian. I called each of you here because you are the best of the best. The other heroes just aren’t cut out for this.” An Earth Pony mare in a white bodysuit stepped forward. Tilting her head, she spoke up with curiosity in her amber eyes. “Are you sure? We might need all the help that we can get!” Looking straight at her, He snorted. “Yes, Fasttrack. I’m sure. The rest are only fit for the petty criminals. We have handled Super Villains! It takes someone with that kind of strength to be a part of The Super Squad.” The griffon hero with Green Lightning adorning his leather jacket harrumphed. “Seriously? That’s what we’re going to call ourselves? What about something cool, like- ‘The Evbliterators?”’ Crystal Spire shook his head. “Too obtuse, Gigavolt. Simple and to the point is the key with a team’s name. Nice try, though.” A white catfolk swishes his tail in anticipation. “The name’s not important as long as I get to break some bad guys. Working with others is just a side-thing for me.” Looking around, Crystal Spire made a mental note that he would need to build the group’s teamwork more before they worked together on a bigger scale. He spoke. “All right. We will all meet here after hero work each day to work on our camaraderie. If we are to face down this threat, we need to be a team. Let’s begin.” Location: Nocturne’s home Nocturne looked down at her files again. She had to keep track of everything going on, after all. She could use a refresher on some of the Supers that came into the scene today. Anything to get her mind off of Crystal Spire. She perused the pages again… Entry 005: Mage Master Alter-Ego: Starwish Gender: Female Eye Color: Indigo Coat Color: Cobalt Hair Color: Pepper Cutie Mark: Shooting Star Villainess Brand: Blue Starburst Tribe: Unicorn Height: 5’3” Weight: 160 lbs Power: Peak Unicorn abilities. Origin: Born a prodigy, thought himself entitled to more. Entry 006: Typhoon Blast Alter-Ego: Slipstream Gender: Male Eye Color: Dark Blue Coat Color: Lilac Hair Color: Cutie Mark: Gust of wind Hero Symbol: White Typhoon Tribe: Pegasus Height: 5’5” Weight: 175 lbs Power: Conjuring powerful wind storms. Origin: Accident with a new weather spell. Entry 007: Shrieker Alter-Ego: Downpour Gender: Female Eye Color: Periwinkle Coat Color: Blue Hair Color: Cyan Cutie Mark: Raincloud Villainess Brand: Tribe: Pegasus Height: 5’0” Weight:160 lbs Power: Creating powerful sonic attacks. Origin: Discovered her sonic abilities by chance one day. Unknown if she was born with them or not. Entry 017: Fasttrack Alter-Ego: Sandstone Gender: Female Eye Color: Amber Coat Color: Beige Hair Color: Blonde Cutie Mark: Sandstone Hero Symbol: Stop-Watch Tribe: Earth Pony Height: 5’4” Weight: 170 lbs Power: Slowing down time. Origin: Chemical accident. Entry 024: Gigavolt Alter-Ego: Gilford Gender: Male Eye Color: Blue Down Color: Chocolate Hair Color: Auburn Hero Symbol: Green Lightning Tribe: Griffon Height: 5’7” Weight: 180 lbs Power: Electricity manipulation Origin: Cells suddenly mutated. Entry 025: Rampage Alter-Ego: Franz Gender: Male Eye Color: Red Fur Color: White Hair Color: Lavender Hero Symbol: Broken Pillars Tribe: Catfolk Height: 6’0” Weight: 170 lbs Power: Super strength Origin: Exposed to a radioactive stone. Entry 029: Circus Dog Alter Ego: Oscar Gender: Male Eye Color: Hazel Fur Color: Muted Brown Villain Brand: Red Nose Tribe: Diamond Dog Height: 4’5” Weight: 150 lbs Power: None (unless you count insanity) Origin: Unknown She then updated the entry for Emperor Dragon with the new information, citing that it was only a rumor at this point. However, if it were true… She shook her head. The thought of him having an army of supers sent chills down her spine. She packed away the files once more, and decided to step out for a bit of air. To Be Continued… Author's Note Sorry I was late with this. I might not have as much time as like for this soon. Hopefully I can get a good balance soon...
The Glory Days BeginSome time after Crystal Spire had his talk with Nocturne, things started to change. More heroes popped up all over the place, balanced out by all the villains. Nocturne was leading her squad against the newest threat. The villain was a griffon clad in a white suit coat and tophat. He wore a gray mask that concealed his eyes. He sneered through his beak as he tapped the tip of his Diamond-tipped cane on the glass of the display cases, shattering them instantly. “You can’t stop me, Nocturne. I am a different class of villain! It’s all about profit, profit, profit!” He made a gesture with his auburn wings, and his goons raised their talons. “Tear the lot of them to shreds!” As they were about to attack, a wall of crystal swept across the floor. Nocturne smirked. “Took your sweet time, huh? I thought you might not show up!” Crystal Spire jumped onto the scene as the crystals abated. “Sorry that I’m late. Traffic was Tartarus!” He looked at the villain. “So, what’s your deal, huh? Stealing is so overdone. There must be more to it, right? You can’t possibly be that bland.” Anger crept upon the griffon's mug. “I see that you’re overly flashy. You must be this Crystal Spire that I’ve heard so much about.” The anger faded, and a smile grew. “Perfect. Now I, the Baron of Bling, may finally debut my gift!” Lifting his cane, it started to glow with light. “I think I’ll take one of your tricks, Spire!” He then banged the cane on the ground and a wave of crystals shot out from the point of contact. Crystal Spire didn’t even blink. He just let the crystals approach. He scoffed, and let a smile grace his face. “I see. A copycat? I don’t exactly know how you can do that, but just so you know-” The crystals stopped short, and he stomped his forehooves. The crystals flew from the ground, and hung in the air for a bit. Crystal Spire chuckled. “There’s nobody quite like the original.” He then made a pointing gesture with his right forehoof, and the crystals flew back towards the Baron. As much as he tried, his cane couldn’t wrest control of the crystals from Crystal Spire. The crystals crashed into the ground to surround the Baron. Crystal’s horn lit, and he snatched the cane from the Baron’s grasp. “Nice toy. I think that I might just keep it as a souvenir.” Talons grasping at the crystal bars, the Baron hissed. “No! Without it, I’m nothing! Give it back!” His goons looked at him and started to flee. He barked at them. “Where do you think you’re going!? I’m your boss, get me out of this!” One of the goons produced a flier from his vest. “Correction: Former boss. The boys and I are leaving to work for a higher class of villain. You’re just a washed-up wannabe. The Emperor Dragon sends his regards.” He tossed the flier at the base of the cage, and then ran off. Nocturne called out to her squad. “After them! Don’t let them escape!” Crystal Spire picked up the flier, and he lifted an eyebrow. “The Emperor Dragon, huh? Looks like we’ve got a new villain on the horizon.” He looked at the baron with a sympathetic look, taunting him by twirling the Baron’s cane with his magic. “Must be pretty lonely having all your underlings leave you for somebody else.” The Baron growled with irritation. “So? What’s your point? I’ll get out of this mess, and then they’ll see that they shouldn’t have betrayed me!” A sigh escaped Nocturne as she approached. “I doubt that, Garreth. It’s going to be all over the news how incompetent you were.” Garreth’s jaw hung for a moment as Crystal removed the mask from the griffon. “How did you know who I was? How do you do that!?” Crystal Spire smirked. “You’ve got quite the identifying birthmark on the back of one of your wings. You’re the only griffon with the birthmark of-” Garret squawked with embarrassment as his wings beat wildly. “That’s quite enough!” He calmed himself, and sighed as he looked at Nocturne. “I’ll go quietly for now. But know this! The world hasn’t seen the last of the Baron of Bling!” Nocturne escorted him to the police chariot and rolled her eyes as she cuffed him. “You and everybody else, buddy.” She sighed as the door shut and the driver went off. She turned to see that Crystal Spire was still around. “So, what do you think the deal is with this ‘Emperor Dragon’ that his goon mentioned?” Taking a look at the flier, Crystal Spire was silent. The flier was red with an emblem of a silhouetted dragon’s head with a crown on it encased in a twelve-pointed star. Under the emblem were the words: “The Emperor Dragon wants you for his army. Enroll today!” Using his magic, he gave the flier to Nocturne. “Whoever he is, it can’t be good. My guess? World domination is his goal.” A chill hung in the air. A dragon with superpowers bent on world domination was a terrifying thought. It might be presumptuous to think that the Emperor Dragon had powers beyond a normal dragon, but it was best to err on the side of caution. Nocturne sighed. “If we end up having to fight such a threat, can we count upon your help?” A smile graced Crystal’s face as he nodded. “Do you even have to ask?” He shook his head. “Though, it’ll be best to get myself a team if he’s recruiting an ‘army’. I’ll get on team-building efforts with some of the other Supers.” As Crystal was readying to leave, Nocturne debated calling out. Nocturne had kept things between them professional, but the intrigue was a bit too alluring. She approached, and started to close the gap. She might regret it later, but she had to know. However, Crystal Spire’s hoof stopped her. “Listen Nocturne. I’m flattered, really. But I’m a superhero. If I entertain your feelings, you will end up getting used against me. I can’t exactly afford to have that on my conscience. It’s best that we keep things professional.” Before she could refute, Crystal Spire used her stupor as an opportunity to leave. A sigh escaped Nocturne’s lips. Of course she had to have a crush on the most practically-minded Super. Still, she couldn’t help being irritated at his logic. She shook her head as she left. It wouldn’t be good to dwell on it, so she decided to instead focus on updating the Super-Being Files. The name was changed, now that non ponies were showing up with superpowers. She found her way to her office, and started writing. Super-Being Files Entry 030: Blizzardian Alter Ego: Rumblessa Gender: Female Eye Color: Ice Blue Fur Color: Light Gray Heroine Symbol: Snowflake emblazoned upon a shield Tribe: Diamond Dog Height: 6’0” Weight: 200 lbs Power: Manipulating ice Origin: Discovered her powers when caught in a blizzard. Unknown if it was latent, or if there was something special about that storm. Notes: One of few heroes that seem to be on par with Crystal Spire. One can only hope that she’ll be part of his new Super Team. Entry 031: Baron of Bling Alter-Ego: Garreth Gender: Male Eye Color: Hazel Down Color: Auburn Hair Color: White Villain Brand: Diamond-tipped cane Tribe: Griffon Height: 5’5” Weight: 190 lbs Power: Copying Powers Origin: Found his iconic cane and was gifted with the ability to copy superpowers for a brief period. Notes: The most laughable addition to the rogues gallery. His only goal is to amass a large amount of wealth through any method necessary. Entry 032: Emperor Dragon Alter Ego: UNKNOWN Gender: Male Eye Color: UNKNOWN Scale Color: UNKNOWN Belly Color: UNKNOWN Villain Brand: An emblem of a silhouetted dragon’s head with a crown on it encased in a twelve-pointed star Tribe: Dragon Height: UNKNOWN Weight: UNKNOWN Power: UNKNOWN Origin: UNKNOWN Notes: More will become apparent about this foe once we do some research. I just hope that Crystal Spire’s new Super Team can cake him on. Elsewhere… A griffon bows to a massive black dragon. “I humbly accept your offer, Emperor Dragon.” The black dragon showed off a toothy grin that reached his golden eyes. “Excellent. Another lesser villain successfully sabotaged. I need to beat the competition if I’m to rule this world.” The griffon raised his head and spoke. “Sir, what about the heroes? Now that they know about you…” Glaring at the griffon, the black dragon’s rainbow belly shimmered in the light. “They are of no consequence. Nobody can or will stand in my way. My reign is a foregone conclusion.” A cheer rang out in the cave, as ponies, griffons, and many other races shouted out the cry: “All hail the Emperor Dragon! May his power crush even the Princesses themselves! May his reign be ever-lasting!” To be continued… Author's Note Here it is, at last! I've got some big plans, as evidenced by the new villain being hinted at.
