Author's Note

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Phoenix ch.1 The Martyr

“So, what’s the plan?” asked Humdrum

“Tirek has the Crystal Heart inside the main chamber of his… aircraft, we believe he is using its power to charge the ray cannons inside the craft, we must disconnect it and render them useless, if not, Tirek will be able to posicion the craft above the Crystal Empire and blow it to pieces,” said Masked Matter-horn

“So, we find the chamber, get the heart, kick the bad guys’ asses, and save the day… easy,” said Zapp

“Except, knowing Tirek he must have figured out the same thing, and must have changed the way those cannons work,” said Humdrum

“Oh, come on Hum, he ain’t that smart, there is no way he’d figure us out,” said Zapp

“We thought the same thing about you, yet, you surprise us,” said Humdrum

“EXCUSE ME?!” said Zapp

“He’s right,” said Fili-second

“Again, excuse me?” said Zapp

“About the cannons, dear, not your limited mental prowess,” said Radiance

“Oh… HEY!” screamed Zapp

“It doesn’t matter… just in case, we’ll split up in 3 teams, Matter-horn, Zapp and Radiance, you three’s gonna head to the west wing and take out the cannons there, Saddle Rager and I will go to the East wing and take out them cannons, and Humdrum… you and Fili-second get to the control room and disconnect the heart and, if you can, activate the self-destruct mechanism,” said Mistress Mare-velous

“Hey! Why do they have to go together?” asked Radiance annoyed

“Because, Fili-second is the fastest one out of all of us and Humdrum is the only one here who is good with computers,” said Mare-velous

“But, I can still go and help them,” said Radiance

“WE are acting as an insurance policy, just in case Humdrum’s gut feeling is true,” said Mare-velous

“BUT!” Radiance tried to argue

“Radiance, I really think you should stick to the plan, your powers would be better put to use destroying the cannons,” said Saddle Rager

Radiance looked at Saddle Rager, then at Mare-velous, and then at Humdrum

“Fine, just… just stay safe, ok,” said Radiance in defeat and worry on her voice

“Always,” said Humdrum

“We’ll be just fine,” said Fili-Second

“Ok, then, let’s roll,” said Mare-velous as Zapp maneuvered the chopper towards Tirek’s floating castle.

“Well, this is our stop,” said Humdrum as he and Fili-second jumped onto the sealing of the craft and rushed towards a locked hatchet.

With a powerful kick, Humdrum opened it, granting access to the upper level of the floating castle.

“He’s so cool,” Radiance thought as Zapp continued to maneuver the chopper toward the hangar.

“Girls, get ready for one heck of a welcoming party,” said Zapp as she landed the chopper in an enemy infested hangar.

“Let’s do this!” said Mare-velous as they jumped off and began fighting their way towards the cannons.

WITH HUMDRUM AND FILI-SECOND

“Odd, where is everybody?” asked Fili-second

“Luckily, we haven’t been detected,” said Humdrum

“Oh, where’s the fun in that?” asked Fili-second

“In getting to the control chamber fast enough and secure everyone’s lives,” said Humdrum as he peaked around the corner

“If speed is what we need, I can take care of that,” said Fili-second

“And activate every trap and alarm on the way,” said Humdrum

“Hum, I’ve got this,” said Fili-second

“Good for you,” said Humdrum

“You don’t trust me do you?” asked Fili-second

“As much as a heroine trusts her sidekick,” said Humdrum

“But I DO trust you,” said Fili-second

“And I trust you, and that is why I prefer we do this quietly, ok?” asked Humdrum

“Ok,” said Fili-second

With that Fili-second and Humdrum started making their way towards the control room, slowly and carefully maneuvering the halls of the craft as to not be discovered.

“Hey, don’t you think it’s way too quiet?” asked Fili-second

“Agreed… something isn’t right here,” said Humdrum as they rounded a corner

“According to the map, the control room is the next door to the left,” said Fili-second

“This one then,” said Humdrum as he walked up to the control panel, hacked it, and opened the door.

“DIBS ON THE FIRST BAD GUY!” screamed Fili-Second as she raced past Humdrum into the control room, only for 2 heavily weaponized armored guards to punch her and send her flying into the wall behind her, causing her to go through it.

“Serves you right you dumb fuck, hopefully from now on you’ll listen to me more,” said Humdrum as he turned and noticed that the armored guards where aiming their guns at him.

“EXTERMINATE!!!” they both roared as they opened fire on Humdrum

Humdrum skillfully avoided every bullet, but due to the fact that he was in an open hallway, there was no place for him to hide, he knew that eventually he’d get tired and become an open target.

“Dammit, I have to find a way to defeat them, and fast… let’s see… their exoskeletons are, more than likely, made out of iron, or at least something similar… they are carrying at least 3,000 rounds of munitions for each minigun… and judging by the speed they are walking at, it must be heavy… which means they… just need… a little… PUSH!” said Humdrum as he dashed towards the wall, run climbed it and ejected himself towards the door’s frame, kicking the 2 guards square on the head, causing them to wobble backwards as they try to regain balance, only to be defeated by the weight of the exo-skeleton and go over the protective railing, falling to their deaths.

“BASTARD!” came a male voice

“Hello, Tirek,” said Humdrum

“I should’ve known it was you, and those sidekicks of yours,” said Tirek

“Uhm… I’m the sidekick, they’re the heroines,” Humdrum corrected

“Really?... Those idiots are the heroines?” said Tirek in disbelief

“Huh, not as bright as you claim to be,” Humdrum said

“Oh, don’t test your luck boy… but yes, it surprises me that those 6 are the “real” heroes here… I mean, compared to you, they’re not the sharpest tools in the shed,” said Tirek

“Are you saying that because I’m a dude and they’re girls?... because if that’s the case, you’d better pray they don’t break your ass,” said Humdrum

“I highly doubt it,” Tirek said as he pointed behind Humdrum

Humdrum turned and noticed Fili-second crawling out of the crater on the wall holding her head

“Oh… I feel like I just took a rollercoaster through a steel wall,” she said

“Oh brother,” said Humdrum

“You see humdrum… what will it take for you to realize that YOU are way better than they are? Hmph… they are holding you back… why don’t you join us, unleash your full potential… become, what you really are,” said Tirek

“You’re wasting your breath Tirek, I’m happy with what I have become,” said Humdrum

“A shadow your own parents ignored?” asked Tirek, trying to get into Humdrum’s head

“They made their choice, I’m not going to hate them for it,” said Humdrum

“HA! Good joke, I know your kind, they don’t take rejection well,” said Tirek

“Then think again, I do not resent anything my parents did to me, or what everyone’s done to me for that matter,” said Humdrum

“Are you stupid?” asked Tirek in anger

“Call me “Romantic” if you want,” said Humdrum in a challenging way

“HA! You’re just afraid of being alone, that’s all it is… open your eyes kid, they don’t care about you, you’re just a servant they use for their own benefit,” said Tirek

“Wrong again…” said Humdrum

“YEAH! Humdrum is very important to us, he’s our friend, of course, we care about him,” Fili-second said as she walked up to stand next to Humdrum

“Oh please, he’s your sidekick, no heroe, ever, has cared about their sidekicks, and they never will,” said Tirek “And you, Humdrum, WAKE UP ALREADY! They say they care about you, but we both know they don’t,” Tirek said

“That’s not true!” Fili-second screamed

“Tirek, you’re really stupid… of course I know they don’t care as much as I’d like them to, but, I know they care about my well being, to a degree that I’m comfortable to,” said Humdrum

“Mark my words kid, they will use you, treat you like shit, break you… and once they’re done, they’ll leave you behind to die… alone,” said Tirek

“That’s not true, we never leave anyone behind,” said Fili-second

“Keep telling yourself that until you believe it,” said Tirek

“I believe it, and so does Humdrum,” said Fili-second

“Then you’re both fools, and so, you will both die as fools… such a shame Humdrum, you have such potential, and yet, you refuse to realize your impending future if you remain next to them… but I am a merciful overlord, I’ll give you one last chance to choose… a family, AKA me… or Solitude, AKA them,” he said as he walked over to the overcommand, not realizing that Humdrum was positioning himself in a particular way

“That’s the thing, Tirek… I’ve always been alone,” Humdrum said as he threw his metal staff at him, imitating a javelin throw, piercing Tirek’s hand

“OH! MY HAND!! YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT! KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL!!!” screamed Tirek as the remaining guard opened fire on Humdrum and Fili-second

They quickly jumped back and took cover at opposite sides of the door

“Fili-second, this is your queue,” said Humdrum

“Ok!” she said as she jumped up and became a blur as guard after guard fell to the floor winded from the punches they were receiving until eventually all of the guards were incapacitated

“That was easy,” she said as Humdrum walked up to her

“Good for you,” said Humdrum

“IDIOTS! ALL OF YOU! YOU HAVE ONE JOB, AND YOU CAN’T EVEN DO THAT?!!!” Tirek screamed at all of his henchmen and women lying on the floor in pain “Forget it, I’ll do it myself,” he said as he walked over to the over command and pressed a big red button.

“SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED!” said the computer

“Are you stupid?!!” asked Fili-second “You’re destroying your trump card,” she exclaimed

“Stupid girl, this isn’t my trump card,” said Tirek as he walked over to a cylindrical looking crate

“Then what is?” asked Fili-second

“I AM!” he said as he opened the crate revealing the crystal heart within it

“Oh no!” said Fili-second

“OH, YEAH!” said Tirek as he absorbed the crystal heart and his body began to grow bigger and bulkier “NOW! I’LL SHOW YOU TRUE POWER!!!!” he roared.

MEANWHILE WITH THE REST OF THE GIRLS

BOOM!

“Yeah! Take that you stupid cannons!” cheered Zapp as she used her lightning to explode 2 more cannons

“We’re almost done girls, keep at it!” said Matter-Horn as she used her energy beams to destroy more cannons

“Only 1 more cannon left!” screamed Mare-velous as she rushed to destroy it, only for a hail of bullets to stop her dead in her tracks.

Mare-velous looked up and noticed various henchmen aiming and firing in their direction

“SHIT!” Mare-velous exclaimed as she ducked behind some crates

“Someone do something about those damn guns!” screamed Zapp

“Don’t worry girls, we have your backs!” said Radiance as she used her magic to materialize various crates above the group of henchmen and dropped them on them.

“Ragger, now!” signaled Radiance

But nothing happened

“Where is Ragger?” she asked

“RAGGER?!!” she exclaimed

“Oh! So-sorry… I-I got scared by the guns,” Ragger said as she popped her head out from behind a couple of crates.

“Seriously Darling,” Radiance said in disappointment

“I’ll do it myself!” said Mare-velous as she swung her lasso at the las cannon, latching onto it, and swinging it around in the air for a few seconds and then launched it at the wall, creating an opening that sucked out threatened to suck out everyone in the room.

Only for a bunch of crates to seal it off

“Well, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” said Zapp

“Indeed,” said Matter-horn

“But seriously, Ragger, you can’t coward in the middle of a battle,” said Radiance

“I’m sorry, I-I still have to get used to the fighting,” said Saddle Ragger

“But, that’s the point, Your power is activates with anger, rage, we need that power to fight,” said Radiance

“B-But, the thought of hurting others…” said Ragger

“What about the thought of them hurting us… or Humdrum or… Your cute, little animal friends,” said Radiance

“The wouldn’t dare,” said Ragger

“I don’t know… but, do you want to wait and find out?” asked Radiance

“NO!” said Ragger as her eyes started to resemble flames

“SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED!”

“HA! Look at that, Fili and the squirt did it!” said Zapp

“He is NOT a squirt!” Radiance shot back at Zapp

“Oh come on sister, he’s short as fuck,” said Zapp

“And yet taller than you,” Radiance shot back

“Ouch,” said Mare-velous

“GIRLS! It’s not the time for that, we have company!” Matter-horn said as she pointed at the henchmen and Women running into the hangar.

“Ragger, I surely hope this time you don’t bail on us,” said Radiance as she got into a fighting stance

“They won’t hurt any cute animals in my watch!” she roared

But just as they were about to strike the first blow, many of them ran past them screaming

“RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!”

“HUH!” They all said as they noticed that no Henchmen or women were trying to fight, but instead reached the escape pods, some were even carrying the injured towards them.

“I guess this means we won,” said Matter-horn

“So anticlimactic!” Zapp complained

“A W is a W, I’ll contact Fili and Humdrum, we must leave before Tirek shows up, or this thing blows,” said Mare-velous

“A little busy right now Mare,” came Humdrum’s voice over the radio

“Yes we know, good job and getting the heart back,” said Mare-velous

“Yeah… about that,” said Humdrum

“What is it?” asked Mare-velous, her voice tone changing to a concerned one

“The info you got was wrong, Tirek set us up, he knew we’d be here,” said Humdrum

“What do you mean?” asked Mare-velous

“When Fili and I arrived to the control room, he was here… is here, waiting for us… we defeated the minions but, then he activated the self-destruct button and merged with the crystal heart,” said Humdrum

“WHAT!!!” they all said

“Yup,” said Humdrum

“Where is he now?” asked Mare-velous

“Fili is keeping him busy, while I am trying to give us some more time in this self-destruct mechanism,” said Humdrum

“We’re heading there right now,” said Matter-horn

“Unders…” was the last thing Humdrum said before his radio signal went dark

“Humdrum?... HUMDRUM DO YOU COPY? OVER?!!!” Radiance said in a panic

“No time, we must get to the control room now!” said Matter-horn as all of the girls began running.

A FEW SECONDS LATER

“It’s supposed to be around the corner!... THERE!” exclaimed Zapp as she pointed at an open door before them

Just then Fili-second Flew right out the door and through the previous crater.

“FILI!” they all screamed as they rushed over to help their friend

“Fili, you ok?” asked Mare-velous

“Peachy, luckily I had already flown through this wall before,” she said as she popped her head out of the crater

“Glad to hear,” Mare-velous said in a weird-out tone

“OUF!!” came Humdrum’s voice as he flinched from Tirek’s attack

“Humdrum, we’re here to help!” Matter-horn said

“Great!” Humdrum said as he blocked another of Tirek’s attacks “We must free the heart,” he finished just as Tirek punched him square in the face and sent him flying through the wall and out of the aircraft

“HUMDRUM!!!” they all screamed as they saw what happened

“YOU BASTARD!” Radiance screamed as she began to pummel Tirek with different objects

“That's all you got, girl?” said Tirek

“Maybe, but not me!” said Zapp as she dashed in and punched Tirek in the head causing him to stumble.

“Ah, ah, you ain’t going nowhere!” said Mare-velous as she used her lasso to tie Tirek’s feet, and lose even more balance

“You’re going down Tirek!” said Matter-horn as she shot an energy beam at him

The impact of the beam in his chest, tripped him over, directly into the path of Ragger’s fists

“I won’t let you hurt anyone ever again!” she roared as she punched Tirek’s chest, freeing the crystal heart

“NO!” screamed Tirek as he felt the heart leave his body and it morphed back to normal

“We did… THE HEART!” screamed Matter-horn as they all saw that it was being sucked out by the opening on the wall.

“ZAPP GET THE HEART!” screamed Mare-velous

“I won’t reach it on time!” exclaimed Zapp as the heart shot out of the hole, only for a hand to appear out of nowhere and catch it.

“That was close,” said Humdrum as he jumped back into the control room

“HUMDRUM!!” they all exclaimed in happiness

“What, did you really think you’ll get rid of me that easily,” he said as he tossed the crystal heart to Matter-horn

“Tirek, by order of Princess Celestia, ruler of the Canterlot, and Princess Cadence ruler of the Crystal Empire, you are hereby under arrest, you have the right to remain silent…” Matter-horn began but was cut off by Tirek

“I waive that right!” he said as he grabbed a gun and shot at the overcommand computer causing it to overheat and explode, sending everyone in the room flying.

“Oh… is everyone ok?” asked Masked Matter-horn as she got up

“We’re good,” said Mare-velous

“Tirek got away though,” said Fili-second

“We’ll catch him another day,” said Masked Matter-horn

“Guys, Radiance isn’t getting up,” said Ragger as the rest of the team crawled over to her

“She took a bad blow to the head,” said Ragger

“We have to get her medical help and fast,” said Mare-velous

Just as she said this, they heard a loud explosion below them and the whole aircraft beginning to free fall

“That must’ve been the rocket’s exploding,” said Zapp

“We must get off of this thing fast!” said Matter-horn

“But, if this thing falls to the ground, it’ll level the whole Empire!” said Mare-velous

“Once we’re on the ground, we can the soldiers to blow it to smithereens,” said Matter-horn

“Remind me why they didn’t do that earlier?” said Zapp

“Ahem,” said Matter-horn holding the crystal heart

“Oh, yeah, I forgot,” said Zapp

Then another explosion, this time above them, sent them scattering for cover, except for Humdrum, you lunged himself on top of Radiance’s body to act as a shield from the debris.

Luckily no debris fell on top of them

“We must get out here, NOW!” said Mare-velous as she rushed over to Radiance and Humdrum, lifting her up and rushing out of the control room with everyone else in tow

“We must head over to the hangar, or best option is to get to the chopper and fly out,” said Zapp

“The hanger is destroyed, nothing in there is flying,” said Humdrum

“Can’t the 2 of you fly out and get another chopper?” said Fili-second

“At this altitude we’d pass out do to the lack of oxygen,” said Ragger

“And, even if we were able to do so, it’ll take too long to head back,” said Zapp

“There are some extra escape pods at the south end of this aircraft,” said Humdrum

“Then we’ll head there,” said Matter-horn as she turned right followed by the rest of the team.

The group of heroes continued to run through hallways after hallway, as fast as they could while trying their best to avoid the debris falling around them.

“We’re almost there!” exclaimed Matter-horn as she pointed to the sign that said escape pods

Just as they were about to turn onto the hallway, they heard a loud BOOM behind them.

They all turned and saw a massive ball of fire heading towards them

“RUN!!!” screamed Matter-horn as they all turned the corner and dashed across it

“We aren’t going to make it!” said Mare-velous as they could feel the heat rising behind them.

Then Humdrum noticed something to his left, it was the safe door of the hallway, this gave him an idea.

“I’VE GOT AN IDEA!” he said as he jumped to the side and pushed the door shot, using his body as an anchor to force it shut.

“HUMDRUM!” Mare-velous exclaimed

“I’M GOOD, JUST GO… ONCE IT DISSIPATES I’LL CATCH UP!” he said as he kept the door closed.

The girls continued to rush down the corridor, but then another ball of fire appeared before them making them stop in their tracks and fall to the floor as it dissipated.

“HOW MUCH FURTHER!!!” asked Zapp

“WE’RE ALMOST THERE, THEY’RE JUST ACROSS FROM THAT DOOR!” said Matter-horn

“GIRLS YOU ALRIGHT?!” came Humdrum’s voice

“WE’RE GOOD, YOU?” asked Masked Matter-horn

“I’m good, heading over to you now,” said Humdrum

“COME ON THEN!” said Zapp as she, Fili-second and Mare-velous dashed towards the escape pods’ hangar, while Masked Matter-horn and Ragger waited for Humdrum to catch up

“Zapp, any escape pods left?” asked Matter-horn over the radio

“One in functioning order, I’m getting it ready to launch,” said Zapp

“Radiance is all strapped up, we’re just waiting for you,” said Mare-velous

“We’re on our way!” said Masked Matter-horn as Humdrum caught up to them

“Quick, this place isn’t going to wait much longer to collapse,” said Zapp

“COME ON!” Masked Matter-Horn exclaimed as they made a dash for the hangar.

As they were nearing the hangar, Ragger noticed that the hatchet door was beginning to close

“THE DOOR!” she screamed as she jumped underneath it and did her best to keep it open, but she soon realized that it was far heavier than she thought

“Good job Ragger,” said Matter-horn as she dashed through the opening to safety.

“No problem,” Ragger said in a huff

“Right behind you Ragger,” came Humdrum’s voice

“Ok...I can’t hold it any longer… it’s going to slip… Is this it for me?” Ragger said, just as the last drop of her strength was fading, she felt something wrap around her waist and push her forward.

“SAFE!” said Humdrum as he and Ragger landed at the other side of the hatch as it closed behind them.

“Th-thanks,” said Saddle Ragger

“Thank me when we’re off this cursed flying piece of scrap metal,” said Humdrum as he helped her up and continued to make their way towards the escape pod.

The only thing standing in their way was a small bridge, which seemed to be getting weaker by the second

“HURRY YOU 2!” exclaimed Mare-velous as Ragger and Humdrum began to cross the bridge.

They were half way down the bridge, when they heard a crack above them

This caught their attention, they looked up to see what it was and saw various pieces of the ceiling falling towards them

“JUMP!!!” screamed Humdrum as both he and Ragger jumped towards the other end of the bridge as this one was hit by the debris and fell into the abyss

Humdrum and Ragger, barely made it to the other end, but due to the debilitated state of the aircraft, their grip wasn’t as strong as they thought.

“NO!!!” screamed Mare-velous as she jumped towards the edge to try and catch her 2 teammates, not a second too soon, as Ragger’s grip failed her and she slipped, only to be caught by Humdrum.

This action caused the edge of the railing he was holding onto to break, but Mare-velous caught him.

“HANG ON YOU 2!” Mare-velous exclaimed as she battled to pull both of them up

"OUCH! my wing!" Exclaimed Ragger as a metalic rod hit her left wing.

“Mare, Take Ragger’s hand!” exclaimed Humdrum as he lifted Ragger’s arm high enough for Mare-velous to grab her hand.

“ARGH! YOU’RE SLIPPING!” Mare-velous said

“Hang on, we’re coming!” said Fili-second as she and Matter-horn began to unbuckle the many seat belts and straps holding them in their seats.

As this happened Mare-velous’ grip on Humdrum’s arm began to fail, causing him to almost fall into the abyss.

“ARGH!” Mare-velous screamed in pain as she did her best to get a better grasp on Humdrum’s arm, while at the same time trying to keep her grip on Ragger.

Humdrum desperately looked around for something to help Mare-velous, but no matter where he looked there was nothing

“Damm it, if I don’t do anything soon we’re all going to die… or worst, the whole Crystal Empire will cease to exist… the death toll will be in the millions,” Humdrum thought as something caught his eye

There a few feet below him, was a crane holding various barrels of gasoline, it was dangling in a precarious angle

Humdrum followed the angle and noticed that if there was a way to barrels into the mainframe and into the fire, it would create a bigger explosion allowing the aircraft to drift further away… however, it needed an opening for the fire and shock wave to push the craft away.

“It’ll have to be a big crater… the size of a person at least… my size to be exact,” he thought as a hard tug made him come back to his senses

“Damn it!” exclaim Mare-velous as she continued to fight gravity to save her friends

Humdrum looked at her and then at the crane and finally at the fire, then he looked up at Mistress Mare-velous, her face was red with exhaustion and she was sweating heavily.

With this, Humdrum grabbed his Metal Staff, aimed for the crane’s control lever and threw it, hitting his target.

The crane went wild, and swung the barrels into the fire as planned, but now came the hard part

“Mare, let me go!” he said

“WHAT?!!!!!” she screamed in surprise

“Save yourselves!” Humdrum screamed

“ARE YOU CRAZY?!” she screamed

“Mare, please,” said Humdrum

“NO WAY JOSE, WE AIN’T LEAVING WITHOUT YOU, WE’RE A TEAM!” she exclaimed

“WE’RE COMING!” exclaimed Fili-second as she headed over to Matter-horn to help her free herself from the strap.

“You hear that Humdrum, just hold on for a few more second,” Ragger said

“Yeah, I’ve got my second wind, everything’s going to be alright,” said Mare-velous as she started fighting to save them both.

“Mare, if you don’t let me go, millions will die,” Humdrum pleaded

“I WON’T LET MY FRIEND DIE!!!” Mare-velous exclaimed

Humdrum knew his pleading was falling on deaf ears, that’s when he realized that the part of the floor Mare-velous was lying on was about to break.

“If she doesn't let me go soon, they’ll fall with me,” said Humdrum

“FREE! LET’S GO!” came Fili-seconds voice as she and Matter-horn got up and raced towards their friends

“Mare… thank you… for everything,” Humdrum said as he slipped out of Mare-velous’ hand and began to fall

“HUMDRUM!!!!!” Mare-velous screamed as Fili-second and Matter-horn arrived, only to see their friend be engulfed by the fire ball beneath them

“NO~!” Mare-velous screamed as Fili-second and Matter-horn helped Ragger up and into the escape pod.

Humdrum felt the warmth of the fire around him, and slowly closed his eyes as he accepted his fate

“It’s for the best… what is one life compared to millions?” he thought as everything went dark.

“What makes you a hero? The name, the bod, the... power?... everyone I knew was always saying that: If you don’t have a good hero name then you’re a villain, if you don’t have a muscular or lean or sexy body then you’re a villain… if you don’t have magic or power, then you’re a normy, or a villain… it was the same shit all the time,”

“I was always against this way of thinking, it felt too… convenient… convenient for those who had the looks, the name and the power, but no self-esteem… but, nevertheless, I was also a victim of this way of thinking since day 1 of my life…”

“Congratulations, it’s a healthy baby boy,” said a doctor

“Oh, thank you lord,” said the mother

“Welcome my son, welcome,” said the father as he cut the umbilical cord

“Now, we’ll just do the testing and be back with him and the results in a few minutes,” said the doctor as she and the nurses left the room

“Oh, Felix, I’m so happy,” said the woman

“Me too, my love, me too,” said Felix

“This was the only moment in my life where my parents felt proud of me… cause after that, I was no longer of any importance to them…”

“WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?” asked Felix

“Exactly what it does Mr. Davidson, your son is a normy,” said the doctor

“But, how can it be? Why wife and I are the 2 strongest heroes in this town,” said Felix

“Just because the parent’s have a lot of power or strength doesn’t give the baby powers, it’s the same thing for normy couples who have super babies,” said the doctor

“Is there anything you can do?” asked the woman

“Unfortunately Mrs. Davidson, magic and power aren’t implanted into people, if that were the case everyone would be supers,” said the doctor

“This… this can’t be,” said Mrs. Davidson

“If it makes you feel any better, we did directed many “Super-human” abilities in your son, with proper practice he can be accomplish great things,” said the doctor

“Thank you,” said Felix

“I’ll bring the baby and the report back in a moment,” said the doctor

“Take your time,” said Felix in an emotionless voice

“Now, I know what you’re thinking… WHAT THE LITERAL FUCK?!! Well, my “parent’s” reaction was still “humaine”. Some are immediately given up for adoption or abandoned without a second thought… so, at least I knew what it was to have a “family” since my mom did care for me and my dad trained my abilities, but I knew that in their eyes I was a failure,”

“You might be saying that I’m “Overreacting” but, unfortunately, I am not, my father used to tell me this every time I failed to do something exactly as he wanted me to… it was also the last thing he ever told me…”

“BREAKING NEWS: today, Wednesday, October 28th, Captain Forge and Super Flame have died, yes people, today is a sad day for us, our 2 strongest heroes in history have succumb in their battle against Emperor Death, Felix Davidson and Natasha Davidson (Nee Olsen) lost their battle against their oldest nemesis, Emperor Death, who at the same time was defeated by Daniel “Discord” Castro. The Superhero team and couple leave behind a young son, whose identity is being kept secret from the public. Here at Canterlot Studios we pray for their eternal rest. This is Abrey Roberts, News at 7,”

“I remember that day, I was… 6 years old when it happened… I remembered I cried a lot when they told me, and for security reasons, I wasn’t even able to attend their funerals… I didn’t really visit their grave much anyway… I didn’t feel a need to do so or… a connection to them… which scared me,”

“However, I decided not to let this stop me or affect me, which in the end became one of the best decisions in my life…”

“After I finished Elementary school, my Uncle Discord, who was my legal guardian, decided to enroll me at Canterlot’s Superhero Junior High… and I must admit… it was hell… ”

“Hmph… urgh… Oh, my head… it’s killing me,” said Humdrum as he opened his eyes

The first thing he noticed was that he was in an undisclosed and unknown location, by the looks of it, he was in a very cozy looking bedroom.

It seemed it was the house of someone with money, or some sort of high or royal status, since it was very well decorated, and everything in it seemed expensive.

And the last thing he realized was that his body had changed incredibly… his body, which once was had a toothpick like built was now bulky and toned as if he was some sort of Roman God, his, once, boney and barely manly back, was now rock hard and a pair of powerful looking wings stretched on both sides

And lastly, his body was completely patched up, and his wounds treated with a great care to detail.

“What the?” he thought as he began to hyper-ventilate and then the biggest surprise, Humdrum had had in his life happened.

As he continued to hyper-ventilate, from his mouth, sparks began to fly out, before one power fire discharged.

Humdrum was so surprised he quickly shut his mouth and swallowed, following this green smoke escaped his nostrils.

“What the hell happened to me?” he thought

Just then, he heard the door to the room open, and in walked an young looking dragon

“Oh, good you're awake, honny, he has awoken!” said the man as he entered the room

“Where am I? WHO are you? What do you want?” said Humdrum

“You’re in my house, in our guest room to be exactly… My name is Alister, but folks called me… The Fire Emperor,” both he said

Humdrum looked at him in surprise

“Do you know me?” asked Alistar

“Yes, you where mentioned in various history books back at the academy,” Humdrum said

“Well, sounds nice, but I don’t like all the fame thing,” said Alistar

“What happened to me?” asked Humdrum

“Kid… you are what we dragon folk call a “Phoenix” someone whose powers have been reborn, far better and stronger,” said Alistar

“Powers… I don’t have magic,” said Humdrum

“Well, what I saw make me differ,” said Alistar

“What you saw?” asked Humdrum

“My wife and I were matching the destruction of the Aircraft that was hovering near the Crystal Empire… it was an amazing spectacle, then, BOOM! The aircraft began to explode and drift eastbound towards the mountain range passing over where we were standing… the next thing we know, there you are, flying out of the big ball of fire with such power and grace… almost… Godly… and then, you landed on the field a few meters away, looked at us and passed out… and so we brought you here, to our manor in Magmapolis, Dragonlands Territories,” said Alistar

“Magmapolis… I guess the aircraft was still moving forward after we landed, that’s the only explanation I have on why I suddenly landed in the Dragonlands…” Humdrum was about to ask more questions when a younger looking dragoness walked in.

“Oh, I am glad to see you awake young man, here, eat up, you need to get your strength back, soon,” she said as she placed plate after plate of food in front of him.

Humdrum’s mouth began to salivate at the look of the food

“Well, don’t just stare at it, eat,” said the woman

“Th-thanks for the food,” said Spike as he crossed himself before eating

The food was delicious, and Humdrum gulfed it down as fast as possible.

“I take it you like it,” said the woman

“It is delicious,” Humdrum said as he continued to eat

“Glad to hear,” said the woman

“So… Humdrum… if you mind me asking, what happened up there?” asked Alistar

At the mention of this, Humdrum dropped the fork and knife that were in his hands and quickly moved them up to his face, just to realize that his mask was gone.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to tell anyone who you are,” said the woman as she showed Humdrum his mask.

Humdrum sighed and began to tell them everything.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

“... And I woke up,” he said

“You are hero, kid,” said Alister

“You’re parent’s would be proud,” said the woman

“I hope that were the case,” said Humdrum

“Oh, bad blood?” asked Alister

“That… and… their both dead,” said Humdrum

“Oh, sorry to hear that,” said the woman

“Well, it happened 6 years ago, almost 7,” said Humdrum

“Oh, how did they die, if you mind me asking?” said the woman

“Killed by Emperor Death,” said Humdrum

“Oh, your parents were Captain Forge and Super Flame?” asked the woman

“Yeah,” said Humdrum

“It must’ve been sad for you,” said Alistar

“It was for some time, but… my parents were never happy that they had me,” said Humdrum

“Oh, why?” asked Alistar

“I was born without magic,” said Humdrum

“Well, that explains a few things,” said the woman

“Mind telling us their names?” asked Alistar

“My mom’s name was Natasha Olsen, and my father’s alias was Felix Davidson,” said Spike

“Alias?” asked Alistar

“Yeah, at first I thought it was a mistake, but, I found my birth certificate one time and it his name was Frederick Davenport,” said Humdrum

“Davenport?” asked Alistar in shock

“Yes, why?” asked Humdrum

“That’s our eldest’s son’s name,” said Alistar

“Oh God, no!” said the woman

“That means,” said Spike

“You’re our grandson,” said Alistar

“My father never mentioned he had family,” said Humdrum

“Because… some things happened and your father cut ties with us and his younger brother, who later did the same” said Alistar

“Oh,” said Humdrum

“We always hoped that he’d come back some day, but…” said the woman

“I’m sorry,” said Humdrum

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” said Alistar

“What’s going to happen to me now?” asked Humdrum

“Well, you can’t go back, since everyone must think you’re dead, and if you do, people might not believe you and drive you out… and I can’t bare the thought of you being alone in the world for one more second,” said Alistar

“Me neither,” said the woman

“So, since we’re family, we’ll become your legal guardians,” said Alistar

“It’ll be like a new start, and you don’t have to be alone anymore,” said the woman

“A-are you sure?” asked Humdrum

“Of course, heck I can even train your new abilities, if you want, of course,” said Alistar

“I… I don’t know what to say… I’m used to being alone,” said Humdrum

At the mention of this, the woman hugged him

“Never again, we’re hear for you,” she said

Humdrum began to sob as the woman’s hug intensified and Alistar joined in

After a few minutes they finally parted

“By the way young man, what’s your name?” asked Alistar

“Xavien… Xavien Davenport, but, my mother called me Spike, when I was a toddler,” he said

“Then, welcome home, Spike,” said Alistar.

MEANWHILE AT THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE HOSPITAL

“Oh!... where… where am I?” asked Radiance

“RADIANCE! We're so glad you’re awake,” they all said

“What happened?” asked Radiance

“After Tirek tricked us, you were blasted into the wall and banged your head badly, to be honest, when you arrived here you were almost dead,” said Fili-second in a gloomy tone

“Oh, and where is the ruffian?” asked Radiance

“He got away, but, we were able to return the heart,” said Matter-horn in a gloomy tone

“Well, the mission was a success… by the way, where is Humdrum?” asked Radiance

The room went completely silent

“Girls? Where is he?” she asked again

“He… he didn’t make it,” said Matter-horn

“What?” Radiance said

“He… he sacrificed himself to save Ragger and angle the falling craft away from the Empire,” said Matter-horn

“I tried to hold on to him, but he… he just let go of me and his hand slipped out of mine,” said Mare-velous

“It was after we were all in the escape pod that we realized why he had done it,” said Zapp

Radiance remained silent

“Radiance?” asked Ragger

“Leave,” Radiance muttered

“What?” asked Fili-second

“LEAVE! GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!” Radiance screamed as tears fell from her eyes.

The girls got the message and left the room.

“Humdrum… why?... Why did you leave me behind?... You promised you’d never leave!...I… I never got to tell you… How I felt…” Radiance said as she cried louder and louder.

A FEW DAYS LATER

“Death comes to us all, some sooner than others, some peaceful than others… No matter if you’re a superhero, a hero, a sidekick, or a normal human being… we can all be certain that death will always come… I know many of you present knew Humdrum, knew of him, or even had the chance of working together once or twice… Humdrum, might’ve not been the most powerful or the strongest “sidekick” around… but none of you can deny that inside his young chest, a heart of pure gold beated proudly… for he was honest, kind, and most importantly, brave… lest we forget, who he was, what he stood for, and most importantly, what he sacrificed for, and let his life and death, be a learning experience for one and all, of what it is to be… a real hero… Goodbye Humdrum… may you rest in peace and continue to aid us from the great beyond,” said Discord as he dropped a bouquet of roses into the hole where a casket was being lowered.

One by one, many people, super heroes, sidekicks or normies came up to the grave and deposited flowers, paid their respects and walked away.

Eventually only 6 girls remained, none of them moved, or said a word, all they could do was cry or look at the tombstone with teary eyes.