Phoenix

“I still remember my first day at the Academy, albeit, not so fondly…”

“Well, Xavien, here we are, Canterlot Superhero Academy, this is the institution we’re you’ll spend the next 6 years of your life, are you excited?” asked Discord

“Yeah,” said Spike

“Now, If anything happens you can always find me in the school office,” said Discord

“Right,” said Spike as he began walking away from Discord

“Oh and Xavien…” said Discord as Spike turned to look at him “... have fun,” he said with a smile

“I’ll try,” said Xavien

“The Academy was the place where any super kid would attend in hopes to become a hero or a sidekick”

“However, I could tell from the start that social classes were a big issue in this academy, the powerful students, teachers and instructors treated those who were weaker than them as servants or straight up bullied them, to the point many of them ended up dropping out, or transferring to “normal schools”, some, even contemplated suicide… but, accroding to Discord, no one had done that yet… however, many of them later became henchmen and henchwomen or even supervillains,”

“At first I thought, It was just an exaggeration, but reality didn’t take long to smash my head into a locker… actually, it only took about 3 minutes...

“303… 303… 303 here we are!” said Spike as he arrived at his designated locker

Spike placed his backpack on the floor and began to look for the keys to the lock of his locker when…

WHAM!

His face made contact with steel locker door

The impact was so hard, his nose started to bleed and left a dent on the locker’s door

“Oh, shit!” he mumbled

“HAHAHA! Look guys, he's bleeding!” came a voice behind him

Spike turned and noticed who they were, and he was not surprised

“Morning to you to Flash,” he said

“It’s Flash Sentry to you,” he said

Indeed, it was none other than Flash Sentry and his 2 lackeys, Soarin Tempest, and Caramel

“I had the bad luck of meeting them during the entrance ceremony… however, back then, I didn’t think they’d be trouble…”

ENTRANCE CEREMONY

“... But, are you sure, I’ll fit in?” asked Spike

“Of course, it may be a bit hard at the beginning, but eventually, you’ll come to enjoy your stay, trust me,” said Discord

“If you say so,” said Spike

“Well, I have to go, I must give one of those welcoming speeches… man, being a vice-principal is such a pain,” said Discord as he left Spike alone

“Hey, you!” came a voice

Spike turned to meet the owner of the voice

There standing were three kids, all of them around his age, the one to the left was an earthling, about 5’3”, lean built, shoulder-length black hair, and blue eyes, and was wearing a black stetson hat over, what Spike could assume was a lucha libre mask, the rest of his attire just resembled a cowboy of sorts.

The one to the right was a pegasus, about 5’4”, also had a lean built and shoulder-lenght black, green eyes, and was wearing a very tight spandex, which just made Spike question if he could breathe properly inside it.

And the one in the middle, who Spike assumed was the owner of the voice, was also a pegasus, about 5’6”, he had a much buffer built than the others, he had short blue hair, blue eyes, and wore an armor that resembled that of a royal guard

“Me?” asked Spike

“Yeah, you… this are Caramel and Soarin Tempest, and I am, the one, the only, Flash Sentry, the greatest hero to ever live,” he said as they all posed in weird and “cool” ways

“Nice to meet you,” Spike said in a weird out tone

“So, what about you?” asked Flash

“What about me?” asked Spike

“What is your name?” asked Flash

“Well my name is… Oh shit, I don’t have a hero name…” said Spike

“Is?” asked Soarin

“I-Icarus,” said Spike

“Icarus… like that mythological dude,” said Soarin

“Yeah,” said Spike as he started to sweat

“I like it,” said Caramel

“Indeed… we saw you talking to Vice-Principal Discord earlier, you must be important if he decided to even look in your direction, so, it got us curious,” said Flash

“Oh, well, I’ve known him since I was a baby, he’s almost like my uncle,” said Spike

“Really, are you related?” asked Caramel

“Dude, he just said “He’s LIKE my uncle,” said Soarin

“So, who are your parents?” asked Flash

“My Parents?” asked Spike

“Yeah, you know, my dad is Black Knight and my mother is Scarlet Sentinel, 2 of the highest ranking superheroes in the world,” said Flash

“My father is Hurricane Tempest and my mother is The Steel Owl,” said Soarin

“And my father is Commander Famous Conjurer and my mother is White Shield,” said Caramel

“So, now that you know our backgrounds, what about yours?” asked Flash

“Well… my parents were Captain Forge and Super Flame,” said Spike

When Spike said this the three of them looked at Spike in disbelief

“Prove it!” said Flash

Spike then unzipped his jacket and exposed his chest to them… and right there, right over his heart, was a birthmark that resembled a heart on fire, just like Captain Forge’s old seal, which he changed into a flaming hammer.

Flash didn’t buy it and walked up to Spike, pressing his fingers on his chest, scratching at the birth mark making sure it was real.

“Holy shit,” he said when he was convinced enough “You really are,”

“THAT IS SO COOL!” said Soarin

“Hey, we should hang out, it’s only natural for the powerful to socialize with the powerful,” said Flash

“I’ll think about it,” said Spike as the bell went off signaling the beginning of the entrance ceremony.

“In retrospect, I probably should’ve said anything to them regarding my family tree, especially because I knew that once this ceremony started… all hell would break loose in my life,”

“... and lastly… Icarus… due to your exam results it is with great disgust, I MEAN, disheart, that I must inform you that you will be joining the sidekick classes,” said a teacher

The whole auditorium began to whisper amongst them

“Hey, isn’t that, like, the son of Captain Forge and Super Flame?” said a girl

“Wow, for someone to be placed in the sidekick clases coming from that family, he has to be weak,” said another kid

“Your report says you cannot use nor possess any type of magic power or abilities… However, you do have various “superhuman” abilities, and taking into consideration who your parents were, and against our better judgment, we’ve allowed you to remain in this institution… making you our worst student in history,” said the teacher as Spike stood there, bathed in the light of the stage lights, his face pointing at the floor as he felt the stares intensifying

It was here, when the hell began

“WEAKLING!!!”

“LOSER!!!”

“YOU ARE NO HERO!!”

“DISGUSTING!”

“RESPECT YOUR PARENTS HERITAGE AND KILL YOURSELF!”

This were some of the insults and things the other students called Spike, but it was the next comment that killed him

“HEY! HE CLAIMS HIS NAME IS ICARUS, BUT HE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A LITTLE PEEWEE!!!” screamed Flash

“YEAH! EVEN HIS COSTUME IS THRASH… I BET YOU BOUGHT IT AT THE LOCAL COSTUME SHOP!” screamed Soarin

“FAILURE!!!” screamed Caramel

“THAT’S RIGHT, PEEWEE, PEEWEE THE FAILURE!!!” screamed Flash once more, just as the crowd of students began chanting it over and over again.

However, and to much of their surprise, Spike just stood there, not moving, not crying, he just stood there.

This terrified the teacher and some of the students in the front row.

“G-go back to your seat, sidekick,” said the teacher as Spike stepped off of the stage.

“Now, I understand you might be confused about certain things, so allow me to elaborate… in every superhero’s life there is something called “the coming of power” party in which your parents are supposed to give you your first superhero name and first costume… However, this happens when you are 11 and about to enter junior high… as you may remember, my parents died when I was 6 and in their eyes, I was nothing… so, I had no choice but to name myself, and yes, I bought my first costume at the local halloween costume shop,”

“To be honest, I wasn't too keen on the idea of studying at the academy, but Discord said it was my best option… so, I was kind of expecting that type of treatment… but as I stood there, being bombarded with insults, something inside me changed… I don’t know how to describe it, but it was almost as if any ounce of sadness, self-hate and shame I had about myself dried up, and was replaced with a burning fire, a that made me want to prove them wrong, show them that I was not what they had called me… and so, I decided to continue going there…”

BACK TO THE LATER-PAST

“Forgive me Mr. Sentry,” Spike imitating a terrified nerd when cornered by bullies

“HA! Look at that, he’s shaking like a pair of maracas,” said Caramel

“Such a wimp,” said Soarin as he smacked Spike in the back of his head

“Honestly, just the thought that I have to be in the same building as you and your… kind, makes me sick so, to make it less disgusting, this is what we’re going to do,” said Flash as he got in front of Spike

“We’ll do this!” he said as he punched Spike right in the stomach

The impact made Spike fall to the floor holding his stomach, trying to catch his breath.

Flash then stuck his hand into Spike’s pocket and fished out his wallet

“Hmm, 50 bucks, not bad for a sidekick,” he said as he took the money out of his wallet, placed it in his pocket, and threw the empty wallet into Spike’s head

Spike ignored it as he continued to try to catch his breath

“Here, allow me to get your bag for you,” said Soarin as he grabbed Spike backpack, opened it, and dumbed Spike’s notebooks onto the floor and kicked them all over the place, “heads up,” he said as he tossed the empty bag to Caramel

“Allow me to put this where it belongs,” he said as he slammed Spike’s back pack into the trash can “TOUCHDOWN” he screamed

“HEY! WHAT IS GOING ON DOWN THERE?!” came a voice

The three of them looked up and saw Cranky standing there looking at them

“Nothing sir, just a friendly game,” said Flash

“Don’t care, just get to class, now!” said Cranky as he walked away

“You were lucky this time Peewee, next time, you won’t,” said Flash as he kicked Spike in the ribs and walked away laughing and feeling accomplished, with his 2 lackey’s behind him.

Spike laid on the floor for a few more seconds before getting up and dusting himself up

“You call that a punch and a kick? Laughable… now my acting skills… perfecto!” Spike said as he felt someone’s hands behind him

“At the academy, your locker’s location and number were selected after the entrance ceremony, and the way they did it was, they took your hero name, family history, appearance (Costume and body shape), and then they’d select if you had an aptitude for being a “superhero”, “sidekick” or if you were even going to be accepted,”

“There were only 400 students in this academy, with 100 new ones arriving every year… number 1 was assigned to the strongest student in school AKA me ol’ pall Flash, while number 400 was for the weakest”

“I know, I know, “Spike, if you are the worst student in the history of the institution, then why aren’t you number 400?” you ask, well, for 2 main reasons… and no, who my parents’ were has nothing to do with it… 1) I had superhuman abilities and 2) racism… yup, and no, it’s not you fur, or scale color type of racism, it’s you power type of racism,”

“You see, there were many types of powers in the world, and many of them were not recognized as “real” superpowers” so, if you were unlucky enough to possess any of this as your affinity, or you didn’t have a good overall altogether, then, you were given one of those lockers”

“Are you ok?” asked a voice as he helped Spike dust off

“Yup, he has a weak punch,” said Spike

“I wouldn't say that, apparently he broke the meter when he punched it,” said the guy

“Really? Doesn’t feel like it,” said Spike as he turned around to meet his helper

He was a about the same age as Spike, about 5’4”, however, he was much shorter and skinnier, he was almost a toothpick, he had short, well combed black hair, and had dark brown eyes behind a pair of think, black glasses, long story short, including his attire, it was clear he was a nerd with a cape.

“Names is Micro Chips, locker 389,” he said

“Icarus, nice to meet you,” said Spike

“I can’t believe it, first day of school, and there is already a clear abuse of power by other students,” said another student as he walked over towards them

He was a tad taller than Micro chips, he was also skinny, but at least he looked decent, he had curly brown hair which almost looked like an afro, and blueish eyes which were visible behind his clown mask.

“Thanks,” Spike said as he gave him his backpack

“Names Knick Knack, locker 288,” he said

“So, you have potential to be a hero,” said Spike

“Yeah, but only cause I’m a dual wielder, I can use both earth magic and creation magic, but my magic points are a tad low,” he said

“Not to mention, your disguise is rather… tasteless,” said another voice

“Who said that?!” screamed Knick Knack as they all jumped around to face the owner of the voice

“Sorry, It was not my intention to scare you at all, I’m the owner of locker 310, I was just around the corner when I hear the scuffle,” he said

He was about the same age as all of them, 5’5” and “fashionably sbvelt” he had mid-length auburn hair, and green eyes, and judging by his accent he was of some noble status (He had a british accent); he wore a somewhat simple, yet stylish attire, a reddish jacket, over a dark green shirt, and beige skinny jeans, a dark green beanie and a piece of black fabric, that covered the part around his eyes.

“Impossible I was there too and I didn’t see you,” said Micro Chips

“Oh, sorry, I tend to become “invisible from time to time”, its my quirk,” he said

“What’s your name?” asked Spike

“They call me Normal N.” he said

“And you said your power is… disappearing?” asked Spike

“Yeah, just like this,” he said as his shadow swallowed his fiscal body and then disappeared

“That is so cool,” said Knick Knack

“And highly interesting,” said Micro Chips

“Yes, well, you’re the first ones to think that,” said Normal as he reappeared before them

“So, why are you here, in this part of school?” asked Spike

“Because of my quirk,” said Normal

“I see nothing “Normal” about it…” said Knick Knack

“Indeed, invisibility is an amazing power,” said Micro Chips

“”But that’s not what you do,” said Spike

“What?” they asked

“You don’t disappear, you use an ability called “Shadow Run” it’s really rare… and usually associated with Necromancers,” said Spike

“But I can’t control the dead… trust me I tried once,” said Normal

“Odd, what does your magic report say you are?” asked Microchips

“I don’t know, my parents aren’t supers, so I was the odd one out in the family,” said Normal

“That explains the name and attire,” said Knick Knack

“I know what you are,” said Spike

“What am I?” asked Normal

“A Dark Wizard, you can use dark arts, but not as apocalyptical as necromancers… yet,” said Spike

“I’ve never heard of it,” said Normal

“Well, I do suggest you start studying, if you can do a Shadow Run, you can be certain that you’ll be placed as one of the highest ranking heroes in the school,” said Micro Chips

“If he were a light wizard, then yes, but since he is the opposite, and the fact that this quirks are automatically associated with villains… doubt it,” said Spike

“Well, it’s still worth a shot, I’d love to learn more about me,” said Normal

“Well, we better head to class,” said Spike

“Right… hey, we should hang out,” said Knick Knack

“If you guys are ok with it,” said Micro Chips

“Let’s meet up again, here,” said Normal

“Sure… oh, Normal… friendly advice, head to the school office and change your name,” said Spike

“Why?” asked Normal

“You said you wanted to know more of who you are, changing your name is the first step,” said Spike

“What should I call myself then?” asked Normal

“Taking your quirk into account… how’bout... “Shadow” in honor of your first ability and... it’s cool enough,” said Spike

“Shadow huh?” said Normal as they all left for class.

“Now I know what you’re thinking, Spike, what right do you have to change another hero’s name, if that’s something parents do?... well, first of all, I didn’t change his name, he did, I just gave him the advice, second, his parents being “normies” probably wanted to feel “normal” just at the same time, and since they did not “our” world, they were destroying his self-esteem, and his career by making fear his own God sent power… so, taking my advice was probably the best thing he could do,”

A FEW MONTHS LATER

“Not much happened afterwards, well, apart from me finding my first 3 friends, and Normal changing his name to Shadow like I suggested… for me, it was the same routine every single school day… and even some weekends… I woke up, got ready for class, had Flash and his lackeys assault the living shit out of me and take my money, only to have my friends help me gather my stuff and then head to class…”

“Contrary to what you may think, our classes weren’t “super”... well, at least for sidekicks they weren’t, oh no, we had a “normie” school curriculum, with some superhero theory here and there, but… nothing out of the ordinary,”

“Until one day, something happened… something, that changed my life, and everyone around me,”

“Man, I don’t get it, they say this is a super school, yet instead of receiving “super” classes we’re receiving normal education,” said Knick Knack

“Well, technically, this is an academical institution that is regulated by the ministry of education, which means they must teach us the fundamentals for us to be able to insert ourselves into society with our secret identities and have day jobs, it’s only logical, plus, with the hero theory we receive and all of the books that we can find in the libraries that should be enough,” said Microchips making Knick Knack look at him

“Damn it, I hate it when you’re right,” he said

“Well, technically speaking, I’m right all of the time,” said Microchips

“Sure you are Sheldon, sure you are,” Knick Knack said

“My name is not Sheldon, my name is… wait, did you just?” said Microchips

“Yup,” said Knick Knack

“With him?!” said Microchips

“Correct yet again,” said Knick Knack

“Do I look like him at all?” said Microchips

“Do you really want me to answer that question?” asked Knick Knack

Microchips tried to come up with a comeback but, he shocked on his on brain

“I WIN!” cheered Knick Knack making Shadow laugh

“These 2 can be funny right? Icarus?... Hey Icarus?... ICARUS!” Shadow exclaimed

“HUH! WHAT?!” Spike said

“What’s wrong man, you’ve been absent minded since this morning,” said Shadow

“Yeah man, what gives?” asked Knick Knack

“Does it have something to do with Sentry and his goons?” asked Microchips

“No… it has something to do with biology,” said Spike

“Ah yes! I was expecting to have this conversation some time soon,” said Microchips

“What?” asked Spike

“Are you getting itchiness in your secret places?” asked Microchips as if he was a concerned father

“The fuck are you talking about?” asked Spike

“About the birds and the bees, it’s time to have the talk,” said Microchips

“When did you become my dad?” asked Spike

“And more importantly, what do you know?” asked Knick Knack

“Well, my father already had this conversation with me, he told me…” Microchips began

“CHILL! It’s not about that dude,” said Spike

“Then?” asked Shadow

“Well, you know the new biology teacher for the sidekicks?” asked Spike

“Yeah, Powerhoof,” said Knick Knack

“Well, today in biology he said something rather… interesting,” said Spike

“Let me give you some context on why this was such a big moment in my life… we sidekicks used to have this 60 something year old ex-sidekick whose name was Granate, and we really hated her, why? Well, she was probably one of the most racist teachers in the school, when she used to be a sidekick herself, but since she married an S ranked superhero her own rank blew up and she became a heroine,”

“However, she used to look down at us, she hated it if one of us, mostly me, corrected her when she made a mistake, she even used to throw books and rulers at us,”

“Well one day, she got so angry because she was discovered by Celestia when she was failing everyone in the class, even though we all had B+ and up, she said that is was for us to know our place, however, Celestia didn’t like her thinking and told her to take a hike,”

“Apparently she had been doing this for years, right under her nose, until she finally realised it due to my report card and hers not matching when it came to my grade,”

“So, the next day, we had a new teacher, his name was Powerhoof, and he was a… delight, he respected us, even though he was an A+ rank hero… sadly, he died fighting Tirek… a few days before I “died”... anyway, this is what happened,”

“Today, we’re going to be talking about magic and superhuman abilities… Now, I know that all of you were born with both or one of them, and if you’re here it means that the magic points you possess are rather low… so far we don’t know what determines your abilities or your magic points, or power in general, and rumor has it’ll be another 50 years before we know for sure… However, there is an old belief that our power comes from within you, and that there are ways to make your magic stronger, just like superhuman abilities can be made stronger by practice… however, for decades, sidekicks and heroes alike have tried to get stronger practicing with their magic, but, it was futile,” said Powerhoof

“Sir, if that is the case, then, why are you telling us, are you playing with our hopes?” asked another student

“And what do I win with that?” asked Powerhoof

“Getting your sick kicks,” said Spike

“Oof, Icarus, for a second there I thought you were a hero in disguise, ouch,” Powerhoof said as he placed his hand over his chest dramatically as if his heart was broken.

This made everyone laugh

“No but seriously, this belief said that years ago, a hero by the name of Wick discovered the secrets of power and abilities and how to make them stronger. Of course, he wrote all this in a book and planned to give it to the sidekicks and people with superhuman abilities. Of course when some powerful heroes found out, they targeted him as a villain, hunted him down, and killed him, and they made sure to burn every single one of the copies… al, minus one, but, no one knows where it was hidden… although the clues say that it’s hidden somewhere in this city,” Powerhoof said

“Are you even sure it’s real?” asked a girl

“Me?” asked Powerhoof

“Yeah, what’s the name?” asked another kid

“Well, yes… the name was “Secrets to Magical and Powerful Improvement or Semapoim, however this was never confirmed… also I don’t recommend you go looking for the copy, God knows what the Superior heroes will do to you if you find it… oh and, we never had this conversation, ok?” asked Powerhoof in a paranoid voice

Everyone nodded in agreement

“Ok then, turn to page 125 on your books and answer questions 1 through 14...” Powerhoof said

But in Spike’s mind, his story continued to ring in Spike’s head all throughout the class.

“Great, another wackjob of a teacher,” said Shadow

“I don’t know, there seems to be something more to it,” said Spike

“Dude, don’t tell me you're really thinking this old urban legend is real?” said Knick Knack

“The way he reacted, it seemed so real… and I checked it, Wick actually existed,” said Spike showing them his phone with the Wiki page of Wick.

“Well, whaddya know, Wick existed,” said Microchips

“Says here he died in 1958 due to “mysterious situations”, maybe there is some truth to all this,” said Shadow

“Guys, it’s friday, let’s go and eat something or play video games like other kids our age,” said Knick Knack

“If you actually placed so much enthusiasm in school you wouldn’t be in the “almost flunking” list,” said Shadow

“But, it’s true, we don’t even know if this legend is true, plus, if what Powerhoof said is true, I don’t want to jump blinded into something like this, remember “All ways know your info” that’s what we’re always told,” said Knick Knack

“You know for once, I must agree with knack, the risk is too grate, and the info to little, if there were more, then, it’ll be perfect,” said Microchips

“Seriously?” said Spike

“It’s true man, there is something really sketchy going on here,” said Shadow

“I guess you guys are right,” Spike said with a sigh

“Hey, wanna go to the burger joint?” asked Knick Knack

“Sure, let go,” said Spike, but no matter how much he tried the story was stuck in his head.

LATER THAT NIGHT

“I don’t know why, but I feel like there is something more to this story… I mean, this guy's name was Wick… according to his wiki page his affinity was Air magic or Wind… his real name was William Westbrooke… and he was found dead at Wensleydale Park, on the West side of the city… ARGH! I feel like the clue is right in front of me but, I can’t seem to make it out,” Spike thought to himself as he rested his head on his desk

Then a realization started to manifest in his brain.

“Wait a minute, this guy's books were burnt right after he was killed, so, that means he must have tried to hide them beforehand, however, it appears as if he had them all with him, minus the one copy… He had an obsession with W’s… wait the public library is on the West side of the city, it more than likely is there!” Spike thought as he went to bed so he could start his search early

The next morning, Spike made his way to the library.

The Canterlot Public Library was massive, it had three floors and contained books of every type, sci-fi, fantasy, comics… Eroticas, Necronomicons, grimoires, and weirded Shish that Spike preferred to stay far away from.

Once inside Spike made his way towards the librarian, ignoring one particular detail

“Excuse me, do you have any books about…” Spike started when he realized it “Wait, I don’t even know this guy's pen name, much less in what category does the book fall in!!”

“Yes?” asked the librarian

“Personal… empowerment, but old ones?” asked Spike

“Oh, certainly, we have books from 1965 onward, you’ll find them on the second floor, may I ask why you’re looking for the older books instead of the updated new ones?” asked the librarian

Spike sensed there was more to that question that met the eye, so, he carefully answered

“I have to write a report on old fitness and nutrition beliefs for my biology class, the older the book the better my teacher said,” said Spike

“Oh, well, have fun,” said the librarian with a smile

“Thanks!” said Spike as he walked away

“It appears I discovered the section where I can find the book… but I must tread carefully, I doubt that’s going to be all with that librarian,”

A few minutes later Spike made it to the personal empowerment section, and noticed he wasn’t the only one there.

At The top of a tall ladder, was another person, a girl, a unicorn by the looks of it, and more shockingly, she was in full costume.

Her hair was a mixture of Dark Sapphire Blue, Purple and some raspberry streaks, by the looks of her she was a unicorn, and around Spike’s age, she was wearing a reddish-purple spandex with silver shoulder pads, a pair of white boots and gloves with purple and pink details, and lastly, a mask of the same color as her spandex, with a silver pad over her horn.

What caught Spike’s attention was the fact that she was angled dangerously on the ladder and it seemed she was about to lose her balance.

And just as Spike realized this, the ladder slipped sideways, causing it to fall with the young unicorn with it.

In a swift move, Spike positioned himself underneath the unicorn and caught her effortlessly

“Are you ok?” he asked

“Yeah, thanks… uhm… you mind putting me down before I call security?” she said

Spike immediately dropped her, causing her to land on he butt

“OUCH! What was that for?!” she said as she got up

“You told me to put you down before you call security, and honestly I would like to avoid any sort of drama in the personal empowerment section, the self-entitlement section is just across the hall,” Spike said in an emotionless voice

“Are you trying to mock me?” asked the girl

“No ma’am, just speaking the truth,” said Spike

“Oh, well, by the way, are you a hero or something?” she asked

“No ma’am, I’m sidekick in training,” said Spike

“Oh a sidekick in training… WAIT! SIDEKICK!” said the girl

“Yes ma’am, Icarus, Canterlot superhero Junior high locker 303,” he said as he showed her his ID tag

“Masked Matter-Horn, Canterlot superhero Junior High locker 2,” she said

“Nice to meet you,” said Spike

“Likewise,” said Matter-Horn

“Anyway, I’ll let you be,” said Spike

“Right, by the way… do you have a league?” she asked

“A what?” asked Spike

“A league, you know, or are you already aiding a hero?” she asked

“Nope, I’m good,” said Spike

“Oh, ok then,” said Mattern-Horn as Spike left the aisle “There is something odd about him, but I don’t know what,” said Matter-Horn as she followed Spike with her eyes as he disappeared around the corner

A FEW HOURS LATER

“Nothing… I can’t believe it, I’ve read every single one of these books and nothing… well I don’t even know his pen name,” said Spike as he placed the last book down on the table “There has to be more,” Spike said as he fished his phone out and began reading Wick’s page over and over again until something caught his attention

“Wait a minute, Wick was “killed” in 1958, the library was inaugurated in 1964, and the librarian said the books here are from 1965 onwards… so that means, I’VE BEEN WASTING MY TIME THIS PAST 3 HOURS!!!” he thought as he quickly accessed Google maps.

“Oldest book stores in Canterlot,” he searched

In a matter of seconds Spike realized that there were only 3 antique book stores in town, one to the East established in 1958, another one to the south established in 1943, and one to the west established in 1870.

“Imperial books, est. 1958… no that can’t be it, it was founded after his death, and it’s at the east of here…Wendigo Historics… that’s the W again, it must be that one… it’s just down the street… better get going,” thought Spike, not knowing he was being followed

A FEW MINUTES LATER

“Here we are, Wendigo Historics,” said Spike as he walked through the door

“Welcome to Wendigo Historics, we have books from all sorts from literature to history, from fantasy to crude reality, anything special in your list my boy? Asked a nice old pegasus as he and a younger female pegasus welcomed him in.

“Uhm, I’m looking for a book about Personal Empowerment,” said Spike

“Aisle 51, basically the last aisle, books are placed in alphabetical order ass to their authors’ pen name,” said the other younger pegasus

“Thanks,” said Spike as he walked away

“Hmm, I think he’s the one,” thought the pegasus’ as they looked at each other

A few seconds later, Spike arrived at the final aisle, and saw it was far longer than he thought

“This’ll take me forever!” Spike thought as he remembered “The W’s, it must be there,” as he walked towards the W section of the aisle.

10 MINUTES LATER

“That’s the last WA’s… wait… WEST… WEndigo… that must be it… but his name was Wick…,” thought Spike as he continued to make sense of all the clues.

Then, his hand just moved on it’s own and pulled a book out

“Wallace “Wendigo” Everett… Semapoim… THIS IS IT! IT’S REAL!!!!” Spike said as he lifted the book up into the air

“And it shall be destroyed,” came a female voice, that Spike remembered from earlier

“You, what are you doing here?” asked Spike as he turned to face the librarian from earlier

“I knew, there was something more to your question, you’re not the first loser that waltz right into the library searching for that piece of heresy, it got to the point that it caught our attention,” said the librarian

“Your attention?” asked Spike

“The Superhero Lifestyle Defense Organization, or SLDO,” said the librarian

“I… still don’t get it,” said Spike

“Argh, this is why I hate sidekicks, they think they’re so much, and their are nothing, anyway… the book your holding is considered a cheat code into increasing your power, being a normie, sidekick, or super, the information in that book is priceless, and if it gets into the wrong hands…” she said

“It’ll make anyone unstoppable,” Spike finished

“Ah, that's a first, a sidekick with brains… now, give me the book, and we’ll act as this never happened,” said the librarian as she took a step forward

Spike instinctively took a step back

“Give me the book or else!” said the librarian

“Dammit, I can tell she’s strong, I-I can’t fight her,” Spike thought as his back bumped into the wall

“Last warning kid,” she said as she got out a knife

“Dammit what should I do?” he thought when

“ARGH!” the librarian screamed as she contorted and fell to the floor unconscious.

“You ok kid?” asked the younger female pegasus from earlier

“Yeah, thanks, what’s going on?” asked Spike

“Oh, well, as she said she’s a SLDO agent, their main objective is keeping the superheroes in power and continuing the oppression on those below them.” she said

“This is crazy,” said Spike

“It’s worst, she lied to you, she wanted the book so that the heroes could get better and more powerful, she didn’t want to destroy it, it’s too valuable,” she said

“Then Why did they burn the others?” asked Spike

“They didn’t Wick, my great-grandfather set them ablaze before they could get their hands on the other 5 copies, when the agents arrived, they were pissed and murdered him on the spot… however, my great-granfather hid one copy, that one, he said “May it stay hidden, until a worthy owner appears,” and so, here we are,” she said

“Me?” asked Spike

“You solved the riddles, plus, you stud your ground, that’s enough for me, so, take it, it’s free for you,” she said

“Wow, thanks… what about her?” asked Spike

“Oh, her… Well, I’m gonna have some fun with her,” she said

“Fun?” asked Spike

“Yeah, I mean, look at her, DD breasts, slim frame, nice ass, oh, I’m gonna enjoy scrambling her brain tonight and add her to my collection,” she said

“Collection?” asked Spike

“Yeah, She ain’t the first agent to waltz in here, and probably she won’t be the last, but, the male ones are so buff and manly, and the girls, those are my favorite, so beautiful and delicate, plus they all have great bodies and enjoy being pleasured, plus… only a woman knows how to please another,’ she said massaging the librarians boobs

“Right… have fun,” Spike said with a crept out smile

“Oh, trust me, I will,” she said as she carried the librarian into a room full of interesting contraptions.

“That was… weird,” said Spike as he walked out of the store and headed to his dorm.

LATER THAT NIGHT

“They said it was simple but… IT’S ALL ALCHEMICAL GIBBERISH!” Spike exclaimed as he set the book down.

“I’ve been reading it for hours, and I still can’t make sense of it… oh well, I better get some rest,” Spike said as he laid down in his bed and dozed off.

“Dang it, the book makes no sense, “Clear your mind, visualize your magic, concentrate on it, make it grow, what does it even mean?!” Spike thought as he drifted away.

SOMETIME LATER

“Where am I? Why is it so dark?... what is all this?” Spike said as he found himself floating in darkness.

“This is just weird,” he thought

Just then, the book appeared before him and he heard his own voice echoing

“Clear your mind, visualize your magic, concentrate on it, make it grow,”

“Well, I’ve got nothing to lose,” he thought as he tried to clear his mind

“I mean, it’s cool, but… I don’t even have magic… how am I supposed to visualize something that I don’t possess?” Spike thought as he tried to concentrate.

Then behind him, a light turned on.

Spike quickly turned and saw what appeared to be a match floating in the center of… wherever he was in.

“Who turned that on?” he thought as he began to get closer to it “What the?” Spike thought to himself.

Just then his head began to hurt and the room he was in began to disintegrate.

With that Spike woke up with a jump.

“What-what was all that?” he asked himself as he looked around his room and realized he’d only been sleeping for about 10 minutes.

He ran a hand through his face as he tried to compose himself

:That was one strange vision… but, still, nothing changed,” he thought to himself, then he snapped his fingers and said

“It must’ve been a dream, all this reading made my imagination go nuts,” he said

That’s when Spike noticed something… there, in his left index finger, was a small flame.

“Holy Shit!” he exclaimed as he looked at the flame “How?” he asked himself as he swung his finger around, causing the small flame to extinguish.

“No, no, no, Come on! How-How did I even do it?” Spike said as he frantically tried to light the flame again.

“Wait… I snapped my finger!” said Spike as he did it again, and sure enough, the flame came back to life.

Spike then did the same with his other hand and it worked.

“Oh my God, I have magic!” Spike exclaimed as he jumped up and down

“HEY! WE’RE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!” came and angry voice from below him

“Sorry Jazz!” Spike said

“I have to tel the guys! But first…” Spike said as he turned to look at the book

MONDAY

“... and so I stayed up the last 2 todays decoding the whole book and making things easier to understand,” Spike said as he explained everything to his friends

“Are you sure this is real?” asked Knick Knack

“Yeah, it sounds like you’re positively sleep deprived,” said Microchips

“Yeah, the book looks legit, but, the story,” said Shadow

“You want proof, look,” Spike said as he snapped his fingers and boom, fire

His friends looked at Spike in disbelief

“I was born without magic, and yet, here I am, creating magic with just the snapp of my fingers… literally,” he said

“Wow,” they all said

“I must admit it’s cool, but, onces the word is out, everyones gonna want a piece,” said Knick Knack

“And if what you mentioned about the librarian is true, it’s best it doesn’t come to that,” said Microchips

“Plus, we can’t do something like this in public,” said Shadow

“Then… we’ll make it like a secret club… a secret society,” said Spike

“I like where this is going… but where would we do it?” asked Knick Knack

“There’s an old hidden storage room by the auditorium, no one has used it in ages, and not many know of its existence,” said Shadow

“How big is it?” asked Spike

“A couple hundred square feet, maybe more,” said Shadow

“That works,” said Spike

“Wait… how are we going to let people know of it?” asked Knick Knack

“Yeah, and how are we going to keep it a secret?” said Shadow

“We search for those who need it, and we make a simple invitation,” said Spike

“Like, tell them, “Hey, we’re part of a secret group that wants to help you get stronger… yeah, that’s not happening,” said Knick Knack

“Indeed, it’ll be sus as hell,” said Microchips

“Then, we give them a magic paper,” said Spike

“What?” they all asked

“Like this one,” Spike said as he wrote down something

“We see you suffer, want to get stronger? Meet us at the auditorium after class, if not, just shake your head no,” read Knick Knack

“Really?” asked Microchips

“The message could use a little work, but, shake your head no,” Spike said

Knick Knack did and the paper burnt to a crisp

“Wow,” they said

“You see, it works,” said Spike

“Alright then, Shadow and I will head there and try to clean it up,” said Microchips

“But, don’t you think people would be weary of this at first?” asked Knick Knack

“Plus, when the teachers find out,” said Shadow

“Guys, look around, for ages heroes have treated sidekicks like shit, and we just take it face down… our mission in life is not to be heroes, but to aid them, help them overcome every obstacle and save the day… but, who helps us… if we aren’t able to step or game up, we won’t be able to protect the heroes from themselves, which will then become an even bigger problem,”

The guys looked at Spike

“Come on, what’s better, to have help to become stronger and protect everyone from the shadow of a hero… or let things continue as they are?” Spike asked

They all nodded

“What about the name?” said Knick Knack

“Name?” asked Spike

“Yeah, it needs a name, and it has to be something mysterious and powerful,” said Shadow

“How’bout… STIGMA,” said Spike

“Stigma?” they all said

“Sidekick Tactical Improvement Group for Maximum Advancement,” said Spike

“That works,” said Knick Knack

“Sounds awesome,” said Microchips

“Indeed,” said Shadow

“Well, we better get started, cause there are a lot of people that need help,” said Spike as he pointed at something further down the hall.

There, they could see 2 female students, one a superhero with long silver hair and the other had long amaranth and purple hair with greyish violet highlights.

“The great and powerful Trixie said she wanted a Ham and Egg Croissant, not Bacon and Egg,” said a girl as she grabbed the sandwich and smacked the other girl in the face with it. “Do your job right, loser,” she said as she walked off.

The other girl knelt down on the floor and started sobbing as she cleaned her face and floor of what once was a croissant.

Then she felt someone removing pieces of bread and lettuce from her hair and forehead.

She looked up and saw Spike helping her get clean.

“Are you ok?” he asked

“Yeah… I’m used to it, she says one thing and then changes her mind… anyway… she doesn’t care, it’s my money after all,” she said

“Well, they say every cloud has a silver lining, I hope this helps you see it,” Spike said as he helped her up, placing something in her hand.

“Stigma, if interested meet us at the auditorium after school,” she read

She then looked at Spike but he was gone

“Well, It can’t get worst,” said the girl

WITH SPIKE

“You see,” said Spike

“Yeah, but still, heroes aren’t going to respect us,” said Knick Knack

“The we become the heroes,” said Spike

“But you said we’re meant to aid the heroes not be heroes,” said Shadow

“No, I said our mission is to AID heroes, I never said we can’t BECOME heroes,” said Spike

They all looked at Spike with a confused look

“The training we give can make you stronger, far stronger than most heroes ever were, but then, it’s up to you to use it wisely, if you want to become a hero this will help,” said Spike

“ANd if you become a villain?” asked Sombra

“Then… someone must go end you,” said Spike with a creepy voice

“Good point,” said Microchips

“Icarus, Icarus report to the headmasters’ office, immediately,” said the loudspeaker

“What now?” asked Spike

“Well, we’ll go fix everything up,” said Microchips

“See you later guys,” said Spike

AT THE HEADMASTERS’ OFFICE

“Am I in trouble?” asked Spike

“No, not really,” said Discord

“Then, why Am I here?” asked Spike

“Icarus… It’s been 6 months since classes began and yet… you haven’t registered for the league selection,” said Celestia

“Oh, I didn’t know about this,” said Spike

“What, It was mentioned over the loudspeaker,” said Luna

“Well, that doesn’t matter… I’d like to let you know that you’ve been personally requested by a league to join them from today onward,” said Celestia

“Really? Who?” asked Spike

“The call themselves “The Power Ponies” however, due to a discrepancy between the members, your name was changed from Icarus to Humdrum, I hope you don’t mind,” said Celestia

“No ma’am, it’s fine,” said Spike

“Well, without further ado, meet the leader of your new league… Masked Matter-Horn!” said Celestia as she opened the door to reveal her

“You?!” Spike said in surprise

“Welcome aboard Humdrum,” she said.