“You may have caught me off guard, but you will now suffer! Books away, it's time for a pop quiz.” Crawford said as the students groan.

“Do you ever think Crawford developed his fine grumpiness over time or was he just born this way?” Twilight asked having her head down.

“Maybe he’s still grumpy because Randall sent him back to the drawing board on his metal arms project,” Moondancer said.

“No, I’m saying he was born this way,” Ocellus said. “His first words were probably, ‘This diaper design is ineffectual.’

“You two have him all wrong, out of all the teachers, he cares the most about his students,” Silverstream said as Crawford place their pop quizzes.

“You call that caring?” Twilight glared at her.

“He just misunderstood. You guys have no idea what goes through.”

“Yeah, I do, getting a C on my prototype energy ready just because it didn’t cool name. How do I get out of this?”

“Best bet, an act of nature.”

Then the ground started to tumble.

Attention students, Nexus High is experiencing an emergency. Drop everything and follow evacuation procedures.

“What’s going on?” Silverstream asked.

“Who cares, as long the quiz is canceled!”

“This only means the quiz is postponed until further notice!”

“Damn it!”

Twilight looked outside and saw a giant robot firing lasers at something.

“So much for an act of nature, but with everyone evacuating no one know will what happens to Twilight Sparkle.”

…

“Hey, Robo-dork!” Matterhorn grabbed its attention. “You do know that Nexus has a front door, and you sign in at the reception desk for a hall pass, Mr…. What’s your name?”

“Miss Golden Crusher and this is my hall pass!” She fired a lot of missiles for Matterhorn to grab away by a white flash.

“Nice try, chrome dome!” The figure said blowing a raspberry while wearing a white jumpsuit and purple streak design.

“Thank you..” Matterhorn stammered.

“My name is Filli-Second the fastest one alive!”

Golden Crusher fired more rockets at them.

“If this how to make a first impression,” Matterhorn froze the missiles then Filli-Second got up top of the robot and then did a drill move. “You're going to be hugely unpopular at Nexus!”

“I don’t care about this school, only what it is hiding,”

“Can we talk about over scones? Tea? Borscht? I happen to know a sweet shop.”

“You waste my time!” She fires a laser at Filli-Second but quickly dodges it.

“Oh I'm the expert on time-wasting but that's no excuse for wasting doors and ceilings!”

“Enough of this nonsense. You impede no further!”

Golden Crusher fired its rockets but the building remained intact.

“Damn it, it’s harder to breach than I imagined. Every security grid has a weak spot.”

Golden Crusher fired and went straight in.

“Ugh, even Crawford’s pop quiz would’ve been more fun than this,” Matterhorn said. “Okay, Filli-Second we got to stop her before she does something destructive.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie! Hold on!” She grabbed Matterhorn and went into the lab. “She has to be a weird super villain to play hide and seek. Now what?”

“Luckily, I’ve grabbed Ocellus’s high-frequency energy reader, that should do the trick.”

“Man that is a mouthful,” Filli-Second said. “It needs a better nickname.”

“Tell me about it, if Golden Crusher is emitting a signal, a little dial tidy should…Boom! Huh? Running low on batteries in that gold armor, aren’t we? Whoa?”

“Whoa, what?”

“Now it picking up a massive high energy source in that basement.”

“I’ve watched cartoons to know that massive energy places are never a good thing.”

“Right, but this isn’t a cartoon. That’s what Golden Crusher looking for.”

“Thank you for saving me the trouble of finding it,” Golden Crusher said then fire a rocket to the basement and went down. “Finally.”

“Somehow I doubt you have permission to access complex, and probably dangerous machinery,” Filli-Second said. “Or maybe I feeling paranoid?”

Golden Crusher fired bullets as Matterhorn and Filli-Second. “I have not come this far to be stopped by two girls in costume.”

“Have you ever seen one?” Matterhorn fired an electric blast then lifted a boulder and threw it at her. “I’m as charming and whimsical as a one, but there are differences. One, they dress in weird clothing, and two…”

“What’s the other?” Golden Crusher asked.

“Can’t do this!”

Matterhorn did an electric kick the robot got knocked down.

“How was that?” Matterhorn asked.

“Nice, 9/10,” Filli-Second replied.

“You will not stop me from,” Golden Crusher got back up and fired a laser but it didn’t work. “Damn my power is drained.”

“Yeah, we noticed that power was running low,” Filli-Second pointed out then did a series of punches and kicks until the bot was down. “That went easier than I thought.”

“Is it safe to come in Matterhorn?” Randall asked.

“She’s is completely drained of power and harmless, my good sir.”

“Thanks…”

“Filli-Second.”

“Thank you to both you and The Masked Matterhorn.”

“How the hell are we going to move it?” An officer asked.

“That I don’t know.”

“Is this was she was after?” Randall asked looking at the machine. “I've never seen this before.”

“Me too,” Matterhorn said. “I’m not exactly sure what it does, but it was emitting large amounts of energy but it wasn’t a weapon.”

“Of course not,” Crawford spoke up. “It is a revolutionary power generator that uses regenerative ion technology. When I’m done it will change the world in more ways than one.”

“Regenerative ions? Do you know what volatile that is? The whole school and everything with a 5-mile radius could implode in a vortex of swirling atoms!”

“In the hands of lesser mind, yes but I'm made sure that won’t happen.”

“No. Dismantle this immediately.”

“Maybe we could a crane or at the very least a big magnet.”

“I want her brought in, not tow her to the scrapyard.”

“Thank you, comrades,” Golden Crusher said as she got back up. “Your pitiless banter has enough time to reboot my system with a small power reserve.".

“Looks like somebody didn’t the picture of being wanted,” Fill-Second grabbed the cops before she fire her laser.

“Randall, David, get the students and yourselves to safety!” Matterhorn said.

“What you want doesn’t matter in the face of the power I will now wield.”

Golden Crusher injected her arm at the core.

“What are doing, you overloaded the transmission conduits, fool!” Crawford exclaimed.

“We need to find a way to shut it down.”

“Uh, David now it’s not the time for checking for emails!” Filli-Second said.

“I’m doing something much more ingenious.”

“What have you done?”

“I’ve remotely expanded the generator’s energy shield, entrapping you.”

“I will not be captured.”

She ripped free of the machine.

Warning. Meltdown in 30 seconds.

“See you next time!”

“I track her down later, right now we diffuse before the whole school goes boom. And I don’t know the first thing regenerative ions.”

“Stand aside, and let an expert at work,” Crawford pulled her aside. “Uncoupling the fuels in the wrong matter would destroy the generator! I just need more time to…aah!”

“No!”

…

“We’re lucky that no students got hurt. I warned him of unsanctioned experiments. You did everything you could do everything, Matterhorn, Filli-Second.”

“Thanks, but I just remembered something, I need to go!” Filli-Second said then sped out there.

“There’s one more thing I can do, find the criminal who’s responsible!” Matterhorn flew out of the school.

At Sugarcube Corner

“Sorry I was late girls,” Pinkie said arriving late seeing Sunset and the rest.

“Darling what happened to you?” Rarity asked.

“Got to help The Masked Matterhorn to stop a giant robot.”

“Are you insane!?” Rainbow asked.

“Nope, neither you nor Rarity have superpowers, I Pinkie Pie as alter ego thy name is Fill-Second!”

"Wait what, how did you get powers?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm not sure, when I walked to the candy store the other day, then out of nowhere pink ring came out of a sewer!" Pinkie explained. "As soon I picked it up, I gain natural speed."

"And what this about a giant robot, all about?" Rarity asked.

"From her voice it was female and it was Golden Crusher, and looking around Nexus High for some kind of power source that one of the teachers made by the name of David Crawford, total frown face."

"What did happen to him?"

"A small explosion happen and got caring off to the hospital."

"Silverstream," Twilight greeted her at the Hospital. "How is he?"

"The doctors are with Crawford now," Silverstream explained. "They asked me to wait outside, but he's not in good spirits."

"Well, that's nothing new, but nearly blowing up the school with an unsanctioned experimental generator can be a real bummer."

"Blow us up? Golden Crusher did that. Dr. Crawford put himself in harm's way to try and save us. He saved The Masked Matterhorn and Fili-Second."

"Save them, David just trying to get him out of the way so he could save his machine."

"Of course, he wanted to save his machine and our fricking lives. I know he's not always the nicest guy. But I was there, Twilight. I saw it. He intentionally threw them out of danger. He acted like a hero."

"Good guy Crawford? Well, being a person of science, that's a possible hypothesis."

Then Silverstream's phone buzzed.

"I can't wait anymore. I gotta get back. But tell him how grateful we are."

"Will, do." Twilight went to Crawford's room. "Hey, Doc. Great to see you looking better."

"Do not patronize me, Sparkle," Crawford said.

"Okay, so what did they say?"

"The medical professionals of this establishment have informed me that they cannot remove the neural transmitter on my back, ever. The explosion has fused with the nervous system until the end of time itself. This we'll give them more reason to make me the outcast."

"My uncle, Astral Spirit, used to say that accidents can either be endings or beginnings."

"Your uncle clearly wasn't a scientist."

"No, but he wasn't a quitter either. Sure, you can give up and sulk for the rest of your life. But you should know, no matter what happens to you, there are people out there, like Silverstream and the students at Nexus, who believe in you, who think you can change the world. Maybe even as a hero."

"And what of you, Miss Sparkle?"

"I think they're right."

"I don't know, I'm not even sure how to stop Golden Crusher if she comes back."

"Why would she come back?"

"I evaluated her armor during the attack. It's an inefficient design. The fuel rods I invented for my generator would maximize her suit."

"Giving her a major power upgrade." Twilight thought about it. "But the generator was destroyed."

"The one at the school was yes. But my earlier prototypes are in off-site storage. They give a small signature, but she'll detect them eventually."

"Then there's a good we know where she's going to be. And can stop her."

"The Masked Matterhorn will handle it, I'm sure. I have nothing to offer."

"Three hours and nothing," Matterhorn said while looking out. "Remember to borrow Sandbar's Nintendo Switch next time."

"According to the tracer, Golden Crusher is right behind me, that would only happen if my Dangar Radar would *Ding* never mind."

Matterhorn dodged the incoming rocket blasts.

"Leave! I do want to hurt you or anyone," Golden Crusher said. "But I will if I must."

"You're not doing great on don't hurt anybody, a brilliant scientist is in the hospital because of you."

Golden Crusher caught her in her arms.

"He tried to deny me what I needed. I was a victim in my country. Mobsters took everything I had even my family land. I seized this armor so that I will never be vulnerable again."

She shake her off, then walked towards the grounded hero.

"The power source is the key to unlocking features of the armor that be generated with conventional energy. I will use that extra strength to become rich so that no one will push me or my family around again."

"I lost someone I cared about to crime, so I know what it feels like to be powerless. But you don't fight crime with more crime. You fight crime by becoming a hero!"

"A hero? I am a lowly thief."

"Just recently the meanest guy I know saved my life. Sometimes they surprise you."

"Oh, yes they do. They act like friends and they betray you!"

"I can't let you take that!"

"You can't stop me."

Golden Crusher inserted the fuel rod and became powered up.

"Now you're a nightlight. Am I supposed to be impressed?" Matterhorn asked the fired an ice blast only to melt upon contact. "Make that, a little impressed."

"Crusher drones, launch!" Two drones came out of her armor. "Now you know what I speak of, Matterhorn. Strength."

"When Dr.Crawford asked what happened, I am so telling him you broke his stuff. Side note, beat the bad guy before they get a massive power upgrade."

Golden Crusher fired her lasers and Matterhorn dodged them.

"Golden Crusher, you're new to Canterlot City, right? Instead of fighting, how about I take you on a tour? Show you the sights, catch a show."

Golden Crusher punched her into a wall.

"I take that as 'Not interested.' " As Golden Crusher was fired many rockets until a fist came out of the wall that Matterhorn was standing came right at the robot. "Crawford. Nice look."

"You are trying to purloin what does not belong to you. You now faced The Doctor!"

"You again? You believed metal hands is power?"

"On the contrary, they are actually programmable matter, capable of many feats."

"Won't matter, Drones, attack!"

Crawford formed two guns and destroyed the drones.

"You saved me again, now who's the superhero me or you."

"The least likely student helped make me aware I was not as helpless as I thought. But I am no hero, I merely came to protect my property."

"As 'The Dotcor' huh?"

"I am very capable of cybernetic technology."

"Yeah, got that, heh. If it weren't for you I would be toast. The burnt kind, thank you."

"Nevertheless, we failed. Golden Crusher escaped with my technology and can utilize it for any nefarious purpose that she pleases."

"I placed a tracer on her, but it's not working."

"Bring your amateurish device back to my lab, where I am certain I can correct its flaws."

"This tracer's circuit is not as incompetent assembled as I assumed. But even a malfunctioning timepiece displays a correct chrono-reading twice daily," Crawford examines it.

"I take it your Ph.D. isn't in giving compliments. Hey, I found something on the Golden Crusher."

"Government designs, as I deuced?"

"Yeah, the armor was designed to protect the people but was recently stolen by a 'Brianna Constance'. A civilian."

"Then she is likey untrained in the finer aspects of the armor. Perhaps she's incorrectly cycled the armor's junction boxes, resulting in interference with your tracer," he explained. "There! I have made the proper adjustment."

"Doc, you're a genius!"

"I know, why do people say that in a state of surprise?"

....

"There's the vault," Golden Crusher said.

"Trying to rob the bank?" Matterhorn asked as she and The Doctor came from behind. "Don't bank on it? That's is how you do a one-liner."

"The Doctor and his sidekick The Masked Matterhorn?"

"Sidekick!? He's been doing this for like an hour!"

"Two hours." The Doctor said.

"Enough!" Golden Crusher fired her lasers at them forcing both to dodge.

"We need to wrap this up before she causes significant damage."

"I'll show you damage!"

She fired her rockets at Matterhorn forcing most of the street to blow up.

"Sheesh, instead of 'Golden Crusher' how about collateral damage!"

"You are but a minor annoyance."

She fired a plasma blast at them which they dodged.

"Yes, she is an annoyance for certain, but for the moment she is my ally."

"This grows tiresome, but this will keep you busy!"

Golden Crusher fired a plasma blast at two columns of the bank that cause the people to panic then out of nowhere a figure caught the falling debris. The figure who saved them was wearing a red jumpsuit with black cuffs linked with golden apples on her ankles. She also wears a utility belt, where a golden lasso is hanging off of one side, along with a pair of golden horseshoes. Her black mask frames her emerald green eyes and her hair is wrapped up in a long green ribbon.

"Don't worry, Mistress Marevelous got you back!" She exclaimed.

"I'll assist her with those clueless dolts. You must stop Golden Crusher," The Doctor said.

"This makes it the second time I met fellow superhero and Crawford saving people on purpose. It's a crazy world," Matterhorn said as she followed Golden Crusher.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," Mattthorn did a spin kick that tripped her up. "From you what you said, it sounds like you lost a lot. But you chose whether to be the hero or the villain."

A journalist with black hair and brilliant scarlet eyes that are framed by white glasses was close to being crushed by a falling pillar, had Mistress Marvelous not lassoed him with her golden rope and pulled him away.

"Watch yerself, sir!" Marvelous said before she leaped away, leaving a smitten journalist behind.

"I've made my choice!"

Golden Crusher tried to punch her but Matterhorn dodged it, then tried to punch her rapidly but to no avail. Suddenly, a golden lasso roped itself around the villainess, courtesy of Mistress Marvelous, "Gotcha!" The lasso-wielding heroine shouted before she was picked up, off her feet, and was bounced around like a yo-yo, and tossed to the side until The Doctor saved her. Matterhorn climbed on it, they kicked it, then saw the tracer she planted.

"My tracer, Crawford did say something on your armor interfered with it. Is the opposite true? Could my tracer interfere with your armor? Let's find out!" She fired an electric beam at it that caused her to lose power.

"What are you doing!? No!" Golden Crusher said as was powered down.

"Reverse output worked! I wonder if I could get extra credit for this!"

"Well that didn't take too long," Crawford said.

"What do we don't with her?" Marevelous asked.

"Simple, let the police handle her," Matterhorn answered as they left.

Back at Nexus High.

"You realize the meanest teacher in the world is still giving us that quiz, right?" Ocellus asked.

"We should be so lucky, he just got out to the hospital," Silverstream replied. "He'll probably wanna take it easy for a while."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Crawford is a little kinder now," Twilight said as Crawford came into the room.

"Because most of you are wondering, no I will not be giving a pop quiz."

Hearing that the students were relieved.

"Instead I will give a test on aerodynamics instead and Miss Sparkle, I need to see you."

...

"Okay, what's up?" Twilight asked.

"What is up it that I know your secret."

"Hold up, you do."

"The Masked Matterhorn put this tracer on Golden Crusher, did you really think I would not recognize the project you built from my electrical engineering class? I know you are building tech for her."

"Totally, I helped her once or twice, I guess."

"Interesting. Having a brilliant mind of my own, I have no need for outside contributions. Perhaps one would say that makes me a superior hero."

"Glad to have you back Dr. Crawford," Twilight said.

Author's Note

Fluttershy (Saddle Rager)

Pinkie Pie (Filli-Second)

Applejack (Mistress Marevelous)

Flurry Heart

Smolder

Ember