Canterlot Castle

Those words hit Theo like a train as his mind shattered and his facade crumbled to dust as he watched Celestia closed the door. His legs gave out under him as he collapsed to the floor and hot tears flowed from his eyes as his mouth trembled as he remembered those days as a slave where he prayed for Princess Celestia to help him but now she spoke of her true feelings of him, he was nothing to her.

His horn glowed before he teleported to his room and collapsed on his bed as he let out all those bottled up emotions he was experiencing… pain and suffering. His ears faintly picked up on the Mane Six chattering about something inaudible which made him sob harder before he picked himself up and trudged towards his old bag that had his old scrolls from when he first became Celestia’s pupil.

Just seeing it made him angry before his horn glowed and shot out a beam that vaporized them before he began tearing his room down as he destroyed the bed, shredded the vanity and demolished the bathroom before collapsing at the center of it all as he stared at the ceiling with his face soaked in tears.

His eyes strayed over the damage he done before resting upon an old knife that was a bit rusty but still sharp. Trudging over to it, Theo levitated the knife pointing it straight at his throat as he closed his eyes but before he could make a move, a voice spoke to him from behind.

“Oh no don’t do that, that’s not the way to go.”

Theo opened his eyes before slowly turning around and saw a weird looking…. Thing sitting on a chair. He was old and he had glasses on as wrinkles were very noticeable as he had a warm smile on his face. The weird part was that he wasn’t a pony at all, more like an ape or something.

“Wh-what are you?” Theo said in shock as the old man chuckled.

“I’m Stan Lee, creator of many beautiful things.” Stan replied before frowning at the knife in Theo’s grasp, “Put that blade down, suicide isn’t the option here.”

Theo reluctantly put the knife down before rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating the old man but he wasn’t as he looked at him curiously.

“Why are you here?” Theo asked.

“I’ve been watching this world along with my next one,” Stan replied, “I’ve made wonders come alive and impact the lives of billions of people and I’ve watched your life especially Theo-Adam and I am truly sorry.”

He was so sincere and apologetic that Theo sighed sadly before plumping his flank onto the ground and cried softly as the old man trudged forward and gave him a hug.

“There there young one,” Stan said softly. “Let it out.”

Theo cried into the old man’s shirt as Stan patted his head before they both released the hug and Stan sat back in his chair.

“You know… you weren’t the only one who people couldn’t find believable.” Stan spoke as Theo looked at him.

“Huh?” Theo said confused.”

“In the 1960’s on Earth, I saw a insect stuck to a wall and began to crawl and then I thought, huh, that should be a superpower and so the idea of Spider-Man came along,” Stan said wistfully, “I presented the idea to my team and they laughed at it, saying it was a dumb idea and a joke. I took it for granted at first but then I pushed their criticism aside and pushed the character out to the world, now that same hero as captured the hearts of millions of people.

“Wow.” Theo said in awe as Stan nodded with a smile.

“Oh yes indeed, after that, I made more superheroes along with supervillains and eventually those heroes came to life in movies and the actors and actresses who played them felt connected to their character’s stories. I was so proud of the Cinematic Universe that I built and I left it in good hands when I passed.”

“You’re…. Dead?” Theo asked.

“Yes and no, when I died, I became a deity myself and watched over my creations but then I realized that there were more worlds out there, where my creations were actually real,” Stan said, “I saw the heroes I made grow and develop into the characters I wrote them to be, I saw some worlds where they took that direction in the complete opposite of what I envisioned them as, all worlds are different in each universe but I was still proud of them all, no matter who they were.”

“Why tell me this?” Theo asked as Stan looked at him warmly.

“Because I want to give you the opportunity to join them.” Stan offered as Theo’s eyes widened.

“What… what do you mean?” Theo asked.

“You’re memories and past help build you into who you are today, like it or not, we are all characters apart of a bigger universe,” Stan explained, “I’ve seen what you’ve experience and all those events led to me meeting with you now. This version of Equestria is a dark one… more darker than anyone here realizes, you, Theo-Adam, have experienced a dark past ever since you were born and you could be the key to deciding the fate of it.”

“H-how?” Theo asked timidly.

“In the 1930’s, DC Comics were a popular brand and they created the hero known as Superman who was powerful in every way. Another studio ran by a man named Fawcett created a hero known as Captain Marvel, about a boy who can turn into a superpowered man by uttering a magic word. These two studios clashed in a law suit that resulted in DC winning and taking over Fawcett Comics. Eventually they gave Captain Marvel a different name due to Carol Danvers being created by Marvel Comics taking the mantle as Captain Marvel. Naming the hero Shazam, he won the hearts of many young people and became an inspiration to so many others.” Stan spoke warmly as Theo blinked at that.

“That’s….just…. Wow.” Theo marveled as Stan laughed warmly.

“Now to the point… in September 3, 2014, Dwayne Johnson was casted as Black Adam, an arch-nemesis of Shazam but the project was delayed until the near future. Last I checked they were making his movie about eight years later. The boy who was able to turn into Shazam was named Billy Batson, an orphaned boy. The man who became Black Adam was known as Teth-Adam or in another form… Theo-Adam.”

The unicorn’s eyes widened at that as Stan looked at him and laughed at his reaction as his warm laughter made Theo feel embarrassed.

“No need to feel shame, Theo, everyone here has an alternate self doing even more dumber things than just a simple same name coincidence,” Stan said lightly before his tone turned serious, “The reason I am telling you this is because I have come across a world known as Earth MD52 where both DC and Marvel heroes reside in. The world is full of heroes but also overrun with villains who don’t hesitate to kill innocents and take their lives for their own selfish desires. Most heroes or rather almost all of them, don’t get rid of the villains permanently while a few do reluctantly… and it turns out… that world does not have a Black Adam.”

Theo’s mind raced at the description of this world before Stan’s last statement jumped out at him as his widened before looking at the old man.

“You… want me to be Black Adam?” Theo asked in awe.

“The Black Adam of that universe,” Stan spoke seriously, “Every time I look at that world, it breaks my heart to see my alternate creations don’t do the right thing and just take that little step forward. As Black Adam, you will be able to do that and take up the mantle.”

“Who exactly is Black Adam?” Theo asked.

“He was the first to be blessed with the powers of Shazam before he abused his power and turned on them, becoming a full on villain in some comic runs,” Stan explain thoughtfully, “The main thing that made him stood out from most heroes is that he fights for what he believes in and protects his people also he doesn’t hold back at all.”

Theo didn’t say anything as Stan looked at him before leaning forward.

“I believe that you can set that universe back on the right track, I won’t be angry at what you decide to do with your powers,” Stan said gently, “You can be the destroyer of that world… or you can be its savior…. That’s…. Up to you.”

“I….I….” Theo tried to form words but he was thinking too hard about this as Stan noticed this.

“Theodore, I know you may feel like your restricted here but there is nothing you can do and you have tried your hardest to fit in, you can always return if you want to,” Stan said gently, “I will be there to guide you.”

“Besides me and Black Adam having the same name…. What about us is similar?” Theo asked.

“Your slave origins, both of you have lost your families to slave masters and have lived tough and harsh lives, I can see it in you that you are willing to go the extra mile and eliminate villains permanently, Teth was the same, wanting to protect his people and was willing to fight every superhero in the world to resurrect his wife which resulted in World War 3.” Stan explained as Theo’s face shifted from one of timidness to a serious one as he looked at Stan seriously.

“Ever since I was born, I’ve dealt with hardships most ponies would never even dream of experiencing and ever since I’ve been taken under Celestia’s shadow, I was nothing but a pushover that nopony would take sympathy on, this world has nothing for me now… I accept your offer, Stan Lee.” Theo said seriously as Stan smiled warmly.

“Good, now to make it official,” Stan said as he waved his hand a golden rimmed portal opened and it was dark and gloomy on the other side. “When you enter this portal, you will change and you will look different, you will be a human or more importantly… you will be Teth-Adam. You will be currently imprisoned in a tomb but you will be able to free yourself from this predicament. I will guide you more once you step through but now I must give you your powers.”

Stan stood up and held out his hand, “Take my hand.”

Theo trotted forward and put his hoof in Stan’s hand as the old man’s voice amplified as lightning clouds appeared overhead and lightning struck around Canterlot as Stan proclaimed.

“I NAME YOU TETH-ADAM OF EARTH-MD52, CARRY HIS NAME AND WITH IT, YOU CARRY ALL OF HIS POWERS, THE STAMINA OF SHU, THE SPEED OF HERU, THE STRENGTH OF AMON, THE WISDOM OF ZEHUTI, THE POWER OF ATON AND THE COURAGE OF MEHEN…BY THE POWER OF ME, I NAME YOU…BLACK ADAM!!!” Stan proclaimed as a massive blue lightning bolt bursted through the ceiling and struck Theo as the pony’s eyes widened as he saw nothing but light and pitched forward blindly and into the portal as it closed.

Stan Lee disappeared from the world of Equestria before appearing in his palace before looking at Theo, now in human form, imprisoned in a tomb through a magic window as he smiled warmly.

“The hierarchy of power in EarthMD52… is about to change…. yeesh, now that I look at it, Dwayne Johnson has been using that line quite a lot lately.” Stan remarked as he began his assignment.

Earth-MD52

Theo saw darkness and he couldn’t move nor talk at all as he found himself in a massive rock temple that had strange markings on the walls and seemed to go on forever as he looked down and yelped. He wasn’t a pony anymore, he was a human and had chocolate skin along with a… what looks to be a loincloth on his waist.

“Where am I? Stan?! Hello?!” Theo yelled as his voice echoed but no response was heard before he heard Stan behind him.

“Told you.” Stan remarked as Theo jumped and turned around to see him.

“Where am I?” Theo asked.

“You’re currently trapped in your mind right now,” Stan explained, “All these writings on the walls were meant to keep you imprisoned, I couldn’t just let you appear out of nowhere and alert other beings, you have to start out from somewhere.”

“How do I get out of here?” Theo asked as Stan chuckled.

“Patience young one, I have to explain how powerful you are,” Stan spoke brightly, “In terms of the power of one’s character, it depends how they are written, how the writer interprets the character and how they want to handle them… the strongest being in this world right now is possibly Superman or Darkseid… perhaps Thor or Thanos but you will be on par with Superman in terms of Strength and speed. If you learn to master your powers thoroughly, you can become more powerful than Superman himself.”

“How does my powers work?” Theo asked.

“Just like Billy Batson, you will have to utter a magic word in order for powers to occur, it will come to you in the form of a blue lightning bolt striking from the heavens as what happened to you back on Equestria,” Stan explained, “Be aware that when you are in your mortal form, you will have no powers whatsoever besides the magic word, only then will you be able to access your new form.”

“So I can turn back and forth into my mortal form?” Theo clarified.

“Yes.” Stan confirmed.

“Okay then.” Theo said before Stan held up his hand.

“A word of caution though, once you awaken and break free of your tomb, you will alert the attention of those beings who have thorough knowledge in magic since your powers are magic based,” Stan warned, “Currently, a group known as Intergang has picked up your energy signature and are in the cave right now currently along with two innocents, you will have to deal with them once you’re free along with the team of Superheroes that will come to apprehend you.”

“So what’s my main goal?” Theo asked seriously.

“Liberate Kahn’daq of the Intergang and take back your kingdom through any means necessary besides killing innocents of course, this will be the first step for you and a great practice run for you to learn your powers and test them against the Intergang and the superhero team.” Stan said as Theo nodded in confirmation.

“It is time for you to awaken…. The magic word is Shazam!.... Say it when you are ready.” Stan said before winking at him and disappearing as Theo looked at himself.

Things will be different once he spoke this word, he will be an entirely different person and there will be no more of him hiding under ponies… or rather people’s shadows and he won’t let anyone take advantage or push him around ever again. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and shouted loudly.

“SHAZAM!” Theo yelled as a bright blue flash enveloped his vision.

Thirty Miles Away From Kahn’daq

Author's Note

OH BOI, THINGS ARE STARTING TO GET REAL NOW, AND DON'T WORRY THAT VERSION OF EQUESTRIA.... I KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO DEAL WITH IT, HEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!