Maretropolis City University was a lot of things, but above all else, it was one of the few places Spike could relax. The campus itself was one of the safest places in the city, and while he’d started taking online classes to take off the pressure of bouncing between his studies and vigilante work, he still wandered the campus on occasion for the hell of it.

As he strolled along the sidewalk, headed for one of the student lunch halls,he caught a glimpse of himself in a passing window and snickered slightly. While he didn’t look too rough since he’d showered and cleaned himself up that morning, his baggy sweatpants and light purple hoodie certainly made him look like the average college student. The only thing that made him easy to notice in a crowd was his bright green hair.

Doubt a single person here would ever suspect me of being a vigilante when I stroll around campus looking like this. He thought to himself with a chuff of amusement, carrying on towards his end destination before pausing as he got a text, pulling out his phone to give it a quick read.

Sunny Side Up: You doing good, man?

Chuckling softly, he felt a bittersweet surge of emotions at the message. Sunset Shimmer was a friend of his, and the only other person currently living in the city who knew about his secret identity. Three years ago, she’d been a beat cop of the MPD, but nowadays she worked as a private investigator. Truthfully, it’d been a while since he checked up on her…

Spike Drake: Yeah, I’m doing alright. U?

Sunny Side Up: I’ve had worse weeks. Was wondering if you’d be up for coffee, maybe tomorrow morning?

Spike’s eyebrows raised in surprise, a smidge shocked by the sudden offer. Sure, Sunset wasn’t one to mince words, but given it’d been a few months since they’d checked in on one another, the offer was enough to throw him off. Still, it would be nice to catch up with her…what the hell, he protected the city for a living. He’d taken bigger risks.

Spike Drake: For sure! Should be ready to roll by 9, that work for you?

Sunny Side Up: Hell yeah, it does. See you at the usual spot, Drake. Don’t be late, or I’ll kick your ass ;P

He snorted quietly at that last remark, shaking his head as a fond grin worked his way up his face. Being a vigilante and working day and night to keep Maretropolis safe didn’t exactly leave much room for friendship, so he was happy to keep in contact with who he could.

“Ah, gracing us with your presence once more, Mr. Drake. How very kind of you.” An unexpected voice hummed, pulling him away to his phone and drawing his attention to a middle aged man with short gray hair and a red sweater, one he recognized from his early years at the university.

“Professor Thaddeus! It’s been too long!” He laughed warmly, pocketing his phone and walking up to the man, shaking his hand firmly as the older man chuckled along. “It’s been a while since I last saw you…how are your classes going this semester?”

“Bah, as well as they can, I suppose. Always the same gaggle of freshmen to sort out every time, but I’ll admit, my latest classes have been quite receptive and polite during my lectures.” The man chuckled, tilting his head to Spike curiously. “I heard that you’ve taken on an all online curriculum, and I have to say, I’m surprised. You seemed to enjoy in-person work quite a lot.”

“I did, but my schedule has gotten kinda cluttered lately…I needed to make some time for personal stuff, you know?” Spike replied with a bashful chuckle, recognizing that the excuse was only a half life. After all, his work was quite personal. Thaddeus nodded in understanding and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Yes, yes, I understand. You always did push yourself a little too hard, perhaps these online courses will be good for you.” He mused, before glancing at his wrist and scoffing wryly as he drew his hand back. “Ah, fiddlesticks. My next class is in ten minutes, I must be going. Whenever you have a free moment, however, do feel free to swing by! I’d love to go over some theories with you, for old times sake!”

“Sounds good, professor. I’ll swing by eventually!” Spike assured him as the man continued off in the direction of the nearest campus building, chuckling to himself as he turned and continued on into the lunch hall. The professor was certainly an eccentric type, but he was one of the few instructors Spike could stand to hear lecture, and he’d always enjoyed the subjects the man covered…maybe he’d take one last class with his senior year, for old time’s sake.

Stepping into the hall proper, he started for the cafe with a pep in his step, only to slow as he realized that a majority of the student body in the area, including the cooks, were huddled around the numerous TV screens in the dining area. The second he got in earshot, he heard why.

“We are here outside Stable Stocks Bank, reporting an unexpected skirmish between the Power Ponies and the infamous criminal gang known as “The Diamond Dogs”. The streets are in absolute chaos as the powerful heroes and dastardly villains clash! Only three of the Power Ponies have shown up so far, but they seem to be holding their own against the superpowered criminals!”

As the reporter rattled on with the rest of the students and staff around him still glued to the screen, Spike slid back out towards the exit, jaw set in a firm line as he turned and started to shuck off his backpack, where his gear and suit resided. Seems like breakfast was going to have to wait.

Twilight Sparkle had grown up knowing she was born for a greater purpose. Burdened by unprecedented superpowers, she trained at Professor Celestia's School for Gifted Youth to learn to control her abilities…to harness them, and use them against those who seek to cause harm to others. Despite her training and the friends she’d made along the way, she never imagined she’d end up leading a team of like minded people one day…or just how much of a struggle an actual fight would be.

She spat out some blood and groaned in pain, trying to find the will to get off her ass after getting hurled through a wall into a laundry mat. The Diamond Dogs were stronger than they looked, as she was finding out the hard way. Fido and Spot both possessed super strength, the latter of whom demonstrated as much by hurling her through a building.

“Heh, heh. Told the boss that you freaks were just a couple of one trick ponies.” The super powered criminal jeered as he stepped in through the ruined wall he’d just caved in, stalking towards Twilight with a malicious smirk on his face. “What’s the matter, girly? Can’t handle goin’ toe to toe with a real threat?”

Twilight grimaced at the taunting, hauling herself to her feet with a defiant scowl as a familiar power started to course through her veins. Spot didn’t seem to realize what he was in for until the blue glow started around her forehead, surprise and then fear entering his expression as he realized his mistake.

“Aw, shit--”

A powerful blast of ice sent him soaring back out onto the streets, nailing him to a light post and binding him there as he let loose a colorful series of curses. Twilight limped back out onto the battlefield after the fact, surveying the streets around her with a grimace.

The Diamond Dog gang had been attacking banks in the area over the last few days, and the Power Ponies had been lucky enough to predict their next moves well enough to intercept their latest attack. So far, most of the normal crooks of the gang were down, but Fido and Rover were still putting up one hell of a fight against Mistress Mare-velous and Fili-Second.

Speaking of which, the ice powered hero spotted the former going up against Fido, using her lasso to yank the man forward before delivering a powerful kick to his jaw, sending him reeling.

“That enough for ya, fella, or do I need to hogtie you next to keep you and your vermin pals from roughin’ up any more innocent folk today?” She drawled with a confident smirk, swinging her lasso in preparation as she stared down the criminal as he lurched back to his feet, snarling at her.

“Ghh…we ain’t done yet. I’m gonna lay you out, broad!” He spat, starting forwards again with his fists raised, prepared to take the fight back to her before a streak of pink flew bast him, his head jerking to the side from the speed at which he was hit, before lurching in the opposite direction as the pink blur whizzed past once again, sending him to the ground once more as his head spun.

“Whoops, too slow! Better luck next time!” Fili-Second chirped with a wide grin, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her teammate restrained the criminal with a pair of hoofarangs. The speedster looked like she was practically vibrating with energy, her white and pink suit stained with occasional patches of soot and blood, (none of which belonged to her, shockingly). “You okay, Mare-velous?”

“I’m all good, Fili. Thank you kindly for the back-up.” The orange skinned woman chuckled, rising back to her feet after securing Fido and looking about. “Now, Fido, where’s that troublemaking brother of yours?”

“Closer than you think.”

Suddenly, a wave of red energy blasted into both heroes, sending them soaring into the air, the falls cushioned ice slides hastily conjured up by Masked Matter-Horn. The trio turned to face the remaining member of the Diamond Dog leadership, Rover himself. The man didn’t have powers like his two younger brothers, but he made up for that fact by wielding a powerful looking cannon with both hands.

“Like my new toy? Courtesy of our latest employer, guaranteed to put meddlesome heroes like yourself into a world of hurt.” He leered at them with a sinister looking expression. “Was hoping your entire pose would show up whenever I got to break this baby out, but oh well. I’ll settle for humiliating three heroes today.”

“You must be pretty confident in that tech to think you’re gonna come out on top here, Rover. It’s three on one.” Twilight sniped back, standing ready with both of her teammates as she channeled her power once more, preparing to send a wave of ice in the direction of the criminal.

Rover just grinned, seemingly priming the cannon once more as the red lights along the barrel grew brighter. The heroes moved in tandem, with Mistress Mare-velous and Fili-Second both launching forward in an arch, attempting to hit the man from both sides as Masked Matter-Horn launched a volley of ice in his direction.

The weapon expelled another wave of red energy, more intense this time and at a much wider radius. The ice melted away faster than Twilight could generate it, and both of her fellow heroes were blasted back yet again, Mistress Mare-velous sent crashing back into a wrecked taxi while Fili-Second tumbled ass over teakettle back the same lamppost Spot was frozen to.

Twilight’s eyes widened as the blast came to an end, her temple pulsing in pain given the power she’d been pushing out. Aside from her teachers, the most powerful heroes she’d ever met, nothing had ever held back her powers like that before. She certainly hadn’t seen anyone be able to stop Fili in her tracks like that either.

“You think that’s impressive, Matter-Horn? Just wait till I show you what it can do on full power!” Rover laughed darkly, flipping a switch next to the trigger of the cannon as it started to shift, plating coming free at the front of the barrel and beginning to spin rapidly as he leveled the weapon solely on Twilight. She drew up her power once more, prepared to defend herself and her fellow heroes however she could--

Only to fall short as a black metallic disk suddenly flew out from somewhere behind her, latching on to the barrel of the cannon and seemingly becoming magnetically attached with an audible thunk! Even Rover seemed surprised by this sudden development, barely able to get a befuddled, “Wha?” out of his mouth before the disk suddenly released an electric charge through the weapon, shocking him and making him drop it with a cry as it shut down.

“What the shit?! W-who threw that?” He spat, looking up to the building before Twilight, his expression suddenly going slack as shock became clear on his face. Twilight tilted her head to follow his gaze, and likewise was surprised by what she found.

Perched high above them, a man in a black and purple suit stood tall with a menacing gate. He jumped down with the help of a grappling hook, his cape billowing behind him as he landed beside Twilight, rising up to his full height once more beside her, his gaze still locked on Rover as his masked eyes narrowed.

“New toys, Rover? Where’d you get the money for that?” He asked, making the man wince and take a step back, looking around fearfully as he realized that both Mistress Mare-velous and Fili-Second had risen once more, and without his secret weapon in hand, he was now at their mercy. “I’d recommend surrendering now.”

“Y-you…you son of a bitch!” Rover snarled desperately, his hand slipping into his jacket and pulling a pistol free. He didn’t even get a chance to aim it before Fili-Second darted up and cracked him once across the jaw, sending him to the ground. A moment later, he was frozen in place there by Masked Matter-Horn, and the battle ended with a mere whimper.

“Well…I guess that coulda gone worse.” Mistress Mare-velous huffed as she rolled her shoulder, grimacing at the brief flash of pain that followed before her attention flicked to the masked man that had joined them, her eyes narrowing skeptically. “Appreciate the assist, stranger, but I’m a bit curious as to who you are and why you stepped in to help us.”

Before the man could answer, Twilight spoke up, having regained her composure after Rover had fallen. “Ah, right. Introductions. Mare, Fili; this is Noir. He’s the hero Zapp ran into during her patrol last night.”

Before Noir could even respond to this with more than a nod, Fili-Second jumped forward and extended a hand to him, greeting him in an enthused tone. “Hiya! It’s nice to meet you, Noiry! Can I call you Noiry? Zapp made you sound like you were taller, are you supposed to be taller? What was that disk you used on that guy’s gun? What’s with the--”

A hand was promptly slapped over the woman’s mouth as she continued to blabber on, while Twilight spared the male hero an apologetic look. “Sorry about her. She gets a little…excitable, meeting new people. Regardless, thank you for lending a hand.”

“Right…glad I arrived when I did. Seemed like Rover had you three on the ropes.” The man muttered, looking away from the still talking speedster with a befuddled expression and instead turning his attention to the discarded cannon on the ground, starting to walk over to it. “Speaking of which…any idea where he could have gotten tech like this?”

Twilight sent a cautious look over to Mistress Mare-velous, who seemed similarly perturbed by the man’s curt demeanor. Still, removing her hand from Fili-Second’s mouth and moving to join Noir as he knelt before the cannon, visually inspecting it.

“No idea, I’ve never seen anything like this…it seemed to counter our powers entirely. That’s…that’s never happened before to me.” She admitted, drawing a curious glance from Noir before he reached down and plucked his electro disk off the device, taking off a panel with it in the process…and seemingly activating some kind of failsafe as the device started to whirl and glow red, making both heroes quickly step back in alarm. “Shit--move, MOVE!”

He kicked the cannon to make it roll farther away before grabbing Twilight’s arm and pulling her further away from the device as it started to whirr louder and louder. They only made it another five feet before the cannon detonated in a fiery red explosion that sent them both sprawling along the ground.

The two heroes were quickly helped back to their feet by Mistress Mare-velous and Fili-Second, the four heroes looking to the smoldering crater that was at least a foot deep that had resulted from the explosion.

“Well…that certainly makes things more complicated.” Noir muttered, before noticing the distant moan of sirens growing closer, pocketing the sample of metal he salvaged from the cannon and grabbing his grapple gun. “And that’s my cue to leave. Until next time, Matter-Horn.”

He nodded to the other power ponies and prepared to leave, but before he could, the purple clad heroine stepped before him once more with a pleading gesture. “Hang on! We could help each other, you know! Why don’t you come back with us to our headquarters, so we can test that metal you found?”

The male hero paused at the offer, pursing his lips and looking about her companions. Mistress Mare-velous looked displeased by the idea, but seemed to keep her disagreement to herself. Fili-Second, on the other hand, seemed positively elated at the prospect, nodding quickly.

It was a bad idea, he knew it in his heart. Then Power Ponies were green as grass when it came to being heroes…but that also meant he could lend some guidance, try and steer them away from the mistakes he’d made only a few years prior…

Hearing the sirens grow ever closer and realizing that it was now or never, he sighed deeply and lowered his arm, nodding with a pensive frown.

“Alright then…lead the way.”

Author's Note

Another chapter done! Apologies if the names seem all over the place this chapter, once the Power Ponies are "revealed" in future chapters, I'll stick with their normal names while writing them.