This is my second ROTBTD fanfic, nice and shiny and new, for all of my readers, my veterans and greenies alike. I know this isn't exactly a popular AU for ROTBTD, but I just absolutely love the idea of The Big Four being superheroes. There are so many possibilities...

I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. It has taken a lot of time and care to write this at the same time as The Old Norse Scroll, but I'm hoping I won't become overwhelmed to the point of putting them on hiatus. I really hope you enjoy this story, it is very important to me.

Enjoy!

Jack POV

"Come on, Emma! Last one home loses!" I called over my shoulder, laughing.

Emma giggled and a grin spread across my face. We raced down the barren streets, the wind whipping at my clothes and my shoes slapping againt the crumbling pavement. The deteriorated street lay out in front of us in a stretch of rocky asphalt and littered sidewalks.

"No fair, Jack!" My younger sister called back, her short legs struggling to catch up with my long strides. "You had a head start!" She protested.

I stopped running for a moment. Once she passed me, I once again sped up, easily catching up to her as she ran down the street we lived on. It wasn't the nicest looking street, but it was good enough for a race.

"There, now you had a head start. Fair game!" I called, teasing her as I caught up easily.

I let her pull ahead slightly, only enough so she wouldn't be discouraged. Emma grinned again, showing the gap in her teeth where her left canine had once rested. When she had lost it last week, she had been excited all day for the tooth fairy to arrive, and leave a golden coin in place for her tooth. Mom had to bribe her with pancakes for breakfast to put her to sleep.

It was my job every day after school ended to walk Emma home. We tried to make a game out of it and have a little fun, and I enjoyed this time together. Today had been a particularly boring day for the both of us, so being able to stretch our legs and run home was a pleasure.

"Almost there." I shouted, joy-induced euphoria making it's way into my bloodstream.

Emma smiled at me and put on a little extra speed. I pretended to have difficulty keeping up with her and feel back slowly. She flew up the three cement steps leading to our house and slammed into the door, a victorious smile on her face.

"I won!" She yelled. I climbed the steps, looking defeated.

"There will be a next time, Emma Overland!" I shook my fist in the air dramatically.

Emma giggled and opened the door to our single story house. Dropping her pink school bag onto the floor, she turned to me, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Clutching her small hands to her chest, she looked up at me imploringly, their warm chocolate colour melting my resolve bit by bit.

"Can we go to the park, Jack?" She pleaded. "Please?"

I dropped my bag on the floor beside hers, the sight familiar. I took a quick look around the house, not hearing a single sound indicating anyone was home. Mom wouldn't be back from work for a while. It couldn't hurt to play outside for a little while longer... Fresh air and exercise was good for us, right?

"I guess." I told her, and smiled, seeing the huge grin on her face. "But we can't be too long. Mom'll get mad at me again."

"Let's go!" Emma said, grabbing my hand. I smiled and let her drag me along to the small park located on the other side of our street. I had to stoop down beside her, so she wouldn't rip my arm off as she dragged me forwards excitedly.

The park wasn't exactly an impressive piece of land, with dead grass and scraggly trees the only plant life present. There was a single swing located in the middle of the park, and a faded red slide off to the side. The real reason Emma and I enjoyed coming here was because of the pond.

It was a large, flat surface, with only a few weeds surrounding it. The water was always crystal clear, nearly free from pollution, an extraordinary feat in itself. Our favorite time to visit the pond was during the winter, when it froze over and we could skate on it. It was my second favorite thing to do, besides causing snowball fights, of course.

Unfortunately, the snow had melted weeks ago, leaving behind only damp grass and muddy potholes. Emma still enjoyed coming, however, because this was the pond where all the young ducklings and goslings swam about, following their mothers closely as they paddled in small circles.

Emma skipped up to the pond and crouched down. There were no animals in the pond today, except for the tadpoles that seemed to always occupy the small body of water. I never saw any frogs here, however, which often led me to think that they weren't actually tadpoles, but some other weird-looking fish.

"I wonder where all the animals are." Emma said aloud, voicing my thoughts.

I was about to agree, when suddenly, a loud boom could be heard. It was strong, and thunderous. It could have been heard for miles. It resonated through the streets, echoing off the walls of the apartment buildings and scaring off all birds that sat perched in the trees. It rattled my bones, and frightened me to the core.

"Emma." I said urgently. She had already stood and made her way to my side, scared.

"Jack, what was that?" She asked, her warm brown eyes wide with fright.

"I don't know." I muttered, my eyes searching the sky for what could have caused such a loud noise. The pearly white clouds didn't offer any answers, neither did the frightened birds still fleeing the park.

"Jack, I'm scared." Emma whispered. My heart lurched as she said these words, and I automatically began to comfort her.

"Hey, hey. Don't be scared." I soothed her. I crouched down and looked her in the eyes. "Look, why don't we make it a game, alright? We're just going to have...we'll have a little fun."

Emma looked up to me, searching for reassurance, when she spotted something behind my shoulder.

"Jack!" She cried, pointing behind me, her eyes growing wide with fright.

My eyes widened at the sight. An enormous wave of what looked like purple energy crackled through the air, passing through everything as it quickly made it's way towards us. It launched things into the air as it passed by, and people were screaming, running away, terrified. They weren't running playfully as Emma and I had done earlier, this was a natural response, something more primal. They weren't racing, they were fleeing.

I didn't think, I reacted. I wrapped my arms around Emma and pulled her to the ground, covering her small, shaking body with my own, careful to keep her head tucked tight into my chest. I felt her shaking, and felt my own heart pound against her warm body. I brought us down, onto the ground so I rested on top of her, careful not to crush her fragile body.

Taking a final look up at the sky, I saw the threatening purple wave looming above us. A sharp intake of breath was all I could manage to do before tearing my eyes from the scene. Ducking my head once more so my nose rested in Emma's silky hair, I prepared for impact.

The wave hit us, and I felt a jolt of quick pain flash through me. The world became incredibly bright, and I couldn't see. My only reassurance was Emma, who was still cradled in my arms, crying out from fright.

Before I could assure her that everything would be alright, the brightness faded, and I felt incredibly weak. I couldn't move, and quickly, darkness spread over me. The last thing I heard was Emma crying out my name, futily trying to shake me from the heavy slumber that had settled over me.

Punzie POV

I shut the small cage door on the crate that held a rather fat tabby cat. The feline hissed, but didn't lash out, which I was thankful for. I had had many experiences where the animals were so distraught that they lashed out at anything that moved.

"Hey, don't worry little guy." I told the annoyed cat. "Gothel will make sure you're de-wormed before you know it. You should be grateful, she's on of the best vet's I know."

I didn't tell him, however, that Gothel was the only vet I knew. Still, the cat seemed to calm down at the sound of my soothing voice, and I continued carrying him down the hallway, into Gothel's waiting room.

I was a volunteer at mother's animal hospital, Gothel's Veterinary Clinic, and I was in charge of taking care of the animals who had to stay over night. I was responsible for feeding the animals, soothing them when they became stressed or anxious, and cleaning their cages during their appointments.

I was also in charge of returning the pets to their worrisome owners. It was my favorite part of the job, seeing the relief and joy on the owners faces as they are reunited with their pets felt amazing. It felt like the brilliant sun shining down on your face after a long, cloudy winter.

"Rapunzel, dear." Gothel called in a sing song voice. "Please bring the tabby cat in, we're ready for him."

"I'm coming!" I called back, quickening my pace.

Gothel was like a mother to me, as I had never really known my real parents. Though she was stern, and insisted on keeping me in here for as long as she could, she was a wonderful woman and exactly who I wanted to be one day.

I once again lifted the cat carrier and began walking towards the small room in the corner, used mostly for minor procedures. I whispered soothing words to the cat as I placed him on the clean table. I opened the carrier and lifted him out, placing him gently on the smooth, sterile surface.

"Thank you, flower." Gothel crooned.

"No problem, mother." I told her. I bit my lip, unsure whether now was the right time to ask Gothel if I could leave early, to go see the light display at the nearby park's fountains.

"Gothel, would you mind if I-"

"What are you saying, dear? Speak up. You know I hate the mumbling." Gothel said, while laying the quickly sedated tabby onto the table gently, careful to lay his head down on a folded towel for a pillow.

"I was wondering if I could leave early today." I stated clearly. "To go see the lights."

Gothel looked slightly disappointed. "Now, Rapunzel. You know I need your help here in the clinic. I need the extra set of hands."

"I know." I muttered. "But, I was just hoping-"

"No, Rapunzel." Gothel said with finality. "Now, please, leave the room. I need to get back to work."

I looked down at my feet.

"Yes, Gothel." I left the room sullenly, closing the door behind me.

I looked out the window of Gothel's office, seeing a stream of children migrate towards the center of the town, and I sighed. How amazing it must be to be young and innocent, to be able to go see the brilliant lights whenever you fancied.

I wish I could go see the light show at the fountains in the park. Every day, they would light up just outside my line of sight. All I could see was reflections off the water, and the occasional spray of mist. I've been dying to see them ever since I moved here, and I couldn't help but feel like today was the day I needed to see them.

After a few more minutes of longing, I made a decision. I stepped outside, into the warm March air, and breathed in deeply, loving the feeling of the sun on my skin after spending all morning inside. Here in the city, the weather is almost always warm, even in the winters, it never dropped below freezing. It was very odd, especially compared to our neighborhood city, Archipelago, where winters lasted a little less than half the year. It was a meteorological feat of nature, one scientists have never truly been able to understand.

I ran across the courtyard like a foolish child, making my way to the edge of the well-groomed park, where the fountains were due to begin their show. I was giddy with excitement and bounced on the balls of my feet as I waited alongside a number of other people.

With a splutter, the fountains began spraying water higher into the air, and shimmering spotlights danced along the water, making it shine a rainbow of colours, reflecting light onto the crowd. This performance continued on for ten more minutes, and when it was finished, I was left breathless.

It was everything I had hoped it would be, and though I did feel slightly guilty about leaving Gothel alone, it was completely worth it. The lights were beautiful, and the fountains were so finely crafted it looked like magic.

Tearing through the most wonderful moment, was a loud, ringing boom that echoed cross the entire town. It was loud, and it hurt my ears. Several people screamed, including a startled yelp from myself.

I searched for the source of sound, scanning the streets and the sky. My back turned to the fountain, I could see a startled women gape at something behind my back.

Coming directly towards us, was a wave of purple energy, snapping through the air. It was knocking things down in it's destructive path, and threw things into the air as it advanced upon us. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, something this massive and powerful. It scared me.

I saw a tiny child, no older than two years old, whose mother had lost him in the panicked crowd. He was crying, and looked frightened. I reached forwards and murmured comforting words to him. His racking sobs soon quieted into little sniffles as he clutched onto my clean white overcoat.

I had just enough time pull him closer, when the wave passed over us. I clutched the young boy, and kept my back to the wave, protecting him from any harm. There was a blinding light, and I couldn't see anything, not the sky, or the ground or even the menacing purple wave of energy.

A jolt of pain ran through me, making me gasp as though I had been shocked. I lay on the ground, suddenly feeling very weak. I couldn't move my arms, or my legs, or any part of my body for that matter. I felt the small boy wriggle closer into my arms as we lay on the ground. All I could do was wait until darkness swept over me and I fell into a deep sleep, keeping the small boy from harm, tucked into my protective grasp.