Episode 2

A lecture in Heroism, Part 1

Coming back to High School

The dreaded time of the week known as Monday was upon all the young people going to Canterlot High, and none were too pleased about that. Students who had enjoyed the freedom of the weekend were now forced to once again rise early and focus on their schoolwork to make sure their grades don't plummet so much that it may affect their career choices in the future.

Canterlot High was your average cliché high school, and the greatest mystery about it was how it got its name considering the fact that it was placed in the suburbs and was just one of many high schools in Canterlot. Nevertheless, it was also the school Rainbow Dash and her friends went to. Well, except for Twilight, who got her position at CelestiaCorp after she and Sunset Shimmer (who she barely knew at the time) teamed up to compete in a science fare that Celestia attended. The result of their project was so impressive that the accomplished businesswoman took both of them under her wing and enlisted them as her personal students.

Another of Rainbow's friends who didn't show up to school today was the one called Rarity...who was dealing with an entirely different lifestyle than High School at the moment.


Waiting for the classes to start, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were hanging out in one of the school's hallways while taking their things out of their lockers. Rainbow Dash was a bit late though...as usual.

"So...did the rest of you all have a good weekend?" Fluttershy asked openly while unlocking her locker.

Pinkie immediately declared, "I had one of the most funnest weekends EVER! First you two and Rainbow Dash took a trip to CelestiaCorp to meet up with Twilight, then-"

Applejack cut her off, "Um, Pinkie, we already know that part. We were there...ya know?"

"Of course I know you were there, silly, I just said so."

Fluttershy suggested, "Yes, but can you maybe tell us something that happened when we...weren't there?"

"Huh? Sure, but those things weren't really that fun."

"I'm sure you can think of something interesting that happened."

"Weeeell...yesterday me and my sister Maud were out shopping for a birthday present for Marble when my Pinkie Sense kept telling me that something was gonna fall from the sky! Turned out it was some girl dressed in a blue and yellow outfit who used some kind of web-shooting thingies to swing from building to building."

Applejack raised an eyebrow, "Say what now?"

Pinkie shrugged, "I don't know who she was or why she was doing that, but it looked like FUN! I guess you had to be there."

"If ya say so."

Dropping that subject, Pinkie asked, "So how was your weekend, Jackie?"

The country girl bluntly answered, "Well, for me it was pretty much a plum-tuckin' pig-pushin' disaster. We lost over half of our usual customers to Storm Tech in two days! Then that money-hoggin' weasel Mr Storm just bought up pretty much all major businesses in this part of town and threatened to run us out of business if we didn't start workin' for him! Now, I'm sure he got some fancy legal what-ya-call-it on his side, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I let that charlatan get his greedy hands on my farm! Heck, we don't even know where he gets all the money to do that from, but I bet your boots it ain't legal."

"Oh my, that doesn't sound good," Fluttershy commented.

"That's an understatement. If this keeps up, we'll lose Sweet Apple Acres within a few months unless we figure out a way to do somethin' about it!"

"Why don't you just ask Shining Armour to deal with it?" Pinkie suggested. "I mean you're a friend of his sister, so that would make you his friend too, and friends always help out each other, am I right!?"

"Already tried that, Sugarcube. But the cops won't help unless they have 'evidence'." Applejack answered with the appropriate air-quotes.

"But there has to be some evidence," Fluttershy insisted. "I mean, no one can just ruin someone else's life and get away with it like that!"

Applejack crossed her arms. "Apparently...you can. I talked to them cops about this whole mess and they found no proof whatsoever that Storm was doin' anythin' illegal, but I ain't buyin' that for a second."

Pinkie popped up behind Applejack and wrapped her arm over her shoulder. "Hey, don't go all pouty, Applejack! It's only been a weekend, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to find a solution to this. And if this storm-guy tries to take your farm, I will unleash cupcakegeddon on him and his no-fun company!"

While she had no idea what on earth she meant by that, the sentiment brought a small smile to Applejack's lips while a small bit of her stress faded away. "Um, thank's, Pinkie."

"That's what I'm here for, cousin!" Pinkie responded before she literally bounced a few steps away to give her friend back her personal space.

After letting out a sigh, Applejack turned her attention to Fluttershy and asked, "By the way, how did your weekend go, Flutters?"

Fluttershy happily answered, "Oh, it was wonderful! I found a new animal friend to take care of, and she was one of the most adorable little creatures I've ever seen! I decided to call her Fuzzy Legs."

"Fuzzy Legs? What kind of critter was she?"

Before Fluttershy had time to answer, Pinkie guessed, "Oh, oh, oh, let me guess: a tiger, a mantis, a monkey, crane, panda, snake? Wait, snakes don't have legs, unless that was one of those ironic names. Is it?"

Fluttershy laughed a little and clarified, "Oh no, Fuzzy Legs is a spider."

"Ooooooooh, now I get it..."

Applejack questioned, "Wait a minute, how exactly is a spider adorable?"

"How could it not be?" Fluttershy answered, "I don't really get why everyone thinks spiders are so scary. I think they look cute, with their pretty little eyes and those fuzzy little legs."

"Well, I suppose if anyone could consider a spider to be cute, it be you, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy blushed a little at that comment.

"Hi guys!" Rainbow's voice cheerfully greeted, prompting her three friends to sharply turn in her direction

Sure enough, their brash tomboy of a friend with prismatic hair was approaching them. However, there was something a little different about her today. It was subtle, but if one looked closely, one could see that Dash was acting far more chipper than she had been all month.

While she hadn't admitted it to anyone, she had been a bit depressed ever since the mess that made her break up with Gilda, but now...she looked ready to attack the day. Her eyes showed a confidence she hadn't displayed in a while and the grin on her face was as cocky as it used to be.

Pinkie Pie's reaction to her presence was immediate. Before anyone could blink, the pink blur ran towards Rainbow at hyper-sonic speed while holding her arms out with the intention of giving her friend one of her infamous 'Pinkie-hugs'.

However, just before Pinkie could reach her, Rainbow's spider-sense kicked in and she immediately side-stepped out of the way, making Pinkie miss her completely. The overly excited party girl was moving so fast though that she had no chance to slow down her trajectory before she crashed headfirst into a teacher who just so happened to be passing by, sending them both tumbling to the floor.

Pinkie Pie was the first one to bounce back on her feet, and she did so very quickly and without a scratch, her cheerful smile still plastered on her face. The teacher on the other hand...was not so cheerful about it. In fact, his name was actually 'Cranky', and it was a name he certainly lived up to. The grumpy glare he was giving Pinkie at the moment was a good example of that.

"Uhmmm...sorry?" Pinkie tried while facing his glare with a nervous smile.

Cranky merely grumbled under his breath, picked himself up and walked away without uttering a word.

With a frown, Pinkie muttered, "One day...I'll make him smile..." under her breath.

Then her smile spontaneously returned and she tried to hug Rainbow Dash again. This time, however, Rainbow stopped her in her tracks with a hand to Pinkie's forehead. Not willing to give up though, Pinkie kept on running towards her...even though she was not going anywhere.

"Whoah, easy there, Pinkie!" Dash urged while holding the pink party animal at bay.

Pinkie insisted, "But I have to give all of my friends a super-special hug on Mondays or else they'll just be bitter all day!"

"No need for that, trust me. I happen to be in a pretty awesome mood today."

Pinkie Pie suddenly stopped what she was doing and gave Rainbow back her personal space, "Okey dokey lokey!"

"That's good to hear." Fluttershy noted with a small smile. "Any particular reason why?"

'Because I just got the most awesome superpowers ever!' was what she wanted to say. However, Twilight had given her a stern lecture yesterday about why she shouldn't tell anybody about her new abilities, especially in a public setting. The reasons for the discretion included the risk of ending up being dissected in some mad scientist's lab, not to mention becoming a living freak show to the school. Having been out of the closet for a long time, she knew first hand how quick people could be at judging her.

So instead of telling the truth, Rainbow shrugged and answered, "Not really sure. I guess it's just one of those days."

"I suppose we all have those every once in a while, Sugarcube." Applejack said, "So what did you do this weekend then?"

"I jumped off the Empire Canterlot Building and hit Starlight Glimmer in the face on the way down." The slightly sarcastic tone Rainbow was using masked the fact that she was actually telling the truth.

"And what actually happened?"

Rainbow took out her keys and opened her locker, "Not much. I went over to Twilight and Spike's place for awhile and checked how they were doing. Their new place is cool, but it doesn't really feel the same without that spooky owl staring at me all the time." Then she took out a book or two and put them in her backpack.

"I don't think he's that spooky." Fluttershy commented.

"I kinda meant that as a compliment. His spookiness is actually what's making him cool."

"Oh, I hadn't really thought about it that way."

Pinkie Pie's eyes suddenly fluttered for seemingly no reason, somehow prompting her to look at Rainbow with a very sceptical expression. Then she asked, "Soooo...you're telling me that you're in such a good mood that you don't need a super-special Pinkie-hug?"

Rainbow shut her locker and confidently answered, "Of course! At this point in time, I doubt there is anything that can possibly lower my spirit."

However, the legitimacy of that statement was immediately questioned when an energetic male voice greeted, "Well hello there, Rainbows! How's it hanging!?"

Dash immediately sighed and muttered, "And I stand corrected..."

Of all the people that could get on Rainbow Dash's nerves, there were few that could annoy her as much as the person that voice belonged to. Even her spider-sense gave off warnings about his presence.

Coming out of the crowded hallway was a tall and somewhat lanky guy with blonde hair that was tied up into a slightly messy 'man-bun'. A cocky smile was plastered upon his unshaven cheeks and he didn't seem to be able to take his eyes away from Rainbow's body.

Dash crossed her arms and leaned her back against the wall while making the annoyance in her voice as obvious as she possible, "Zephyr, what do you want now?"

However, Zephyr didn't really notice the warning signs she was giving him, "Oh, I just wanted to grace you with my presence. After all, it has been such a looooong time since we had much time together."

Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed.

And yet, Zephyr just kept talking, "I heard that you broke up with Gilda, which, to be honest, wasn't that surprising, since we all know who you really has your eye for. Of course I knew that that whole fiasco was just to make me jealous, right?"

Dash gave him an 'are you bloody serious' look and sputtered out, "What?!"

He put his hand on the wall Rainbow was leaning on, getting uncomfortable close to her in the process, "...And with that lesbian phase out of the way, why don't we get together and hang out sometime? You most certainly won't regret it!"

Rainbow pushed him away a bit, her super-strength making the push a bit more forceful than it was supposed to be, "Uhmm...no thanks."

"Whoah, that actually hurt a little." Zephyr noted under his breath before he offered, "Well, you don't have to call it a date but-"

Before he could continue any further, Fluttershy harshly said "Zephyr Breeze!" with a bit more assertiveness than was common for her, grabbed his wrist and began to drag him away from Rainbow Dash and the others.


Once they got some distance from them, Fluttershy scolded, "Zephyr, do you really think it's a good idea to try to put your moves on her while she is still recovering from what happened with Gilda?!"

Zephyr freed his hand from her grip and defended, "Oh come now, Sis, don't you think I have waited long enough for her to just go along with those feelings she has for me?"

Fluttershy's eyes held a certain amount of fury when she asked, "And what if she doesn't have feelings for you? You're just making her uncomfortable with your behaviour!"

"Hey, if she's truly not into 'the Breeze', then she should just say so."

"But she has said so...multiple times!"

Zephyr put a hand on his chin, "Strange, I don't remember her ever saying that. What I do remember is her super-obvious crush on me."

"I actually think she likes girls..."

"Yeah, so? That's just one more thing we have in common. And who said she was exclusive? I mean, you like both, maybe she does too."

Fluttershy fidgeted a little and looked around uncomfortably, "I thought we agreed to keep that a secret."

Confused, he asked, "Um, Sis, didn't you come out, like, years ago?"

"To mom and dad, yes, but that doesn't mean I want you or anyone else shouting it from a mountain top. I...I really don't want them all to think of me...differently."

"Whatever you say, Flutters."


While Fluttershy and her brother were arguing, Rainbow, Pinkie and Applejack were watching them from a distance.

Pinkie Pie then looked at Rainbow and asked, "Do you think he knows that you're a lesbian?"

"If he does, I bet he's in denial." Dash answered. "And even if I wasn't gay, I don't think he would be the dude I would go out with."

"Then who would you go for if you liked guys?"

"Hmm...I don't know. I haven't really thought about that. I guess Soarin's a pretty cool guy, but I have a hard time seeing him as anything other than just a friend...which is a lot more than I would say for Zephyr Breeze."

Applejack commented, "Zeph kinda reminds me of that exchange student we had last year, what's his name, Trenderhoof? I still don't get what he saw in me or why he couldn't go out with all them other girls who kept fawnin' over him like enamoured honeybees. Some guys just cannot see when a gal's rightly not interested."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow Dash caught a glimpse of someone entering through the school doors and bitterly muttered, "...And some girls too."

Applejack and Pinkie Pie both turned around to see who got Rainbow so riled up, and as soon as they saw who it was, they both understood why.

Brown leather jacket, lavender eyeliners, white hair with purple ends that spiked to the side and an expression on her face that said 'Get lost' to anybody foolish enough to approach her.

It was Gilda, Rainbow's ex...and she was pissed.

When she walked through the hallway, everyone in her vicinity could practically feel the anger boiling underneath her skin and made sure to give her plenty of space. Most of them would rather approach a spitting cobra than risk incurring her wrath at this point.

The very sight of her ignited a flame of bottled down anger in Rainbow's gut and the good mood she was in that morning was simply not there anymore.

When Gilda passed Dash and her friends, she spitefully asked "What are you losers looking at?" and kept going with no intention of waiting for a response, but she made sure to give Rainbow a glare that was anything but friendly before she took her eyes off her.

Rainbow Dash said nothing and just glared back, her good mood pretty much ruined at this point. That was until Pinkie suddenly hugged her out of the blue so fast that her spider-sense didn't have time to warn her about it properly.

Confused by this sudden action, Rainbow asked, "...And what's this for?"

"To cheer you up of course!" Pinkie answered, "When you came here you were so happy that I didn't need to hug you but now you're not so happy as you were then so I have to give you a Pinkie hug to make you happy again!"

Rainbow Dash hugged her back a little, "Aw...thanks, Pinkie."

A moment later, she added, "Um...you can let go now...people are beginning to stare..."


A while later, Rainbow Dash was sitting at her desk waiting for the first class of the day to start along with the rest of her classmates.

While she waited, she was finding herself increasingly distracted by the new sensations her spider-sense kept giving her. Especially since she could feel everything that the others in the room were doing.

She could feel Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo trying to eat a muffin as discretely as possible, Minuette showing Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine something on her smartphone, Pinkie Pie impatiently bouncing in her seat waiting for the class to start, Zephyr Breeze snoozing on his desk, Vinyl Scratch bobbing her head while listening to loud music in her headphones, Fluttershy feeding one of the animals that she had sneaked into school in her backpack, Applejack using her table to rest her legs on while leaning back in her chair and eating an apple, and...were Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings seriously making out in the middle of the classroom? So much for being 'best friends'...

Rainbow really had to find a way to shut that spider-sense off, and she was certainly trying...with very little success. Even when she focused on something else entirely, the spider-sense was sort of always there...reminding her that a lot of things were going on around her.

However, she did have some measure of control over it. She could use the sense to focus on one thing or another, and she could switch between trying to read everything or just keeping track of the things that moved, especially towards her. Despite how much she tried, though, she couldn't turn it off completely.

Was it a gift or a curse? Rainbow Dash had no answer. So far it had its uses, even thought it could be a little annoying at times. Perhaps she could call it a bit of both?

Eventually, their teacher, Miss Cheerilee, stepped into the room and announced, "So sorry I'm late, I got held up a bit." Immediately making the whole class stop whatever it was they were doing and pay attention to her...except Zephyr Breeze who didn't even notice her come in.

Cheerilee certainly lived up to her name with her cheerful smile and supportive personality. However, some days, that was merely a Façade she put up to hide how stressed, frustrated and lonely she felt at times. She had learned a long time ago though that making the effort to appear nice and friendly for her students could go a long way.

To start the day off, Cheerilee greeted, "Good morning, students, I trust you had a good weekend?"

Gilda bluntly answered, "Not really. Mine sucked." from the corner where she was sitting.

The teacher was a bit taken back by that response, "Well...I'm...sorry to hear that. Anyway, I suppose we should start with today's new project."

However, Cheerilee soon noticed that not everyone was paying attention to her...or were awake for that manner. So after letting out a sigh, she walked over to Zephyr's desk and knocked three times on the table he was resting his head on.

Almost immediately, he sprang back to life and complained, "Aw geez! Can't a guy get a little sleep around here?!"

"No, I'm afraid." the teacher answered, "Do you even sleep at night?"

"You know me...Siesta!"

"Then I suggest you 'siesta' at home rather than during school hours."

Zephyr grumbled a little before he leaned back in his seat and began to pretend to pay attention to anything Miss Cheerilee was saying.

Satisfied with her efforts to get the class to listen to her, Cheerilee decided to introduce their next assignment. "Today we will begin a new project for you to work on this month. This time we are going to be talking about a very special type of people, ones who are rare but always needed in our society. They fight for those that need their help, for what is right and true and they rarely expect anything in return. They may even be willing to risk their own lives to save someone else's, maybe someone they don't even know. These are the people called...heroes. Now could any of you give me an example of someone that could be considered heroic? Anyone?"

The first one to raise their hand was Ditzy Doo, a blonde girl with permanently crossed eyes and probably the only person alive who considered a nickname like 'Derpy' to be a compliment.

"Yes, Ditzy Doo?" Cheerilee prompted.

Derpy asked, "You mean like the Doctor?"

A bit confused, the teacher asked, "Doctor...who exactly?"

"The Doctor, you know? He doesn't have a name."

"I don't think I know who you are talking about."

"He saved me from the Cybermen and stopped the Slitheen from blowing up the Earth. If that doesn't make you a hero, then nothing does!" The ditzy girl stated with a lot of pride.

Everybody else in the classroom however, including Miss Cheerilee, were utterly confused over what she was talking about and an awkward silence soon filled the room.

Eventually, Cheerilee said, "Oooookay...moving on, so can anyone else think of someone with heroic qualities?"

Lyra Heartstrings, a slightly hyper-active musician girl (who had been diagnosed with ADHD, but that's irrelevant) and was always seen alongside her best friend/lover Bon Bon, eagerly exclaimed, "I know one!"

Cheerilee nodded for her to continue.

"How about Captain Jupiter? She wasn't just a hero, she was a superhero! I totally adore her after she stopped a flying car from hitting my dad in the head by smashing it mid-air with a single punch, and in doing so, saved his life. And the best part is: it happened before I was born. Meaning: I wouldn't even exist if she wasn't there!"

Sugarcoat, a girl with orange glasses, pig-tails and probably the most ironic name ever, extremely bluntly said, "Yes and then she suddenly turned evil and killed over fifty-seven people before she just disappeared for over twenty years." all in one breath.

Slightly insulted, Lyra looked Sugarcoat in the eye and defended, "Hey, that wasn't her! My dad knew Captain Jupiter, and she was not a bad person. The one who killed all those people must have been the Changeling or some other impostor."

"Except the Changeling was already imprisoned when all that happened and she was never able to replicate Jupiter's powers."

"Okay, maybe she wasn't the Changeling, but she was certainly not herself. She would never just turn evil for no reason!"

Gilda grimly stated, "You're the only one who still believes that." adding her own harsh input to the conversation.

Lyra took her attention away from Sugarcoat and onto Gilda with a righteous fury, "Yeah, you're one to talk!"

That caught Gilda's attention, "And what is that supposed to mean, dweeb?!"

Bon Bon, who was sitting between the two, tried to prevent the argument from escalating further by placing a hand on Lyra's shoulder and warning, "Lyra, please just don't."

But her efforts were in vain, and Lyra accused, "What that means is that you're probably just sour about the fact that Captain Jupiter kicked your grandpa's feathered ass about a dozen times!"

Lyra thought that that would get Gilda's attention, but instead, all she did was question, "And why should I care what happens to that crazy old buzzard?"

"I just thought you-"

Gilda rolled her eyes and rudely blurted, "Bored now!"

Whatever Lyra was about to say was suddenly lost to her. She knew Gilda could be a bit of a jerk at times, but she was not used to her being this hostile.

However, their little argument got the attention of Miss Cheerilee, who stood up from her chair and reprimanded, "Gilda! We do not act that way to our fellow classmates!"

Gilda huffed and muttered, "Whatever."

"And Lyra, please stop antagonising her." Cheerilee added soon after.

Lyra crossed her arms and gave Gilda a disapproving glare but remained silent. Bon Bon let out a sigh of relief that the argument didn't escalate further, then she gave her 'best friend' a few pats on the back to calm her temper down.

Rainbow Dash internally sighed after listening to that. She knew Gilda was not angry at Lyra, she cared too little about her classmate to properly hate her. However, there was someone else in that classroom who she was certainly angry with, and that was Rainbow herself. It had only been a few days since they officially broke up, and saying Gilda was still sour about it would be an understatement. At this point, she was more than willing to take out her anger on just about anything that annoyed her. It was this aura of hostility that made Rainbow so uncomfortable in her proximity, like her spider-sense could detect her rage from a mile away.

Gilda had always been a bit rough around the edges. But for the most part, she actually wasn't that bad. Rainbow had been friends with her for a long while, ever since they went to grade school actually. Back then, they really did care for each other, so much so that they even started dating for a few months. However, that all went sideways when Dash was eventually forced to choose between her best friends or her girlfriend after a really messy argument. Rainbow ultimately stayed loyal to her friends and basically told Gilda to 'deal with it or go to hell'.

Let's just say that Gilda didn't take that very well...

Having been raised in a family of criminals and money-grabbing vultures (pun intended), with a grandpa who was the city's first supervillain to boot, Gilda didn't have the most comfortable of upbringings. She received next to no love from her deadbeat parents when she grew up, and she was constantly bullied when her sexuality became common knowledge to those around her. Rainbow Dash was just about the only good thing to ever happen in her life, and without her, she quickly turned hostile and pessimistic.

It took Rainbow a while to realise that Cheerilee was continuing her lesson. Not wanting to miss more than necessary, she quickly returned her focus on her teacher.

"...while Captain Jupiter may not have left off with such a great reputation, many still remember the days before she turned into a force of destruction. Back then, what the people saw was someone who would go up against the likes of the Changeling, Discord and Silvermane if it meant she could save someone else. One who could convince someone as dangerous as Scorpan to abandon his evil ways and do the right thing. However, she also proved that even someone as selfless and heroic as Captain Jupiter could become cruel..."

After catching a noticeable glare from Lyra when she said that, the teacher added, "...we believe. But, you do not need to have superhuman powers or a mask to be called a hero. Anyone who decided to go out of their way to help someone else could by some definition be called a hero."

Cheerilee loudly clapped her hands together to gain the class' full attention, "So here is your next assignment! You are going to think of someone who you consider to be a hero and present that person's heroic deeds to the class. It doesn't have to be a famous superhero, it could just as well be a hardworking friend or parent who you admire. Anything goes! Any questions?"

Derpy raised her hand and asked, "Sooo...does the Doctor count?"


Later that day, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were spending their lunch break hanging out in the small garden just outside the school.

Since very few students went to that particular garden, Fluttershy liked to spend a lot of time there...away from everybody else when she wanted some time alone. Also, the lush abundance of beautiful plants and the occasional cute little animal made her day worth it. It quickly became her own favourite spot. One day, she introduced the place to Rainbow Dash as well...who mostly just used it to take the occasional nap where nobody would think to look for her.

Right now, Rainbow was sitting on the ground and leaned her back against the odd fish statue in the middle of the garden while watching Fluttershy lie on the grass communicating with a raven that was sitting on her outstretched hand.

Rainbow Dash could probably watch Fluttershy all day...with the way her long pink hair almost seems to glimmer in the sunlight...the way her slightly yellow-tanned skin looked so soft to touch...so much so that all she really wanted was to just go ahead and touch it. What really got to her were Fluttershy's big light-blue eyes that Rainbow (even thought she denied it if anyone asked her) really thought were completely adorable...as long as she wasn't using them to scare the crap out of people with her 'stare'.

Even when Fluttershy was talking to a bird, Rainbow couldn't help but be reminded of why she had fallen in love with with the sweet girl. She was so lost in the sight of her that Dash didn't pay any attention as to what Fluttershy was actually telling her feathered friend.

"...now I'm sure Loki isn't trying to usurp your master's throne, Huginn." Fluttershy assured the black bird, "I think you might just overthink the whole thing."

"Kwak?!" The raven apparently called Huginn 'asked' her.

"From what you've told me, I think all Loki wants is for more people to pay attention to him. Maybe if Odin just decides to spend some time with him and try to bond this whole mess will fix itself."

The raven seemed to be considering the mortal's wise words.

"Now you should go back to Asgard and tell your master that all he needs to do is to show just a little kindness."

Huginn nodded and flew off to who knows where.

Fluttershy then looked at Rainbow Dash, making her tomboyish friend hastily look away in a poor attempt to pretend she wasn't staring. Fluttershy didn't mind though and let a small smile form on her lips. "So, um, Rainbow?"

Dash looked back at her, "What is it?"

"I was just wondering...do you know who you're going to pick for the 'hero assignment'?"

"Not yet. Maybe I can try Daring Do. She got to count, right? I don't know, my brain does not think schoolwork right now."

"Well...I'm just asking because...I think I have decided who I will pick."

"Really? And who's that then?"

She looked away slightly and quietly mumbled, "Um...well...you."

Rainbow had to do a double take to make sure she heard that right. "Wait, what?"

A little louder this time, Fluttershy answered, "I think...I will talk about you for the hero assignment, Dashie."

Now she knew Fluttershy was serious. "But...why me, Flutters?"

"Do you...remember when we first met?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

"Of course, how could I forget?" Dash was now really curious about where this was going.

"Then you remember those awful bullies who were always making fun of me all the time back in grade school."

Rainbow gritted her teeth, "Yes, I remember..."

"Well, you were the only one who ever stood up to them. You stood up to them...for me. Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before. Sure, my parents always cared and supported me, but they would never dare to stand up to anyone. To me, you're a hero, Dashie, a protector to those in need. I won't deny that to anyone, least of all to you."

Rainbow Dash was speechless, the sincerity and pride in Fluttershy's voice was so genuine that she almost believed her.

"You...really think I'm a hero?" Dash asked uncertainly.

Fluttershy didn't even hesitate before she answered, "Yes, I do."

Her closest friend's faith in her got Rainbow thinking. She had always been really protective to those she cared about, even so much that she chose to give up on her previous girlfriend out of loyalty to them. And when she first met Fluttershy, she got in the face of three boys twice her size with the ferocity of a raging tiger just because they were teasing her. She didn't even back down after she received a black eye and lost one of her primary teeth. It had been a long time since she last showed that kind of tenacity though. She eventually learned not to put herself in danger (relatively speaking). However, now that she had superpowers...maybe Spike's idea of becoming a superhero wasn't so far-fetched after all.

For now, however, Rainbow shook that thought aside and said, "It's awesome that you're picking me for this, Fluttershy, but..."

She trailed off when she heard the familiar rock-themed ringtone of her cell phone coming from her pocket. She promptly fished it out and asked, "Yeah?"

The familiar country accent of Applejack replied, "Rainbow, it's Applejack! Where the heck are you?"

"I'm hanging out in the garden. What's the rush, AJ?"

"Practice is 'bout to start and we're goin' up against Lightnin' Dust's team this time. We could really use your help out there, RD."

"Oh crud, I forgot about that!"

"Well get over here then, we're all waiting on ya!"

"I'll be there in a sec!" Rainbow finished before disconnecting the call.

She then stood up and said, "Sorry, Flutters, but I gotta run!"

Fluttershy nodded, "Of course. Good luck out there, Dashie."

With a confident smile, Rainbow assured, "Thanks, but I doubt I'll need it."


Author's Note:

Zephyr Breeze...what a character. I actually like him...in a love to hate kind of way, mind you. So I thought I would include him...in a way that does not make him any more tolerable.

Now many of you may wonder about the 'Captain Jupiter' Lyra mentioned. Well...you remember how there have so far been several mentions of a bunch of previous supervillains who are now locked behind bars? Yeah, I realised that there had to have been a superhero active back then to reign them in. (obviously the police couldn't have handled it because...you know...it's a superhero story)

Y'know, there is usually a very good reason you proofread everything before publishing a chapter. If my common sense hadn't kicked in in time, something could have gone seriously sideways here. When Applejack was comparing Zephyr Breeze to Trenderhoof, I may have mixed up his name with Breaburn's for some reason...and the implications of that could have been...a bit awkward (and I'm not writing that kind of fanfic). This goes to show that you should always proofread EVERYTHING!

Also, there are a few Easter eggs in this chapter that are mostly there just for fun. Feel free to point them out!

(Edit: I removed any mention of the Scorpion changing his evil ways, since I thought that Scorpan, Tirek's brother, was going to be the Scorpion at the time…mainly just because their names sounded similar. However, I have since actually figured out a new role for the Scorpion, leaving Scorpan as...well...Scorpan for now.

Also, in stead of the Flim Flam brothers, it was now Mr Storm, the owner of Storm Tech who threatened to run Applejack out of business.

More Importantly, Captain Marvel is now Captain Jupiter as a reference to John Jameson's alias during his brief time as Colonel Jupiter and now has no relation to Carol Danvers or anyone else who used that name)