Omni Force: ORIGINS

by NegaiFreak

Where did it all start, you might wonder? Well, some stories aren't about just beginnings. They're also about how bonds between our heroes were forged. Join in as we partake in this 100-chapter story of how the Omni Force came to be, with each member getting a tale for themselves! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

10. Rainbow Dash

Hey folks, we're back with more of "Omni Force: ORIGINS", ready to bring you all another chapter today! We're finally closing in on the last member of the first squadron, being none other than Rainbow Dash from Equestria Girls. Now I know what you're thinking, how did I get into the My Little Pony series through Equestria Girls of all things?

Well, I just resonated with it. I know it sounds strange, but I did really enjoy the universe that portrayed those characters and ended up providing me with some of my favorites of all time. One of those characters happens to be the focus of today's chapter, Rainbow Dash.

Now to be perfectly honest, I didn't like how smug and arrogant she was at first. And she was a bit selfish to me. Equestria Girls didn't really help improve her character. But then I remembered her element of loyalty, and how it was something I strove for growing up when it came to being friends with others. Having her as a part of this multiversal group I brought together seemed like the easiest choice.

Pairing her up with Ben was another story. Now I know you're probably expecting some sort of adaptation of Equestria Girls to be her origin story, but I think that's a little too basic. And quite frankly, it isn't exciting to me. So instead, I'll let this story start from a more interesting perspective…

OMNI FORCE: ORIGINS

Hello again, everyone. It's been a while, hasn't it? Oh, it hasn't been that long? Well, I suppose when I'm hopping from story to story, you tend to be used to my presence…

Ahem. Today's tale centers around one woman who's always shown her superb trait of loyalty. Rainbow Dash, a guitarist, athlete, fighter, and so forth has shown a great sense of loyalty to her friends in Universe-522. And though that loyalty's been tested time and again, she's always found her way to handle problems alongside those friends of hers.

One of them happened to be the man she ended up falling for, being none other than Ben. It seemed almost destined that the two would be together based upon how close they were. And so they did. A lovely couple looking to stand the test of time while engulfed in a multiverse of chaos, with so many things happening all at once.

So what kind of story are you expecting today? An origin of Rainbow's romance? A tale of her journey to become an Omni Force member?

Well, I have something different in mind…

UNIVERSE-57

GOTHAM CITY

Nervously walking down the night streets was a young woman with multicolored hair, wearing a short-sleeved, blue hoodie over a t-shirt with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt coming out from a cloud at the center. She had rainbow-colored wristbands over both of her wrists, sweatpants with multicolored lightning bolts, and white-and-blue sneakers with red soles and laces. She also had a necklace with a blue pendant that included a lightning bolt-shaped engraving. She looked around and grimaced, seeing what looked to be several shady figures lurking in the alleys she passed by.

"Ugh… I really wish you could've come with me, babe…" she grumbled, holding her MPG in her right hand as a hologram of Ben was upon it.

"Me too," he agreed, "But aside from taking the night shift at Plumber HQ, I've gotta help make sure all prisoners are in check," he told her, "With Rook and Sunset off on patrol, you're the only one available to go and check out whatever wound up crashing in Gotham," he explained on.

"Yeah, I get that…" the rainbow-haired young woman grumbled, "But… shouldn't he be able to handle whatever it is?" she presumed, arching an eyebrow.

"Hey, I helped him before and got a thank you out of it," Ben affirmed, "If you can help him deal with whatever this is, then we're golden," he assured.

"Huh…" Rainbow sighed, "Sure hope so, babe…" she said, ending the call as her boyfriend's hologram disappeared from her device. She jogged off into the distance, heading toward the harbor. From what she was told, there had been a rash of meteor showers over the city, including an asteroid of kryptonite that had come down and was promptly destroyed thanks to Batman. However, one meteor had suddenly come and crashed into the harbor without warning.

Knowing that it was likely alien-related, the Plumbers wanted to conduct an investigation into the meteor and its origin with Gotham's infamous Caped Crusader. But with their men spread thin, the best they could do for now was send over the Equestrian Magic user to act as a proxy for the time being.

"Ugh… this is so stupid…" she muttered, stuffing her hands into her hoodie's pockets, "Instead of a cool solo gig, I get stuck acting as the middleman for them…" she grumbled on. She turned a corner… and suddenly saw a blonde-haired woman in a trench coat running out in the middle of the street. "Hey!" she yelled out, seeing that a car was about to crash right into her as she stopped. It collided with her, but she didn't even budge. "Wha…?" Rainbow uttered in shock, seeing that the mysterious woman appeared to be uninjured from the sudden crash, standing up as the driver of the wrecked car got out.

"Lady, are you alright?!" he asked immediately in concern. Just then, a spotlight shone down onto her as police sirens started going off. The light was coming from one of the blimps above, following her as she ran away.

"Hey, hold on a sec!" the Equestrian Magic user yelled, jogging after her. As she reached an intersection, two police cars pulled up in front of her, causing her to stop. The flashing lights atop the vehicles appeared to mesmerize her. And then, her eyes started glowing red. Without warning, she fired laser beams that struck one of the cars, enticing the driver to quickly get out and run before its engine exploded. Rainbow blinked in surprise. "Okay… that's not good…" she realized with a grimace. She then saw the mysterious woman run away again. "Wait!" she cried out, chasing after her. She looked back to see the pursuing Equestrian Magic user, who was being followed by a quartet of officers as they went down an alley. Another police car came down from the other end of the alleyway, blocking the mysterious woman's path as she came to a stop. Two officers disembarked from the vehicle, pointing their guns at her. She looked back to see Rainbow and the other officers closing in.

And then, she ran forward, climbing up the police car and leaping into the air. She yelped as she suddenly started floating upward, tumbling through the air uncontrollably. Everyone watched on in shock for a moment.

"Bring her down!" one of the officers commanded, enticing for the others to draw their guns and start firing.

"Hey!" Rainbow yelled, grabbing her pendant and making it flash a bright blue. She quickly dashed over and disarmed each of the officers, letting their guns clatter to the ground as she dropped them.

"What the hell, lady?!" one of them shouted, "We're trying to stop her!" he pointed out.

"Yeah, and I can do that without the guns," the Equestrian Magic user affirmed as a retort, hopping onto the hood of the police car, "Just make sure nobody else gets hurt," she advised.

"And who the hell are you?" another officer asked. Rainbow smirked, letting a flash of light envelop her body as her skin became a light cerulean, while she gained pony ears, and long ponytail, and a pair of wings.

"I'm a superhero," she responded, taking off into the sky after the mysterious woman as she floated and crashed up against a building. She kept going upwards, yelling before she managed to latch onto a stone statue and bring herself onto it. For a moment, she seemed relieved. "Hey," Rainbow's voice chimed in, causing her to gasp in surprise to see her there, "Whoa, it's okay," she assured quickly, holding her hands out, "I'm not gonna hurt you…" she promised, not noticing the glow coming from the woman's eyes, "I'm just gonna get you back down and then— WHOA!" she yelped, narrowly evading the laser beams shot her way from the mysterious woman's eyes as she bent back in the nick of time. She flinched, covering her eyes before turning and jumping up, crawling up the building. "Ugh, seriously…?" the Equestrian Magic user muttered out, flying up after her as she was about to reach the top of the building.

However, she blinked in surprise upon noticing something. As the mysterious woman arrived at the ledge, she looked back down at the murmuring crowd, noticing that the police officers had stopped trying to fire onto her. She looked up and widened her eyes slightly to see the figure of Batman standing there.

"Enough," he said, reaching out and grabbing the woman by her left wrist before she could jump away. He pulled her up, but she kicked herself out of his grasp, sending him flying across the building as he crashed into the ledge in a pained grunt. Rainbow blinked in surprise.

"Okay, shoots lasers, indestructible, can fly, and super strong…" she listed off, "Yeah, that's really bad news…" she concluded as she dashed over to try and cut the mysterious woman off as she ran across the building, hoping to get away from the people chasing her. She leapt over the Equestrian Magic user, floating up into the air again. Both she and Batman watched as her body tumbled through the air uncontrollably, heading up toward one of the surveillance blimps above. "Uh oh," Rainbow uttered out, seeing her crash right through in an explosion. She fell out from the top with a plume of smoke in her wake, descending out of sight. "I got her!" the athlete proclaimed as she flew off.

All the while, Batman saw more explosions come from the blimp before it started falling. Rainbow noticed as well, wondering whether to focus on that or the mysterious woman who caused the blimp's descent onto the city. Before she needed to make that choice, another figure flew in and caught the aircraft from below, being none other than Superman.

"Whoa…" the Equestrian Magic user uttered in amazement, watching as he carried the blimp by his lonesome, tossing it into the harbor water to put out its fire. Meanwhile, Rainbow felt her ear twitch as she could hear what sounded like sobbing. She quickly flew off, noticing the shattered hole in a nearby skylight. Inside and sitting in a crater was the mysterious woman, who had curled her legs up as she rocked back and forth, trying to calm down. Noticing, the athlete slowly descended before landing in front of her. She gasped in fright, crawling back. "Hey, it's all chill," the Equestrian Magic user assured, letting her ponied-up form disappear in a flash of light as she raised her arms, "See?" she said, "Not gonna hurt ya," she assured.

"Kiu vi estas?" the blonde-haired woman asked shakily.

"Uh…" Rainbow uttered unsurely, "Sorry, I'm not really good with other languages…" she apologized, "Uh, is that… Spanish or something?" she presumed.

"I don't know who you are," a familiar voice chimed in, belonging to Batman as he was right beside the pair, much to their shock as they hadn't heard him at all, "but you've had enough fun for one night," he declared. He then held out a glowing green rock toward the blonde-haired woman. Its glow shined off of her face before she suddenly went faint, passing out onto the floor.

"Wha…? Hey!" Rainbow yelped, "What'd you do that—?!" Her shout was interjected by a cloud of grey gas being sprayed in her face. She coughed a couple times before suddenly succumbing to a feeling of fatigue herself, dropping to her knees. The last thing she saw as she looked up was Batman picking her up from the floor in his arms.

OPENING

Insert "Hero" by Martin Garrix X JVKE

Opens with Rainbow strumming her electric guitar by herself in the band room at Canterlot High. She grips the neck tightly as she thinks back to the Battle of the Bands, lamenting over how selfishly she acted towards her friends. At that moment, she feels a hand come onto her shoulder, enticing her to look over and find Sunset Shimmer there, along with Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. She smiles gratefully, standing up with them as they start their practice for the day.

We cut to Rainbow helping Korra and Ben during their excursion to find airbenders across the Earth Nation, battling against the likes of thugs and the Dai Li, along with the notorious Red Lotus trying to capture the Avatar. Rainbow ponies up, battling Zaheer in midair as she kicks him away before evading a combustion blast shot at her from below from P'Li. The scene changes to her entering her Rainbow Drive for the first time, using it to take down Zaheer once and for all alongside Korra.

Her and Ben are seen holding hands as they drink smoothies together, all while Sunset and Rook Blonko watch on happily. Rainbow does lament over times where her boyfriend's called her out for reckless and unsympathetic, even wincing as she remembers taking a slap from him at one point. However, he now caresses her cheek as he kisses her gently.

We go through a variety of shots with her helping save people during the chaos of the Friendship Games, fighting brambles alongside her friends at Camp Everfree, and having fun alongside her fellow Omni Force members and friends in the universes beyond her own. She gets to talk a lot with Naruto Uzumaki and Natsu Dragneel, happily cuddle with her Turtwig from Ash Ketchum's world, and argue a lot with Cana Alberona over Ben, who sighs in exasperation.

Even so, Rainbow continues to grow and battle back against the forces of evil that face her and her friends. We cut to her riffing out on her guitar at a concert, singing with her friends as members of the Omni Force cheer them on. She looks out to her boyfriend and smiles, knowing that with him by her side, her future's bright.

Cut to a shot of her watching over her two kids, Raya and Kenny, as they play in front of her while she smiles. Ben sits down beside her, kissing her forehead before she leans up happily against him, letting out a contented sigh.

END OPENING

RAINBOW DASH

My, that was quite an opening, wasn't it? So in part when looking to investigate whatever had happened in Gotham, Rainbow stumbled upon a chance encounter with Batman and Superman, along with an alien girl that fell from the sky. And now, she's suddenly found herself rendered unconscious and taken away by the Dark Knight. Just what is going to happen now, I wonder?

"Ugh…" Rainbow groaned out as her eyes slowly fluttered open, "Oh, my head…" she grumbled, reaching her right hand up to her cranium as she let out a wince of discomfort. She sat up, focusing her vision. And she blinked twice. She was lying in quite a luxurious bed. And she wasn't wearing her normal clothes, instead dressed in a royal blue bathrobe. Immediately, her face went red with embarrassment and anger. "Oh, if that bat bastard stripped me naked, I am gonna—!" Her shout was interrupted as the door opened, with a suited, balding man coming inside.

"Oh, you're awake finally," he noted.

"Uh… hi?" the Equestrian Magic user greeted unsurely, "What happened to my clothes?" she asked as her blush hadn't subsided.

"They've been put through the wash and will be returned to you shortly," the butler assured, setting down a tray with a bowl of cereal, a spoon, and a glass of orange juice on the table beside the bed, "I'll go fetch them promptly as you have your breakfast," he promised on.

"Uh, thanks, I guess?" Rainbow responded with a tilt of her head. The balding man grinned, walking off. "Oh, wait!" the Equestrian Magic user yelped out, causing him to stop and glance back at her, "What happened to Batman… and that girl?" she questioned curiously. The butler turned away.

"You'll see Master Wayne soon enough," he said, leaving the room without another word.

"…Huh?" Rainbow uttered, completely confused. After scarfing down her impromptu breakfast and getting her clothes back on, she joined Alfred as they walked down a long hallway. Once they reached the end of it, the butler opened the head of a nearby statue, pressing a red button. The wall in front of the pair slid open, revealing a pair of elevator doors that separated as well. "Whoa," the Equestrian Magic user uttered in amazement.

"Make your way down," Alfred advised, "The elevator has been preset to the Batcave," he confirmed.

"W-Wait, the Batcave?" Rainbow repeated with a stutter as she walked aboard the lift, "I'm gonna go to the Batcave?!" she inquired excitedly, only to get an unfettered expression from the butler as the doors closed, "Rude," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as the elevator went down. It felt like a few minutes before the lift finally stopped, with the doors opening for her to exit. She blinked in surprise upon finding herself stepping onto the metal platform, walking down the catwalk and observing the plethora of things scattered about the cavern. From Batman's tools to the various vehicles he used, she could see everything that her boyfriend would likely be getting really excited about.

She was amazed herself, but did temper her emotions. The Dark Knight had basically kidnapped her after all. She trotted down the stairs carefully, sliding her left hand with the railing. She looked over and spotted the caped hero standing at a trio of large monitors. She also noticed the mysterious blonde woman was restrained to a table, wearing nothing but a white dress as her wrists, torso and feet were cuffed.

A red light shone across her body, coming from the apparatus above the table. Looking back to where Batman was, Rainbow realized that it was meant to scan her. She could see imaging of the mysterious woman, seeing a deeper look into her physiology.

"Her DNA is definitely not human," the Dark Knight noted as he narrowed his eyes under his cowl, seeing a 'NO MATCH' sign flash on the screen, "Enhance," he said, making the imaging zoom in on the woman's cellular system, "Extremely high concentrations of neural stem cells…" he confirmed curiously.

"Um… hi," Rainbow chimed in, getting his attention as he glanced over at her, "So uh… is she okay?" she asked, pointing over to the mysterious woman on the table.

"…I would think you'd be happy that she's restrained," Batman pointed out.

"Oh, totally…" Rainbow agreed, holding her hands up, "It's just… she looked kinda scared, didn't she?" she inquired of the Dark Knight. He didn't respond, turning back to his computer. "Okay…" the Equestrian Magic user uttered in confusion, looking over at the blonde-haired woman still strapped to the table. She seemed at peace. But it still troubled Rainbow as to why she was acting the way she did that night. Suddenly, her eyes opened. She sat up, easily breaking her arms free from her restraints. "Uh, dude?!" the Equestrian Magic user called out, getting Batman's attention as he turned to see that the woman was up.

"Viekeru," she said, unleashing laser beams from her eyes at him. He lunged away to evade them as they blasted through his computer. Immediately, she covered her eyes afterward, whimpering with pain.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow yelped as she slowly approached, "Hey, take it easy! It's okay!" she insisted of the mysterious woman while holding her hands up, "We're not gonna hurt you!" she promised. At that moment, she saw her start to float upward. "Oh, not again…" she grumbled, about to activate her magic. However, she stopped upon noticing someone else approaching the blonde-haired woman, grabbing her by her ankle gently to stop her. It was Superman.

"Bonan matenon," he greeted to her.

"Bonan nokton?" she responded unsurely.

"Saluton," the Kryptonian said as he floated up and unclasped his cape, wrapping it around her. To Rainbow, it seemed like he was introducing himself to her, even as she didn't understand their language. And after a moment, she seemed relieved, even leaning against him happily. They floated back down as Batman was looking over the sparking remains of his computer, as the screen was melted from the mysterious woman's heat vision.

"What'd she say?" the Equestrian Magic user asked.

"Her name is Kara Zor-El, from Krypton," Superman answered as put his left arm around her shoulders, "She's my cousin," he added happily.

"Wait, what?" Rainbow said as she blinked.

"Your cousin just torched fifty-thousand dollars worth of custom hardware," Batman bluntly pointed out.

"Send me the bill," Superman remarked.

"On a reporter's salary… right…" his fellow hero muttered in response as he turned away.

"Okay, timeout!" Rainbow shouted, "I've probably got a lot of questions I don't know how to ask, but I'll ask what I know anyways!" she decided, "First off, why'd you guys bring me here?" she asked, "And what's the deal with her showing up on Earth all of a sudden?" she questioned on.

"You can relax, Rainbow," Superman assured as he approached, "I promise this will all make sense in due time," he vowed, "We're just as perplexed over the circumstances as you right now," he admitted to her.

"I doubt that…" she muttered. She then noticed Kara looking at her curiously. "Uh, hi…" she greeted, "My name's Rainbow," she introduced, holding her right hand out. The female Kryptonian blinked in confusion. "Um, this is the part where you're supposed to introduce yourself… I think…" the Equestrian Magic user noted. Clark chuckled.

"Ĉi tio estas Ĉielarko," he told Kara. She blinked in realization.

"Estas agrable renkonti vin," she greeted, grabbing the rainbow-haired young woman's hand gently.

"Heh…" she laughed out nervously, "Hell of a grip…" she remarked. Just then, she and the others took notice of a green flash of light. Landing on the catwalk afar was none other than Ben. And he didn't seem happy.

"Bruce," he called out, getting the Dark Knight's attention, "You've got some explaining to do…" he noted in a low growl as he marched over. Nervously, Kara hid behind Clark.

"It's okay," Rainbow assured, "That's just my very pissed off boyfriend," she confirmed.

"Ben, the Plumbers don't need to involve themselves in every extraterrestrial incident that happens around Earth," Batman told the Omnitrix bearer as he approached, "And if you did, you'd be wise to send someone who isn't going to make more trouble," he added seriously.

"Hey!" Rainbow shouted in offense.

"Right, like you kidnapping my girlfriend makes things any better…" Ben muttered to the Dark Knight, walking past him.

"Ben, we have things under control for the moment," Superman assured.

"Glad to see that at least," the Omnitrix bearer affirmed as he approached Rainbow, "You okay?" he asked of her.

"Better, now that you're here," she remarked in reply, making him chuckle before they exchanged a brief kiss, "So… now what?" she asked of the others.

With Kara Zor-El on Earth as the second surviving Kryptonian, the challenge now was to make certain that she would learn to become a force for good. But with her learning process being sped up so drastically, she wasn't able to learn how to properly be a regular person on Earth. That's where Ben and Rainbow come in. At Superman's request, they were come and help support him in getting Kara to learn how to adjust to a human life.

But how that would unfold would also pose a greater question…

X

METROPOLIS

"I'm so glad to be out of quarantine, I can't tell you…" Kara admitted, having her right arm hooked with Clark's left as they walked along the sidewalk, with Ben and Rainbow following behind them, "Don't get me wrong, I like the Fortress of Solitude…" she assured to her cousin, "But… you have to admit, it is a little boring…" she pointed out.

"Boring?" Rainbow repeated in confusion as she jogged up to the female Kryptonian's side, "Come on, a secret base out in the middle of the Arctic is boring?" she questioned of her, making her chuckle. She looked around at the nearby clothing stores.

"I think Metropolis is a little more my style," she confirmed, walking out in front of Clark as they came to a stop, "This is the life I want, Kal," she told him, "Uh, I mean Clark…" she corrected sheepishly.

"You've got plenty of time to decide," her cousin assured.

"And we're here to help out however we can," Ben added as he stood beside him.

"I wanna know everything there is to know about being an Earth girl," Kara requested, turning to Rainbow as she blinked in surprise, "Where do we start?" she asked of her.

"Uh…" she uttered out unsurely. Clark happened to notice a few fashionably dressed women passing by.

"I have a pretty good idea," he said, "Come on," he beckoned, grabbing his cousin's hand and heading off with her toward the shopping district.

"Better follow 'em," Ben noted to his girlfriend, who sighed. In what was a spree of checking out the nearby stores, getting new clothes, trying out makeup, and gathering accessories. Rainbow could easily see just how much fun Kara was having, even with how pointless it ultimately was. She could also see that the female Kryptonian had a certain style to what she wore. She wasn't afraid to show off.

Later that day, the Equestrian Magic user sipped on a soda she had bought while in another store, waiting outside a dressing room with her boyfriend and Clark. She was getting a bit tired of the endless day of shopping, never mind needing to sometimes go along with Kara's insistent requests. She looked down at her painted fingernails, making her shudder inwardly. That was something she would've never done under any circumstance, not even for a romantic date.

"I think they look nice," Ben commented, causing her to blink in surprise. She blushed a little as she looked back at her fingernails.

"Uh… thanks," she responded gratefully, continuing to drink her soda.

"Ready?" Kara called out, getting her attention as they saw her exit the dressing room, "Ta-dah!" she exclaimed. Both Ben and Clark widened their eyes. She was wearing a rather skimpy black-strapped dress that showed a window of her cleavage and had a very short skirt. The second Rainbow saw it, her eyes bulged in shock as she choked on her drink, going into a fit of coughing.

"Ma'am, that's why you don't bring food or drinks in here…" the salesperson muttered out to her.

"Sorry…" she apologized through another cough.

"I got her," Ben assured, helping lead his girlfriend out of the store as the Kryptonians stayed behind.

"Huh…" Rainbow exhaled, tossing her emptied cup into a nearby trash can, "Well… that was something…" she mumbled aloud.

"At least Kara's having fun," the Omnitrix bearer noted, "That's what matters, right?" he inquired of his girlfriend, who stared at him skeptically, "Wh-What?" he stuttered in question.

"You're thinking about me in that dress, aren't you?" she presumed to his shock.

"Wha—?! No!" he yelped out, blushing a bright red, "I-I mean, now that I'm thinking about it—"

"Ugh, whatever…" the Equestrian Magic user grumbled, folding her arms over her chest, "It's not like I can pull anything like that off anyway…" she mentioned, causing her boyfriend to give off a look of concern.

"Dash… why would you say that?" he asked of her.

"Because I'm not a girl-girl!" she yelled in response, making him slightly flinch, "I mean… painted fingernails, lipstick, dressed like that?" she listed off, "I'd rather be dead than let you see me with those kinds of things…" she admitted.

"…Do you really think I'm that shallow?" Ben questioned, causing her to sigh.

"No… of course not," she assured as a reply, "If anyone's shallow, it's me…" she grumbled, "I'm the girl who's insecure about how she looks to everyone…" she confessed while glancing down, "Meanwhile, Kara's a free spirit who doesn't care what anyone else thinks," she pointed out, "She's… what I'd wanna be," she admitted on.

"Dash…" her boyfriend uttered worriedly.

"Hey!" Kara's voice called out, getting their attentions as they saw her jogging over with Clark tailing behind, carrying multiple shopping bags, "You two hungry?" she asked of the couple. A little while later, the quartet had stopped at a hot dog stand. Rainbow solemnly squeezed out mustard onto her hot dog, taking a small bite of it and chewing it slowly. She looked over at the female Kryptonian, who tried her food and seemingly enjoyed it. She was living a life she wanted. And for the Equestrian Magic user, it was something she envied a little.

Later that evening, the group walked around the park together, hearing the buzzing of crickets and fireflies as they trekked onward. Ben looked back at his girlfriend, who had her hands stuffed into her pockets as she looked away. She was still a bit troubled by how the afternoon had unfolded. And the Omnitrix bearer could tell that it was eating away at her.

"It's so beautiful here," Kara pointed out as they crossed a small stone bridge, "Not like that other city where Grumpy Ass lives…" she muttered, causing Ben to stifle a chuckle.

"Grumpy Ass isn't so bad once you get to know him," Clark assured.

"What's his problem anyway?" his cousin asked.

"He just wants you to take things a little slower," he replied, "Adapting to a new culture, any culture, can be difficult," he explained on.

"Is that why you wear those eyeglasses, as a way of adapting?" Kara presumed, "Even though you can see better than anyone on the planet?" she questioned further.

"It's a way for those of us who are… heroes to have lives without the cape," Clark told her, "Although, it is different in some cases…" he mentioned, glancing over to Ben.

"Hey, some days I wish I wasn't famous…" he remarked, folding his arms behind his head.

"It's important to keep our identities a secret," the spectacled man affirmed to his cousin.

"That's why Mister Friendly never takes off his lead-lined cowl…" she grumbled in realization.

"You noticed the lead," Clark noted, sounding impressed, "I didn't know your x-ray vision had kicked in," he pointed out.

"You didn't ask," Kara retorted. She then looked ahead and slightly widened her eyes. "Oh my…" she uttered. Standing before her and the group was a large statue of her cousin, with an eagle perched upon his left arm.

"Whoa," Rainbow said as she approached.

"This is how they see you," Kara realized, walking about the monument to her relative, "Bigger than life… you're their champion," she noted on, pausing for a moment, "These powers…" she continued, turning to her cousin, "do you ever regret having them?" she asked.

"No," Clark responded simply.

"Not even a little?" the female Kryptonian questioned on, arching an eyebrow with a gesture using her fingers.

"Are you scared of your powers?" Rainbow asked of her, getting her attention. She glanced down for a moment.

"They terrify me," she admitted, "I mean… the responsibility," she corrected to the group's surprise, "I don't wanna be anybody's champion," she confirmed, "No offense," she added to her cousin.

"None taken," he replied.

"It's a line I've heard a couple times over from some friends of mine…" Ben remarked, looking over at his girlfriend, who rolled her eyes.

"Quiet, you…" she grumbled out.

"Okay, I think you two oughta' be heading back," Clark advised of the couple, "It's getting late," he pointed out.

"Yeah, good call," Ben agreed, "Just let us know if you want us to drop by again and—" He stopped talking as he noticed the male Kryptonian perk up in concern. "Uh, Clark?" he uttered in concern.

"What is it?" Kara asked, seeing her cousin put down the shopping bags in his arms.

"Stay close," he advised of the group, walking about and checking the immediate area. Nothing seemed to be amiss. "Hm," he huffed, "Guess it was— UH!" he yelped upon getting struck in the chest by a beam of golden light.

"Kal!" Kara cried out, seeing her cousin go flying through the shrubbery nearby.

"The hell was that?!" Rainbow questioned out of shock. Both her boyfriend and the female Kryptonian ran after Clark. But all of a sudden, a lasso suddenly flew out and caught the latter by her left ankle. She yelped as she was dragged back. She tried to fly away, but found herself getting yanked back down, yelling all the while. "Kara!" the Equestrian Magic user cried out, seeing her get slammed onto the ground.

"Help me!" she screamed as she was dragged away along the ground, "Someone! Anyone!" she exclaimed on.

"Go!" Ben called out to his girlfriend, "I'll help Clark!" he decided, enveloping himself in a green flash of light.

"Got it!" Rainbow responded, ponying up as she gained her light cerulean skin, along with her pony ears, long ponytail, and wings. She dashed after Kara quickly.

"Kara!" Clark called out as he shot out from the bushes, now wearing his costume and no longer with eyeglasses. However, he was ambushed by a barrage of glowing punches, knocking him down to his hands and knees. He looked up to see several feminine figures surrounding him.

"We were told you would try to stop us, but we're taking the girl," one of them said. She reared her arm back for another punch, only for her fist to wind up in the hand of Feedback.

"And who's we?" he questioned, absorbing the glowing energy around the person's extremity through his plug-like fingers before blasting her back with an electrical ray of blue light from his left hand.

"Thanks," Clark said gratefully as he stood back up.

"Hey, helping you out's always a dream come true," the Conductoid remarked, plugging his antennae and tail into the ground. Their foes continued their approach.

"The girl's coming with us," they all stated firmly.

"She's not going anywhere," Superman declared in response, starting to spin around rapidly, creating a torrent of wind that the women all seemed to be struggling against. And while anchored to the ground, Feedback not only was able to endure the gust, but also absorb the energies coming from each of the figures before they were blown away in yells.

In the meantime, Kara was still getting dragged along the ground by whoever held the other end of the lasso. Fortunately, Rainbow flew over and grabbed her, trying to pull her back. She clenched her teeth, flapping her wings mightily as she took to the sky.

"Okay…" she breathed out, "I think we're goo—" Getting yanked down again suddenly interjected her reassurance. "Not good! Not good!" she yelped repeatedly as she and the female Kryptonian landed against the ground again, "Ah, we gotta do something!" she insisted, trying to think of a solution to their predicament. At that moment, Kara's eyes started glowing. "Uh… maybe not that?" the Equestrian Magic user suggested, grimacing with fright.

Her friend unleashed her heat vision rays from her eyes toward wherever the other end of the lasso supposedly was. They appeared to have been deflected, as they shot up into the sky. At the same time, Rainbow found herself and Kara no longer being dragged away. But that wasn't the problem now.

The female Kryptonian's rays were still active as she moved her head around, hitting nearby trees, park benches, and even her cousin's statue, burning them to pieces. She almost nicked the Equestrian Magic user in the process, yelling all the while. She quickly covered her eyes with her hands, ceasing the rays once and for all.

"Kara, hey! Let's get outta here!" Rainbow insisted. Suddenly, she found herself getting knocked away as a fist collided with her face.

"R-Rainbow?" the female Kryptonian stuttered out, not knowing what had happened.

"It may not seem like it now," another female voice chimed in, "but this is for your own good," she affirmed, grabbing Kara from behind and pulling her away. In the meantime, Clark finally stopped spinning as he flew over to the scene. His eyes widened.

"You…" he uttered. Holding his cousin with her right arm to keep her from leaving was none other than Wonder Woman.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "but it has to be this way," she insisted firmly. Feedback ran over, blinking in surprise.

"Wonder Woman?" he said, "Wait, what are you doing here?" he asked of her.

"Making sure something like this doesn't happen," another voice chimed in, belonging to Batman as he stepped out from the shadows of the trees.

"Oh, figures…" the Conductoid muttered. He noticed that the women he and Superman earlier were of the same person, merging into a blonde-haired, blue-costumed woman with a magenta helmet over her head.

"Look around!" Wonder Woman advised of her colleagues, "What if this had been the middle of the day? The park crowded with people?" she inferred while seeing the destruction that Kara's uncontrolled powers had wrought, "She needs more specialized training," she insisted, "I'm taking her with me," she declared.

"And what if I say no?" Clark questioned back, causing her to narrow her eyes.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on…" Feedback chimed in, stepping out between the pair of heroes, "Supes, I think this might be for the best," he pointed out to the male Kryptonian's surprise, "I mean, what if it was a bad guy who attacked instead?" he suggested, "If I were Kara, I'd wanna make sure my powers were under control if that were the case…" he noted as he glanced back at the female Kryptonian.

"There's another reason she can't stay," Bruce chimed in as he approached, "I'll explain later," he promised, "For now, I'm asking you to trust me," he requested of his colleagues.

"Kal!" Kara cried out, getting her cousin's attention, "You're not gonna let her take me away, are you?" she questioned of him, "I'll work at controlling my powers, I promise!" she assured, only to get no response, "Kal!" she yelled again. Ultimately, the male Kryptonian lowered his gaze in resignation, deciding to accept his friends' terms. "Kal…" his relative uttered out, dismayed that he'd give in.

"You're not taking her!" Rainbow's voice roared as she suddenly sped in and landed a roundhouse kick to Wonder Woman's head, knocking her away from the female Kryptonian.

"Rainbow!" she yelped in surprise, while the others widened their eyes.

"Oh no…" Feedback grumbled, putting his right hand onto his face in exasperation. The Amazon princess wiped her lips with her right arm, looking over at the Equestrian Magic user as she put up her fists.

"You're not gonna get me this time…" she proclaimed confidently with a smirk. Diana huffed, drawing her lasso.

"Okay, let's not do—!" The Conductoid's shout was interjected as Batman put a hand onto his shoulder.

"She'll need training, too," he noted to his surprise. Rainbow dashed out at Wonder Woman, swinging her right leg out. However, her foe ducked underneath it, throwing out her lasso to wrap around her left ankle. She yanked on it as the Equestrian Magic user passed, slamming her down against the ground fiercely. Feedback winced at the sight.

"Agh…" his girlfriend groaned as she sat up.

"I'm not going to get you, am I?" Diana remarked in question, causing her to perk up as she growled. She started speeding around the Amazon princess, attempting to ensnare her with her own lasso. Instead though, she tugged on it again, tripping the Equestrian Magic user up as she fell forward, with her face colliding against the bracelet upon her opponent's right arm. She tumbled over along the ground, crashing against a tree as she groaned lowly with pain.

"Rainbow…" Kara uttered worriedly. The others watched on, seeing Wonder Woman approach the downed Equestrian Magic user as she sat up.

"Had enough?" she asked of her.

"Peh," Rainbow spat, wiping her lips with her right arm, "No chance I'm done…" she remarked, getting to her feet. She clenched her fists tightly as a cerulean aura began shrouding her body. Her eyes flashed white briefly before her hair and wings grew out, both of which looked like flowing rainbows. Lightning bolt-like markings appeared at the corners of her eyes and upon her knuckles. She kicked the lasso off of her ankle as her foe took a cautious step back, raising her arms defensively. The Equestrian Magic user dashed forward… and suddenly found herself transforming back to normal. "Huh?" she uttered before tiredly groaning, falling to the ground in a heap. Diana blinked in surprise, looking to see the pair of plug-like antennae moving away from her back, retracting to Feedback.

"Sorry…" he apologized, "Don't care if it's training," he remarked as he went over to pick his exhausted girlfriend up from the ground by her left arm, "I'm not letting my girlfriend get her ass kicked by Wonder Woman," he affirmed, "At least not now…" he corrected sheepishly, enveloping himself in a green flash of light as he turned back into Ben.

"So this is the new girlfriend I've been hearing so much about…" Diana noted curiously, "She's feistier than I thought she'd be," she commented.

"Ugh…" Rainbow groaned lowly. Kara shuddered with fright. The Equestrian Magic user was the only one who was willing to keep her from getting taken away, and now she was incapacitated. She was ready to try and fly away.

"Kara," Ben called out, getting her attention, "It'll be okay," he promised, "Wonder Woman'll help you," he assured, looking over to the Amazon princess. The female Kryptonian still seemed skeptical and worried. But given her current situation, she didn't have much of a choice…

My, that was quite embarrassing for Rainbow, wasn't it? Through the turmoil of struggling to fit in with her uncontrolled powers, Kara was brought to the island of women, Themyscira, for further training. Batman, Superman, Ben and Rainbow were also invited to help watch over her.

All seems well. But in the shadows, certain forces are plotting. Forces that will doom the Earth one day…

X

THEMYSCIRA

"OW!" Ben yelped, putting his hand over his smacked left cheek, rubbing it gingerly, "I said I was sorry!" he pointed out to Rainbow, who was looking all the angrier.

"So instead of letting Kara live her life and get control over her powers on her own terms, you're letting Mister Broody and Miss Swimsuit to take her here and force her to get control?!" she questioned of her boyfriend. He blinked twice before realizing who she was talking about.

"Look, I don't like the idea of keeping Kara locked away here," he admitted to her, "But that's not what's happening," he assured, "We're training her so that she's more comfortable with her powers," he noted firmly, "Making the training go faster means she gets the help she needs," he mentioned.

"Huh…" the Equestrian Magic user sighed, "So why are we here?" she asked.

"Moral support," Wonder Woman's voice answered before Ben could respond, enticing the couple to turn and see her approach, "Aside from Clark, Kara's taken a liking to you as a friend," she pointed out to Rainbow, "You being here should help motivate her to do her best," she affirmed.

"Hm," the Equestrian Magic user huffed as she folded her arms over her chest, turning and walking away, "Sure hope so…" she mumbled.

"Uh… sorry about her…" Ben apologized to Diana, "Guess she's still a little sore over… uh…"

"Losing to me?" she presumed, earning a nod and shrug from the Omnitrix bearer, "Huh," she chuckled out, "Well, I can see where her weakness is," she noted.

"Her weakness?" Ben repeated in confusion, "What is it?" he asked. He didn't get a response from the Amazon princess, who walked off, enticing him to follow. A little while later, he was standing alongside Batman and Superman with Rainbow, watching as Diana was about to officiate a duel between Kara and another Amazonian warrior, Artemis.

"Ready when you are," the female Kryptonian confirmed, readying a sword in her right hand. Her opponent raised her blade, letting off a smirk.

"Ready," she said.

"Is this really the best way to train Kara?" Rainbow asked quietly.

"We'll have to wait and see…" her boyfriend replied. Diana approached the pair of fighters, readying the flag in her hand.

"Go!" she exclaimed as she raised it up, stepping back before the first clash of Artemis and Kara's blades. The former was on the offensive at first, forcing her opponent to step back and dodge her attacks before countering. She seemed like she was struggling at first, but was holding her ground.

"What's the point of this?" Clark asked with crossed arms, "Kara could level the entire island," he pointed out.

"Having power and knowing how to use it aren't the same thing," Diana noted back upon overhearing, looking over her shoulder at the male Kryptonian, "You of all people should know that," she added.

"…She's getting on my nerves…" Clark grumbled quietly.

"I heard that, too," the Amazon princess noted.

"Having power and knowing how to use it, huh?" Ben repeated aloud, folding his arms over his chest. He and the others continued to watch Kara and Artemis duel, with the former still being forced on the run by her foe. She tried to catch her off guard, but she flipped right over her, almost catching her with a slash from behind that she barely managed to block.

The female Kryptonian then swung her sword down onto her foe, who blocked with her own blade. She grinned as her opponent's sword slid across hers with sparks flying off from it, swinging it down and following up by pivoting around and landing a straight kick to her stomach, knocking her back across the ring as she came to a stop upon her stomach. As she pushed herself up, she saw her foe's blade being pointed at her face.

"Now, little one…" she began, raising her weapon, "prepare to—!" All of a sudden, she was struck aside by a fast haymaker to her face from Rainbow, making her let out a grunt. She looked over to the rainbow-haired girl, who gave off a fierce expression.

"Back off, bitch," she remarked, while the pendant upon her necklace glowed. Batman narrowed his eyes.

"She didn't transform," he noted.

"Yeah… she can do the super-speed thing without the wings thanks to her pendant…" Ben confirmed, noticing Artemis stomping over to his girlfriend, "And now I see she's causing even more trouble…" he added with a grimace. Fortunately, Superman dashed out in front of the orange-haired Amazonian as she made her approach.

"That's enough," he insisted of her.

"Guys, it's just a training exercise!" Kara yelled to the pair who had come to her aid, "She wasn't gonna hurt me," she pointed out.

"Uh, sorry…" Rainbow apologized, "The whole sword thing made me a little nervous…" she admitted. However, Clark didn't say anything.

"Is there a problem?" Diana asked as she approached.

"You asked me to keep an open mind?" the male Kryptonian inquired rhetorically of her, "Well, I've kept an open mind," he confirmed, "But Kara belongs in Metropolis… with me," he stated firmly.

"We agreed this was in her best interest!" the Amazon princess retorted.

"Wait a minute, don't I have a say?" Kara asked as she got back to her feet and came over alongside Rainbow.

"No," the two heroes responded firmly to her surprise. She turned her head away sadly with frustration.

"I'm sorry, of course you do," Clark assured apologetically, "But you've been hidden away on Paradise Island for two months now," he pointed out as he put a hand onto his cousin's shoulder, "You don't know what the rest of the world has to offer," he mentioned, "Who else is better suited to decide what's right for you?" he asked. Rainbow winced, sucking in air through her teeth. Now she knew what the real problem with all of this was.

"How about me?" Kara questioned, smacking her cousin's hand away, "Kal, you let them bring me here, and now because you have a problem with it, you want me to return to Metropolis?" she inquired on, "I'm tired of being jerked around, treated like a child," she affirmed in frustration, "From now on, I'll decide what's best for me," she stated, turning around and walking over to the helmeted, blonde-haired woman, "Come on, Lyla," she beckoned, "Let's go before someone tries sending me to bed without dinner," she insisted, flying off into the sky alongside her.

"Well… that could've gone better…" Rainbow grumbled out.

"Rainbow, could you please go after her?" Diana requested, getting her attention.

"I don't think she's gonna wanna come back…" she noted.

"I know," the Amazon princess agreed, "But I think she'll calm down a little more after talking to you," she affirmed confidently. Sighing, the Equestrian Magic user ponied up, taking off into the sky to follow the female Kryptonian and her friend. In the meantime, Artemis walked over to Superman, giving him a look before leaving the arena.

"You looked like you were ready to snap Artemis' neck," Bruce noted as he approached.

"Dash stepping in didn't really help either…" Ben added sheepishly.

"Harbinger's visions show Kara in danger," Clark argued to the pair, "How do you expect me to react with a sword to her throat?" he questioned back.

"Uh… isn't she practically invulnerable like you?" the Omnitrix bearer inquired as a retort, much to the group's surprise, "I'm just saying," he noted with a shrug.

"We're expecting you to be rational," Bruce told the male Kryptonian.

"Bruce…" Diana said, trying to get him to calm down.

"No," the Dark Knight stated, "Ever since this girl came into our lives, you've let your guard down, Clark," he pointed out to his colleague, who crossed his arms over his chest, "Even exposed your secret identity, despite common sense," he mentioned in frustration.

"Ouch…" Ben uttered, sounding somewhat hurt.

"Unlike you, Bruce, I don't look for the bad in everyone," the male Kryptonian told his friend, "You may think I'm naïve…" he continued, narrowing his eyes, "but my every instinct tells me this girl is my cousin," he stated, "She's done nothing to show me otherwise… and she'll be safe with me," he affirmed confidently.

"Not to sound like a doubter, but we've still gotta figure out what Harbinger's visions are pointing to with Kara, right?" the Omnitrix bearer inquired.

"We do," Diana confirmed in reply as she nodded, "And they're getting worse," she added grimly. Meanwhile, Kara and Lyla were continuing to fly about the island, arriving at a small gazebo.

"I know Kal is only trying to protect me, but he's making me crazy!" the female Kryptonian shouted as they descended, "And everyone pretending to know what's best for me… Agh!" she groaned out, putting her hands onto her head in frustration, "I thought I knew what I wanted, but now…" she continued, exhaling a sigh, "I feel more lost than ever…" she admitted sadly.

"Hey, Kara!" Rainbow's voice called out, getting her attention as she saw the rainbow-haired girl fly over, landing down in front of her.

"Don't tell me, they sent you to bring me back?" she presumed, folding her arms over her chest.

"N-No, not really," the Equestrian Magic user assured with a stutter, holding her hands out, "Just… here to be moral support," she confirmed as she transformed back to normal, "Sorry about earlier…" she apologized. Kara let off a little smile.

"Don't worry, you're fine," she assured in reply, "Come on, let's walk together," she insisted, going along the marble path with her friends by her side.

"Kara, when I first came here, I was confused, too," Lyla admitted to the female Kryptonian, getting her attention, "Able to see into the past, the future…" she listed off, "yet not having a clue of what to do with my own life," she noted, "A harbinger… for everyone but myself," she mentioned on, "Diana took me in without hesitation," she pointed out as she reached over and placed a hand onto Kara's left shoulder, "If you need someone to turn to, you can trust her," she affirmed confidently. The female Kryptonian seemed unsure.

"You've all made me feel so welcome," she noted, "Especially you, Lyla," she added to the precognitive Amazonian, "I feel like you and Rainbow are the only real friends I have right now," she admitted solemnly.

"M-Me?" the Equestrian Magic user stuttered out, "Uh… didn't I screw up back there?" she questioned of the female Kryptonian, who giggled.

"You didn't do that to protect me," she pointed out, "You did it because you think of me as a friend, right?" she guessed, causing Rainbow to blink in surprise.

"Well… yeah, duh," she responded, letting out a chuckle, "Of course we're friends," she affirmed. The three women shared a smile before gathering for a warm group hug. However, Lyla gave off an ashamed grimace.

"Kara… Rainbow…" she said.

"What is it?" the female Kryptonian asked as she and the Equestrian Magic user pulled themselves back from the hug.

"…Nothing," Lyla assured in response, "I'm just glad we're friends," she stated. Rainbow arched a skeptical eyebrow.

"Hey, how about a swim?" Kara offered to her friends, "I could use a little cooling off," she pointed out, walking past Lyla, who blinked in surprise as she went down the steps.

"Maybe we should get back…" she suggested in reply, "Kal will be worried about you," she noted out of concern.

"Come on, one little swim," the female Kryptonian insisted, "You're not afraid of the water, are you?" she inquired of her friends.

"Oh-ho, now you've done it…" Rainbow chuckled out, throwing off her short-sleeved hoodie as she followed Kara down the steps towards the beach. Lyla watched on worriedly, knowing what was about to happen. Reluctantly, she followed them down.

"Woo!" the female Kryptonian exclaimed as she leapt into the water, wearing a white, two-piece bikini and laughing happily all the while, "Come on, hurry up!" she yelled out to her friends.

"Ah, hold on a sec…!" Rainbow grumbled as she threw off her shoes and socks, "Didn't exactly bring a swimsuit…" she pointed out, about to take off her sweats. Lyla came onto the beach, smiling a little. However, that expression immediately turned to fear as she saw something amiss. "Hey, what's up?" the Equestrian Magic user asked upon noticing. All of a sudden, a yellow rift opened over the water. Kara blinked in surprise as she stood up. "Uh… that's not one of ours…" Rainbow confirmed with widened eyes. Exiting from the portal were four figures. Three of them were women, one having white hair and carrying a pair of sharp blades, while the other wielded a whip with a spiked ball at the end of it. The third woman looked elderly, having a blue, flowing cape while having a very imposing figure. Though that paled in comparison to the fourth person that had exited from the rift. It was a rock-like gray-skinned man wearing a navy blue combat outfit with gloves and boots. His eyes were a bright, burning red. He sniffed.

"So this is Earth?" he presumed, "How quaint," he remarked. From afar, Lyla's eyes were shaking.

"Darkseid…" she uttered out.

"Who are you?" Kara asked, taking on a ready stance nervously. The ruler of Apokolips huffed.

"Detain her at once," he requested of his cohorts.

"As you wish," Granny responded, "Furies, try not to make a mess…" she insisted of the women alongside her, as they smirked. Both of them dashed out at the female Kryptonian, who gasped in surprise.

"Kara!" Rainbow cried out, ponying up in a flash of light and speeding across the water. She kicked both Lashina and Gilotina aside in an instant before they could reach her friend. Darkseid narrowed his eyes curiously.

"Granny?" he said to his planet's trainer, making her grimace.

"Not to worry…" she assured, letting off a grin, "We'll clip her wings…" she remarked.

"Kara, go get the others!" Rainbow insisted of the Kryptonian, "I'll take these bitches and—!" She yelped as she was tackled into the water by Lashina.

"Rainbow!" Kara cried out, seeing her be shoved down by the Fury. She was about to stab her with the spiked ball at the end of her whip, but the Equestrian Magic user swung her right leg up to kick her away before re-emerging from the water, gasping for breath. All of a sudden though, she was slashed at her back by Gilotina, making her yelp with pain as she staggered forward. She glared back at the white-haired Fury, who was about to attack her again, only for Lyla to fly in and strike her back with her glowing right fist.

"Are you alright?" she immediately asked of Rainbow.

"Yeah…" she responded through a wince, "It's just a scratch…" she proclaimed.

"You guys…" Kara uttered, ready to fly over and assist them. However, Darkseid floated down in front of her, making her gasp in surprise.

"Do not attempt to intervene, girl," he advised, "I wouldn't want you to end up like them…" he warned, glancing back at the pair of Rainbow and Lyla, who continued to fend off their foes. The latter duplicated herself, attacking the pair of Furies from multiple directions with her glowing fists. Growling, Lashina threw her whip out, wrapping it around one of the clones before yanking her over to slam into two others. Gilotina easily bisected another as she grinned sadistically, closing in on the original as she gasped. However, Rainbow sped over and kicked her aside.

"Agh!" she yelped out, seeing her blood trickling into the water from her back. Darkseid watched on, intrigued by the Equestrian Magic user. She was showing a great deal of resilience, even in the face of such a challenge. Seeing that he was distracted, Kara attempted to clock him upside his head with her right fist, but he caught it without even looking.

"I advised you not to do that," he noted, yanking her over before slamming her into the water.

"Kara!" Rainbow cried out upon noticing, ready to speed over. However, she found herself getting caught by Lashina's whip as the spiked ball at its end pierced into her abdomen. "AAHH!" she screamed in agony, falling to her knees in the water as blood kept trickling down her form. Lyla gasped. She ignited her fists with golden energy, but suddenly found her neck grabbed from behind as she was brought into a headlock from none other Granny.

"Oh, you worry too much about them, child…" she pointed out to the precognitive woman. Darkseid pulled Kara up from the water as she gasped for breath. She gasped upon seeing her friends in their current positions.

"Let them go! Now!" she commanded of the ruler of Apokolips.

"I think not," he responded firmly, "You will come to Apokolips," he declared.

"And why should I do that?" the Kryptonian woman questioned. Darkseid looked over to Granny, making her grin sadistically. She tightened her hold on Lyla's neck.

"K-Kara…!" she gasped out. At that moment, the Apokoliptian lieutenant snapped her neck with ease. Rainbow and Kara widened their eyes as they saw her be let go, falling lifelessly into the water in a seemingly deafening splash.

"LYLA!" the Kryptonian woman screamed in dismay.

"Let her death be your only warning," Darkseid said. Kara trembled with fright. Meanwhile, Rainbow growled angrily. Her eyes flashed white as she burst free from Lashina's whip, assuming her Rainbow Drive as she rocketed out at the Apokoliptian ruler.

"Sire!" Granny called out. Darkseid only had but a moment to turn and see the incoming Equestrian Magic user. He happened to notice that her wounds had healed as she closed in. His expression shifted into a grin.

"How intriguing…" he remarked as his eyes shined red. A sonic boom echoed across the island. Kara's eyes were widened in shock. Rainbow lied upon the water, unconscious with her magic depleted as a black burn was on her stomach. As for Darkseid, he had hardly been moved from the impact of her collision. But he was impressed.

"It's almost unsporting, but I'll enjoy taking this bitch's head, too…" Gilotina decided as she walked over, about to pierce the Equestrian Magic user with her blade.

"No," the Apokoliptian ruler said, causing her to stop in surprise.

"Sire?" Granny uttered out of confusion.

"The girl's proven herself to be interesting," Darkseid noted, "Bring her along with us," he requested. Gilotina scoffed, picking up the rainbow-haired girl from the water.

"Rainbow…" Kara uttered worriedly.

"So that's her name, hm?" the Apokoliptian ruler said upon overhearing, "How intriguing indeed…" he commented with a grin. A Boom Tube opened up beside him as he, Granny, and the Furies departed with their new captives, all while leaving Lyla's lifeless body behind in the water.

Lyla envisioned a future in which Darkseid would come and take Kara away, along with Rainbow. And that future came to pass, with her dying trying to protect the pair in a fruitless struggle. As Ben, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman now look to find their way to saving them, both girls are now trapped upon the hellscape that is Apokolips. Will they survive long enough to be saved? Or can they save themselves?

X

APOKOLIPS

"Let me go… you witch!" Kara grunted out as she was being dragged along a hallway by Granny Goodness, who had Lashina and Gilotina following her, "Let me—!"

"Shut up!" the elderly woman shouted as she smacked the female Kryptonian, opening the door at the end of the corridor, "See?" she said to the captive, who had a collar around her neck, along with her hands tied behind her back, "Granny has your room all ready," she noted, shoving Kara inside as she fell onto the ground, "Don't worry, baby girl," she assured, "you won't be alone for long," she promised, starting to close the door, "Enjoy the accommodations…" she remarked as the door shut, leaving the female Kryptonian alone in the dark. She then felt something crawl onto her face, shrieking upon seeing that it was a centipede. She got up onto her feet, stumbling back. She looked around the room, trying to see if there was anyone else inside.

"Rainbow!" she called out, "Can you hear me?" she asked.

"She isn't in this room," a deep, booming voice confirmed, causing her to tense up instantly, "She's alive at least," he added as she trembled, turning to see who was there, "I'm looking to have her become a second-in-command under you," he mentioned, being none other than Darkseid as he stepped out from the shadows. Kara could feel the beads of sweat forming along her face. The fact that Rainbow was alive was such a relief to her. She remembered just how brutalized she had been, fighting off the Furies to protect her from capture.

Where Lyla had seemingly died quickly without injury, the Equestrian Magic user had fought through everything she endured. Even when she had to fight against Darkseid, she never stopped looking out for the female Kryptonian. Whatever she was going to endure from the ruler of Apokolips, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as what her friend had gone through.

"How the hell is she even alive?" Gilotina asked, gathered in another room with her fellow Furies, watching over Rainbow as her arms and legs were chained down to the floor, with her pinned up against the wall.

"It's her power, my dears," Granny noted as she stepped forward, "You can see that her body's already recovered from our attacks, including our ruler's Omega Beams," she pointed out.

"Ugh…" the Equestrian Magic user groaned, stirring awake.

"Rise and shine, dearie…" Granny remarked, getting her attention, "Welcome to your new home," she said.

"Agh…" Rainbow groaned exhaustedly, "Where are we…?" she weakly asked.

"I just told you," the Apokoliptian lieutenant responded, "You should consider yourself lucky, girl…" she mentioned, "Darkseid would've taken your life as well had you not shown signs of being use to him," she pointed out. The rainbow-haired woman chuckled.

"Like I'm ever gonna help rock-face after what he did to Kara…" she muttered out, gritting her teeth as she tugged on her restraints, "Where is she?" she asked.

"You should worry more about yourself," Gilotina remarked as she came over, landing a right hook to Rainbow's face, making blood fly out of her mouth and splatter onto the ground, "While Darkseid's busy molding that girl, we'll be taking good care of you," she pointed out.

"That's right," Granny affirmed as the Equestrian Magic user coughed, "You'll make for a good warrior alongside that girl…" she affirmed confidently as she grabbed Rainbow by her chin to make her look her in the eye. However, she smirked.

"You guys are so screwed…" she said to the Apokoliptian general's surprise.

"Hm," she huffed, "You believe the champions of Earth can come and best us?" she presumed.

"Not just them," Rainbow replied, causing her to narrow her eyes, "You heard of the Omnitrix? Ben Tennyson?" she inquired of those in the room, "He's my boyfriend," she pointed out, "And you can bet your asses he's pissed that I'm gone and knows that you and rock-face took me here with Kara," she mentioned on.

"Hah," Gilotina laughed, landing another punch to the rainbow-haired woman's face, "No matter who this man of yours is, he'll never beat Darkseid…" she proclaimed, kicking her in the stomach as she coughed up more blood.

"Hmmm…" Granny hummed in thought.

"Granny?" Lashina said, noticing her somewhat troubled expression.

"I'll inform Darkseid of this," she decided, heading off, "I applaud your loyalty in your friend," she complimented of Rainbow, who weakly looked over at her, "But I can't say the same for the Kryptonian," she mentioned with a grin, "Her loyalty's about to be decided, permanently," she affirmed, leaving the room. The Equestrian Magic user tensed up inwardly in frustration, enduring more and more abuse from Gilotina and the other Furies. Lashina was the only one who didn't join in.

The rainbow-haired woman had faith. She had faith that her boyfriend would come to save her. She had faith that Kara wouldn't fall to Darkseid's whims. And she had faith that things wouldn't go the way her enemies expected.

Elsewhere upon the inferno of the planet, Ben, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Barda had arrived via a Boom Tube. After meeting with the former honor guard captain of Apokolips to request her aid, she decided to lend the group her Mother Box, only on the condition that she'd come with them to the planet in their quest. Stepping out, the Omnitrix bearer flinched from the heat that radiated onto him.

"No place like home," Barda remarked.

"Smells like death…" Ben grumbled, "Where do we go from here?" he asked.

"You think Darkseid knows we're here?" Batman presumed.

"He knows," Superman answered immediately.

"And he's about to get a wake-up call…" Ben mentioned with clenched fists, "A big one," he added firmly. At that moment, he and the others felt a rumble in the ground. Coming up over the ledge they were near was a massive tank with a dragon-like figurehead. Another was approaching from behind. All that could be heard was the humming of the vehicles' engines as they stood off against their foes. The Kryptonian was ready to make his move first, but was interrupted as a green flash of light went off beside him.

Growing to a massive size was Ben, who became a colossal humanoid creature with a large fin on his head, which was black at the front and red at the bottom. He had blade-like growths on his shoulders and spikes on his waist. He also had white arms with two black lines and red fins on the elbows, wristband-like outgrowths on his wrists and green eyes on his head with two extra eyes protruding on his cheeks, one on each. He had red feet with two toes, a black sandal-like covering on the middle of his feet, and three black lines on the side of his neck. The Omnitrix symbol rested at the center of his chest.

He charged out at the tank ahead of him as its figurehead started spraying fire. He leapt over it, coming down and crushing the vehicle underneath his feet. Meanwhile, Superman dashed out at the other tank, enduring its fire as he punched it back. That allowed for Batman to charge in and fling a few a Batarangs onto its treads, exploding upon contact and rendering it immobile. Another pair of tanks arrived onto the scene.

Wonder Woman went ahead after one of them, drawing her shield to endure the flames it shot at her. She pierced her sword around the neck of the figurehead, slashing it open in various places to weaken its integrity. With that, she easily ripped it off and chucked it against the remainder of the vehicle, making it explode. Barda charged toward the other tank, using her own shield as she ran through its flames. She leapt out and struck it with her spear, leaving little more than just a dent.

Tossing her spear and shield aside, she ran in and placed her hands against the tank, pushing it back with all of her might. The Parademons inside were starting to panic, unable to stop the former Apokoliptian warrior. Eventually, the tank was pushed over, falling into a deep crevice. It crashed onto the bottom of it, exploding.

"Well, I guess that warmed us up," Barda remarked as the others approached, with Way Big turning back into Ben.

"We've gone over the layout of Darkseid's fortress," Superman noted, "We all know our jobs," he affirmed on.

"Right," the Omnitrix bearer agreed with a nod, "We get Kara and Rainbow, we get out," he noted, enveloping himself in another flash of light. He became a crystalline humanoid. His body was mainly purple, with black dots and lines all over him. He was wearing a green jumpsuit. He also had three crystal spikes on his shoulder and arms, a large one pointed from the top of his head, and ones upon his knees. He also wore green gauntlets on his wrists and legs. His face now had one green eyes and a magenta, crystal chin that also resembled a mouth guard, and four crystal spikes on his head. The Omnitrix symbol was upon his right pectoral. He and the others overheard the clicking behind them, seeing that Batman had equipped the Apokoliptian technology that Barda had lent him.

"Stay sharp," he advised, taking off into the air thanks to the jets of the equipment, heading off to where he needed to.

"Good luck," Superman said to Barda and Wonder Woman, taking to the sky as Chromastone flew after him, heading towards the palace.

"I guess we'll take the low road," the former Apokoliptian warrior decided.

"After you," Diana said, following her as they walked down the ledge toward the arena in the distance. Everyone was ready to do what they need to save Kara and Rainbow, no matter what.

X

"Ugh…" Rainbow groaned out, her vision hazy. There was practically a puddle of blood beneath where she was. Though any blows she had been were healing, they weren't doing so fast enough. "Come on, babe…" she said, "Where are you?" she asked. Suddenly, her restraints came undone as she collapsed onto the floor in a yelp. She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, staring at her reflection in the blood beneath her. And then, the floor gave way. She felt herself start sliding down the hole she entered, followed by tumbling out onto the ground, stopping upon her stomach. "Ah…" she groaned again, pushing herself up.

"Hope you have enough energy, dearie," Granny's voice remarked, getting her attention as she saw her standing atop a balcony. She looked around to find that she was in an arena. And surrounding her were the Furies, including Mad Harriet and Stompa.

"Oh, great…" she muttered, bringing herself up onto her feet in a grunt, "Guessing Kara's not here for this…" she presumed.

"She's already a prime candidate for our lord's honor guard," the lieutenant affirmed, "But we should make certain you're prepared to be a part of it…" she added. The Equestrian Magic user grimaced as she saw her foes pacing around her, ready to attack when necessary.

"Could really use your help right now, babe…" she mumbled under her breath. All of a sudden, she heard something clang nearby. It was a sewer grate in the middle of the arena, which had been knocked off by none other than Wonder Woman as she flew out. She blinked in surprise upon noticing the rainbow-haired woman.

"Rainbow!" she exclaimed as she came down.

"Huh," the Equestrian Magic user huffed with a grin, "I'll take what I can get," she remarked, watching as the Amazon princess came down, helping Barda up from the sewer. Granny chuckled.

"So you've returned to where you've been raised, Barda!" she noted aloud, "And it's where you will die!" she declared, cackling all the while as the Furies took position.

"Well, well… the gang's all here," the former Apokoliptian warrior pointed out, "And I'm guessing that's Tennyson's girlfriend, right?" she presumed, taking notice of Rainbow.

"Yes," Diana confirmed, "Where's Kara?" she asked of Granny.

"She's currently being tended to by our lord," she answered, "As for this one, I'll allow her to fight with you," she decided, causing Rainbow to blink in surprise. She cautiously jogged over to the pair of women who had just arrived.

"Are you alright?" Diana asked.

"Better now," the Equestrian Magic user remarked in response, "Where's Ben?" she inquired.

"Going after Darkseid with Superman," Barda replied.

"Uh…" Rainbow uttered, unsure as to how to address the former Apokoliptian captain.

"Barda," she introduced, giving her a reassuring smile.

"You should have never come back," Gilotina chimed in as she approached with both of her blades drawn, pointing her right one toward the former captain, "Although, personally," she continued, "I look forward to watching you die…" she remarked callously.

"I'd tell you to go to hell, Gilotina," Barda began to retort, "but given the situation, that'd be redundant," she noted, making her gnash her teeth, "They'll go for position, try to separate us," she pointed out quietly to Diana.

"Let them try," she challenged. She overheard Rainbow's heavy breaths next to her. "Are you sure you're up to fight?" she inquired worriedly.

"Oh hell yeah," the rainbow-haired woman responded, socking her right fist into her hand and ponying up in a flash of light, "I'm looking for some payback anyway," she affirmed as she floated up with a flap of her wings.

"Furies!" Granny called out, "Destroy them!" she commanded. Her female warriors charged forward. Rainbow dashed out, ducking first underneath Harriet's claws before swinging her legs out to trip both Stompa and Lashina, followed by landing a high kick to Gilotina's chin before she could strike with a slash.

"Not bad," Barda commented. However, she quickly went on the defensive, using her shield to block Harriet's claws as sparks flew from each slash. She thrusted her spear out, nicking the green-haired Fury's left arm as she growled. She tried for another slash, but was smacked upside her chin by her foe's spear, allowing her to kick her away.

But that left her open to get tackled to the ground by a charging Stompa, making her drop her weapons. She almost smashed her face in with a powerful punch, but Barda moved her head aside in the nick of time, retaliating with her own blow. She then locked her legs around her enemy's neck as she stood up, pummeling her with punches before throwing her aside. All the while, Diana was parrying blows from both Lashina and Harriet.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Rainbow evaded Gilotina's continued swipes, though found herself getting nicked whenever she tried to close in. She growled in frustration, while the white-haired Fury licked the blood off of her blades. Deciding not to be hesitant, the Equestrian Magic user shot out to slam into her in a full-body tackle, knocking her away. In the process though, she found herself cut again at her right arm, being much deeper than the ones she already suffered.

Diana glanced over worriedly, but had to stay focused as she found her shield getting knocked away by Harriet's slashes. After kicking her away, she quickly drew her lasso upon noticing that Lashina had sent her whip out toward Barda, aiming to pierce her with the spiked ball at its end. Throwing the rope out and having it wrap around the whip, the Amazon princess yanked it away and took hold of it. She wrapped it around her right leg and stepped forward, causing Lashina to lurch toward her.

As she fell to the ground, she lifted her head to only be met with a powerful kick from Wonder Woman, sending her flying back as she tumbled along the ground. Harriet charged toward her next, but was knocked away as Rainbow sped in. She spat out a wad of blood, still breathing heavily. The Amazon princess saw that she was really pushing herself to keep fighting. At that moment, she quickly used her left bracelet to avoid getting herself lashed by Lashina's whip, as she had reclaimed it, grinning all the while.

She lashed it around the pair of women, forcing them on the defensive as Diana blocked the spiked ball at the whip's end with her sword, protecting Rainbow. Meanwhile, Barda and Gilotina clashed with their weapons, with the former spinning hers around before knocking her foe away. Stompa attempted to charge in from behind with a flying kick. The former Apokoliptian warrior took notice in the nick of time, managing to avoid the attack while also holding off an elbow to the face.

The Furies were attacking from all directions, forcing their opponents to stay on the defensive. It came to the point where Barda and Diana stood back-to-back, with Rainbow landing beside them.

"These chicks are crazy strong…" the Equestrian Magic user muttered out.

"They should be," the former Apokoliptian warrior noted, "I trained them," she mentioned.

"What?!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Rainbow, you should get out of here," Diana insisted to her surprise, "Right now, you're in no condition to keep fighting the way you are," she pointed out.

"But—!"

"Kid, I wouldn't argue with all that blood," Barda interjected before the Equestrian Magic user could respond.

"KILL THEM!" Granny roared out. The Furies charged in again, with Harriet attempting to slash at the former Apokoliptian captain. She moved out of the way, smacking her foe aside with her shield before ducking and avoiding a lash from Lashina's whip. She flung her shield out at her, striking her right wrist as she yelped in pain. Taking advantage, Barda ran over and knocked her down with her spear, followed by throwing Stompa aside as she had charged in.

Meanwhile, Harriet turned her attention onto Rainbow, grinning evilly as she lunged out at her. She flew back to evade the swipes of the green-haired Fury's claws, grimacing from her current injuries. Diana was occupied with fending off Gilotina, while Barda still had Lashina and Stompa to deal with. Even though the Equestrian Magic user landed a swift kick across her opponent's head, she quickly recovered, slashing her leg open with her claws.

"AH!" she screamed as blood flew out.

"Rainbow!" the Amazon Princess yelled upon noticing, using her shield to block off Gilotina's blades. She weaved around her attacks, getting underneath and then behind her before striking her down to the ground with a powerful kick. She was ready to go and help the Equestrian Magic user, only to suddenly be met with a flying kick to her back from Stompa, knocking her down onto her knees. The brutish Fury then grabbed and chucked her aside, sending her tumbling across the ground. She came to a stop on her side, while her opponent charged over and took a mighty leap toward her, attempting to smash her into the ground.

Diana took notice in the nick of time, rolling away before she could get crushed. She came to a stop upon her back, and immediately had to put her shield out to barely defend herself from getting stomped into the ground by Stompa, with the earth beneath her cracking mightily. She stamped against her again, making her let out a pained grunt.

"Wonder Woman!" Rainbow cried out, attempting to fly over to her aid, only for Harriet to force her away with her vicious swipes. The Amazon princess grimaced. Taking more heavy blows wouldn't be good, especially in this situation. Stompa was ready to completely crush her. But suddenly, she felt something pierce right through her back, causing her eyes to widen. Barda impaled her straight through the chest with her spear, hoisting her dead body off of her colleague and moving her aside.

"Thanks…" Diana breathed out gratefully as she sat up, seeing the former Apokoliptian captain remove the spear from their foe's back.

"Don't mention it," she responded, only to blink in surprise upon noticing something, "Oh no…" she uttered. The Amazon princess looked in the same direction and gasped to find that Rainbow was lying face down upon the ground, with blood dripping all around her as she groaned weakly.

"Rainbow!" Diana screamed as she got to her feet, only to end up tackled aside by Harriet, tumbling across the ground.

"Diana!" Barda cried out, ready to rush over to her aid. However, she was caught off guard as Lashina's whip struck her upside her head, knocking her helmet off as she fell over. In the meantime, Harriet chomped her teeth at the Amazon princess she was pinning, grinning sadistically all the while.

"Nice try!" her foe remarked, head-butting her squarely in the face before throwing her over onto her back, pinning her by her neck thanks to her shield, "Let's see you smile now…" she remarked, glancing back at Rainbow, who was trying to push herself back up.

"Surrender, Amazon," Granny's voice advised, getting her attention as she perked up to see her there. She stepped aside to reveal that Lashina and Gilotina had restrained and disarmed Barda, with the latter of the two Furies holding a blade up to their former captain's throat.

"Barda!" Diana gasped out.

"Surrender now, or the bitch dies!" Gilotina threatened, grabbing the former captain by her hair as her blade inched closer to her neck.

"No, Diana! Let them kill me!" she insisted of her comrade, "Never surrender!" she yelled on, letting out a grimace. Granny laughed.

"Imagine how pleased Darkseid will be…" she commented, "Why settle for some girl who fell to Earth…" she continued, "when I can deliver to him, the champion of the Amazons!" she declared, cackling delightedly. Clenching her teeth from afar, Rainbow groaned, trying to push herself back up. After everything that the two women had gone through to get to her, she wasn't about to watch them lose.

X

For those wondering as to what the others are up to, Batman's gone ahead to Apokolips' armory in search of the dangerous Hellspores, while Superman and Ben have gone to retrieve Kara from Darkseid. This story isn't about them, however. Though I suppose there is another way you could see such scenes…

Before I do get too ahead of myself, let's conclude our female fighters' battle against Granny Goodness and the Furies.

"Let me kill her, Granny!" Gilotina insisted, ready to slash Barda's throat open.

"No, it's me you want!" Diana pointed out, getting their attentions, "Let her go," she insisted.

"I like to have my cake and eat it, too," the Apokoliptian lieutenant remarked as a retort, "Make her bleed," she instructed of Gilotina, who grinned as she was ready to kill the former captain. The Amazon princess grimaced. She didn't know if she'd be able to stop her in time. As she reached for her lasso…

"Hey…" Rainbow's voice grunted, getting her attention as she glanced back to see the Equestrian Magic user weakly lift her head up, "you bitches forgetting someone?!" she snarled in question as her eyes flashed white. Her hair grew out, flowing like an actual rainbow. With her skin turning a light cerulean and lightning bolt-shaped markings appearing around her knuckles and the corners of her eyes, she got to her feet. Everyone looked on in surprise.

Gilotina just scoffed, ready to just slash Barda's throat open. But suddenly, the rainbow-haired girl shot out at her instantaneously. It was only a split-second, but with a rainbow trailing in her wake, she swiftly landed a roundhouse kick to the white-haired Fury's head, sending her flying as she crashed into the arena wall. Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.

"What…?!" Granny gasped. At that moment, Lashina was also sent flying from a powerful kick to her stomach by the Equestrian Magic user, crashing against the balcony before falling to the ground unconscious. The Apokoliptian lieutenant was alarmed almost instantly as two of her strongest warriors were downed. Barda was just as stunned, now no longer under the threat of death. What followed was Rainbow dashing over and snatching Harriet away from underneath Diana, making her yelp in surprise before seeing the green-haired Fury get slammed hard against the ground.

Panicked, Granny attempted to run back toward the arena entrance, only for something to land down hard in front of her in a flurry of dust. She braced herself, grimacing to see the Equestrian Magic user in front of her as her wings shined like an actual rainbow. Not to mention that her injuries were completely gone.

"Well?" she said. Before she could think to do anything, the Apokoliptian lieutenant had her wrists bound by Diana's lasso, pulling her down onto her knees as she grimaced. In a flash of light, Rainbow let her empowered form disappear.

"Ugh…" she groaned out as she staggered, about to topple over.

"I got you," the Amazon princess assured, catching her from behind. She gave off a grateful smile.

"Heh…" she chuckled, "Glad I stayed…" she remarked. Meanwhile, Barda approached the restrained Granny, who gasped upon seeing the sword aimed at her.

"You were saying, Granny?" she questioned of her. To her surprise though, she smirked.

"Go ahead," she offered, "Kill me," she insisted, "That's what you're programmed to do…" she pointed out as Diana and Rainbow came over.

"Barda…" the Amazon princess uttered worriedly, noticing that the former Apokoliptian captain hadn't put down her blade yet.

"What's the matter, Barda?" Granny inquired, "You know you want to…" she said, inching herself closer so that the tip of her foe's blade was pressed against her throat. She seemed hesitant, not wanting to succumb to her desires, but also not wanting anyone else to suffer the torment of the Apokoliptian lieutenant's cruelty anymore.

"Ugh, you're so lame…" Rainbow grumbled as she walked over and pushed her blade down.

"Wh-What…?" Granny stuttered in confusion.

"You're only asking to die so you can save face from Darkseid for failing, right?" the Equestrian Magic user assumed with a smirk, "Yeah, that's real loyalty alright…" she remarked sarcastically.

"Why you little brat…" the Apokoliptian lieutenant growled out.

"Oh, and more thing…" Rainbow continued, rearing her left fist back before landing a left hook to Granny's face, knocking her out onto the ground, "Huh…" she exhaled, "That was for Lyla…" she noted firmly. Diana smiled, going over and putting a hand onto her shoulder.

"Thank you, Rainbow," she said gratefully.

"Not bad, kid," Barda remarked with a grin. She picked up Granny, hoisting her over her left shoulder. "Now it's time we get your friend back," she advised, earning nods in response from her colleagues.

Skipping ahead some, Ben and Superman were forced to fight against Kara, who was under Darkseid's control. Though he was under the assumption that the Kryptonian girl would win thanks to his hold on her, he didn't expect for Batman to play a very critical hand. By activating the Hellspores he had found in Apokolips' armory, he gambled his life, swearing to have them disarmed so long as Kara was released and left alone. And he won, as Darkseid assumed the Dark Knight would be willing to take such a chance as a human.

"Take the girl," the ruler of Apokolips said to the downed Bruce, "I will make no move against her," he vowed as he walked back toward his throne. Suddenly, the stained glass shattered again. To his surprise, he saw Kara flying in with the shards, falling to the floor and tumbling to a stop at his feet.

"I'll hold you to that," Clark's voice stated as he looked to see the Kryptonian floating at the hole in the glass. Beside him was a female, human-like alien with orange skin and waist-length brown hair that had straight bangs. She had bright green eyes, wearing a mostly-black outfit with a crop top that had a green stripe running down the middle, a miniskirt, and thigh-high boots. She also bore silvery armoring down from her shoulders to her wrists. The only thing exposed was her midriff and part of her thighs. The Omnitrix symbol rested upon the center of the corset she had on around her neck.

"We'll all hold you to it," Diana's voice chimed in as a correction, causing her to look over and gasp to her and Barda entering alongside Rainbow, with the former Apokoliptian captain carrying Granny over her left shoulder, having been tied up by the Amazon princess' lasso. She was tossed over as the rope around her was undone, falling to Darkseid's feet. She looked up weakly at her superior.

"Mercy, Barda?" he noted to his former captain, "Disappointing," he muttered out. She ignored him, instead going over to assist Bruce back to his feet, putting his left arm around her shoulders as he groaned.

"Dash!" Starfury exclaimed as she flew down to her girlfriend, landing in front of her and embracing her in a big hug.

"Hey babe…" she greeted weakly, "Good to see you, too…" she remarked. The Tamaranean chuckled, pulling her head back and attempting to kiss her. "Whoawhoawhoa!" she yelped out, holding her hands up defensively as Starfury stopped, "I'd be more than happy to kiss you now, but not like that…" she pointed out.

"Wha-? Oh!" the Tamaranean yelped, "Eh-heh, sorry…" she chuckled sheepishly in apology, enveloping herself in a flash of green light, turning back into Ben. He leaned in to kiss his girlfriend, releasing himself seconds later before holding her close. Diana smiled at them, while Clark picked up the unconscious Kara.

"Disarm the Hellspores. Leave Apokolips," Darkseid instructed of his enemies. With that, everyone started to head out.

"What happened?" Rainbow asked quietly as she glanced back at the planet's ruler.

"Rock-face took control over Kara and almost made her kill us," her boyfriend replied to her shock, "But thanks to Bats, we got her back," he mentioned, looking over to the Dark Knight.

"It was nothing," he claimed aloud. The Equestrian Magic user chuckled.

"Whatever you say…" she remarked with a shrug.

With the battle upon Apokolips concluded, the group returned to the island of women to recuperate. Darkseid's evil had manipulated Kara, but she was freed, now back with her cousin and able to make her own choices. So was Rainbow, who had much to think about. Including something that had crossed her mind…

THEMYSCIRA

"Ugh…" the Equestrian Magic user groaned as she grabbed at her head.

"You okay?" her boyfriend asked, sitting on the other side of the bed they were sharing in their room.

"Yeah…" she responded, "It's mostly just the headaches from that Rainbow Drive…" she grumbled, lying down on the plush divan, "Huh…" she sighed, "I got off easy, didn't I?" she presumed, causing the Omnitrix bearer to blink in surprise, "Kara got herself controlled by Darkseid, forced to do things like hurt you and Superman…" she recalled, "All I got were bruises that are already gone," she mentioned.

"Kara's gonna be okay, Dash," Ben assured, "And you're doing okay yourself, too," he added with a smile.

"Yeah…" she agreed, curling her legs in and holding them in place with her arms, "You think… loyalty's something that you earn from someone? Or should it be given?" she questioned of her boyfriend, who blinked twice.

"Uh… what do you mean?" he asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"Batman didn't trust Kara from the start, because he wanted to be sure that she wasn't a threat…" Rainbow pointed out in reply, "And I trusted her without a second thought," she recalled on, "Not just after we knew who she was," she mentioned, "I trusted that she was good from the very moment I met her in the street the first time," she confessed.

"Well… you have a good instinct," Ben complimented, making her chuckle.

"Not always," she retorted, letting off a little smile, "I'm glad I had faith in you guys," she affirmed, "And in Kara, too," she added. The Omnitrix bearer grinned. "Ugh… I need a shower…" his girlfriend grumbled.

"Pretty sure it's only baths here, but yeah," he responded. He blinked in surprise as he heard her let out a pained grunt as she tried to take off her shirt. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just sore…" she responded with a wince, "Guess I still need some more rest…" she admitted aloud, "A bath would help…" she grumbled on.

"I'll go get someone to help you out," Ben decided, getting up from the bed.

"No, you can do it," Rainbow pointed out, causing him to blink in surprise as he let out a cough.

"Wh-What?" he stuttered. His girlfriend gave him a blank look.

"Dude, you've been my boyfriend for like three years now," she pointed out, "It's all cool," she assured, though she was blushing herself.

"Uh… okay…" Ben responded, going over. He carefully went ahead and removed the Equestrian Magic user's sweats and shirt, revealing her black sports bra and blue panties. His own blush was heavy. "Okay, I'm getting someone to help you now," he decided as he looked away, about to walk off.

"Wait," Rainbow said, grabbing him by his right wrist. He looked back at her in surprise, seeing the look of anticipation in her eyes. "I… uh…" she tried to say, taking a deep breath and exhaling, "I want this… after everything," she insisted, gently pulling her boyfriend back over. They looked into each other's eyes deeply before engaging in a loving kiss. What followed was the Omnitrix bearer being brought back onto the bed with his girlfriend, about to have an enchanting time with her.

My, what a surprise! But you can't expect me to show you something so provocative when we've got the rest of this story to wrap up nice and neat. So let's go ahead and conclude, shall we?

X

"You're sure it's a good idea?" Bruce asked of Clark later that night.

"It feels right," he answered assuredly. The Dark Knight's expression told him that he wasn't convinced. "Can't let it rest, can you?" he presumed of him.

"Knock it off, you two," Diana advised beside them. She glanced over to see someone approaching.

"Hey," Rainbow greeted, dressed in Amazon garb as she jogged over, "Everyone's still here," she noted with a smile.

"Where's Ben?" Bruce asked curiously.

"Uh…" Rainbow uttered, blushing a little, "Getting some bedrest…" she claimed, grinning sheepishly. She looked over and blinked in surprise. "Whoa," she said, noticing the statue that had been put in place of Lyla with columns beside it that had flames burning to illuminate it. And standing before it was Kara.

"Lyla…" she began, "I'm going to miss you more than you can even imagine," she confessed, "You were one of my first friends… and you accepted me without question," she pointed out, "Maybe because as Harbinger you saw something in me that's worthwhile," she inferred, while Rainbow walked up to her side, "Now, all I have to do is find that thing," she stated. The wind breezed by, blowing embers past her and the Equestrian Magic user. "I'll try not to disappoint you…" she added, wiping away a tear that streaked down her cheek. She then blinked in surprise upon noticing the rainbow-haired girl there.

"You won't," she assured confidently. The Kryptonian girl smiled.

"Thank you, Rainbow," she said gratefully, embracing her in a warm hug, "Knowing that you're here makes me feel like I can," she affirmed, followed by letting her go.

"Sorry Ben couldn't come to say goodbye," she apologized.

"That's okay," Kara assured, letting off a smirk, "I know he's probably still resting, right?" she assumed.

"Wha…? How…?" Rainbow tried to ask as a blush upon her face grew massive, only for her to groan in realization, "Oh, super-hearing…" she muttered, "That's… embarrassing…" she mumbled, causing Kara to giggle. The two of them then went back over to the trio of heroes.

"Diana, I can't thank you enough," the Kryptonian girl said to the Amazon princess, embracing in a warm hug that was returned.

"You will always have a home here," she assured kindly while having her left hand placed against the back of Kara's head. They let go of each other, followed by the Kryptonian girl turning to Bruce.

"Alura," she said to his confusion, "You once asked if I could remember my mother's name," she recalled, "It was Alura," she confirmed. With that, the Dark Knight gave her a grin. "Kal," she uttered as her cousin approached, putting his arm around her shoulders, "I'm ready now," she decided. They took a few steps before floating up into the air. Clark turned back to his friends.

"Thank you," he said gratefully.

"You still owe me a computer," Bruce pointed out.

"Might take a while," the Kryptonian retorted, "Reporter's salary," he mentioned, flying off after his cousin.

"Always has to have the last word…" the Dark Knight muttered, earning himself an elbow to the chest from Diana, making him grunt. As Rainbow looked into the distance to see her friend fly off, she took a moment to think.

"You know… I think I need to find out what my place is," she realized, getting the Amazon princess' attention, "Not just here and in my own world, but… everywhere," she pointed out, "I wanna be a person that can show others what loyalty should really mean," she confessed on, "'Course… I'm gonna have to get a little stronger…" she mentioned sheepishly.

"I'd be glad to help with that," Diana affirmed in response.

"I suppose that means I'll be taking Ben back," Bruce concluded, "I hope he's not too tired…" he remarked, causing Rainbow to widen her eyes and grimace with a heavy blush on her cheeks.

"Ugh, seriously…?" she grumbled out. However, she did give off a smile, ready for the future that lied ahead.

And so that ends our tale of Rainbow's. As you may already know, she and Kara have become lifelong friends. And though there were turbulent times with the Justice League, they too would be some of the most influential people in her life.

Loyalty knows no bounds. But loyalty that's earned and deserved is something that Rainbow will always strive for. From the present to the future.

Until next time, everyone. This is Xiaomei, signing off.

ENDING

Insert "Kitakaze" by SIX LOUNGE

Opens with an older Rainbow entering a living room, holding a scrapbook in her left arm. She sits down on the couch, opening it up to the first page, where she smiles upon the photo of her and Ben kissing onstage at the end of the Battle of the Bands. She reminisces over when they first met, as the Omnitrix bearer had helped her and her friends stop Sunset from taking over the world.

There are various shots of her interacting with other Omni Force members, whether it be getting zapped by Ash's Pikachu, learning how to throw a kunai by Naruto, admiring Gingka's beyblading prowess, or sparring against Rex. We see her rocking out on her electric guitar, ponying up alongside her friends. However, we also see her get too into her music at some point, which drives a rift between her and the others. It's especially bad when Ben calls her out for being so self-centered.

Thinking back on the bad memories, Rainbow recalls when she went to Korra's world, helping her in retrieving airbenders to revive the Air Nation. Through fighting Dai Li agents, bandits, and even the Red Lotus, we see Rainbow learning to work alongside her colleagues and earn their loyalty, which she returns in full. It culminates in her helping Korra defeat Zaheer, using her Rainbow Drive for the first time.

We see more scenes of her almost gagging upon watching Rook eat alien food, teasing Hinata about her crush on Naruto, arm wrestling with Korra, and narrowly avoiding getting caught up in Natsu's flames. She laughs all the while, happy to have spent the time getting to know the people in her life across the multiverse. There's a scene of her fighting off Marines with Sunset and Luffy, followed by her battling against Minerva Orland in the remains of Tartarus' base.

We cut to her joining the fight against the Alvarez Empire with the rest of the Omni Force in the future, grinning as she's determined to win alongside them. She closes the scrapbook, sighing happily. Her young kids then come in and gather with her on the couch, laughing with her as Ben watches on, smiling all the while.

END ENDING

And that wraps up the stories of the first squadron of the Omni Force! I have to say, between this chapter and the last one, I was much happier to do this story for a change. I know it also retcons "Real Love", but I think it's necessary given how… bad that story was.

Anyways, I think I'm going to be taking a break from "Omni Force: ORIGINS" chapters for a while. I just don't have the patience to work extensively on them, especially when I have other stories that I want to work on more. So for the time being, I'll be pushing the "Omni Force: ORIGINS" chapters back in my schedule in favor of other future stories, like "Omni Force: RED".

That's about it from me! I'm gonna go and wrap up "The Challenge of a Lifetime" next! See you later!