The tranquility of the dark chamber was shattered with every troubled hoofbeat that reverberated through the onyx and obsidian hallway. Anger and frustration were clear in the walls of sound that smashed against statues and sconces, only to be rebuffed, leaving ripples in the decorative basins. Confusion and uncertainty were projected by the pauses, each announced by torches that flared to life. While the light might have provided some comfort to the agitated mare, it also served to highlight the size of the massive chamber, casting long shadows that were devoured by the ever-present darkness.

Basalt columns, engraved with intricate patterns, towered at regular intervals as if they were dead trees that had sprouted from the raised deck of Calatorao marble that dominated the middle of the room. Creatures of myth and legend, carved from stone, silently stood watch around the base of the platform. A pair of great owl statues flanked the steps, their spread wings guiding the unwary away from the edges. At the top of the platform, wisps of steam could be seen rising from the room's primary feature, a large pool in the shape of a crescent moon.

Hesitantly, the visitor spoke from the base of the steps. "Mother?"

The woman lounging in the pool frowned. The tone of voice was ill-suited to the proud creature she had raised her daughter to be.

As she ascended the steps in the pool, Nyx said, "You are troubled, child." Reaching over, she retrieved a bath sheet from a lightning bolt wielded by a small statue of Zeus. Other towels were strategically draped over the figure, including a washcloth just below waist level. After taking a moment to luxuriate in the fluffy drape, she flicked her hand, transforming the towel into her cloak of stars and darkness, which swirled about her like a lazy cloud.

A dim ball of light appeared to one side of the platform. Walking slowly, the Nightmare followed it behind one of the owl statues. There, she found several large brown bolsters neatly arranged around an oval, charcoal-colored cushion sized just right for her. Shaking her head slowly, she went to the cushion and nuzzled it. She could feel the down gently sink underneath the velvet cover.

As she settled onto the silken patch at the center of the cushion, she found herself unable to enjoy its caress. Mentally, she continually replayed her last battle, trying to find even the slightest hint of why her opponent had spared her. Each time, she picked up a new detail. Each time, she found she had more questions than answers. She started as a gentle hand petted her mane.

From her perch on one of the bolsters, Nyx ran her hands through the creature's mane. "Speak your mind, my daughter."

"She poses little threat to you. She poses little threat to Discordia." The Nightmare sighed. Softly, she continued, "She has power, but not ambition. She seeks to protect, not conquer."

Nyx replied, "She is but one piece of a greater whole. Others seek to play games and gamble with souls. There are those that would try to bend her to their ends, given the chance."

"She . . . she put herself as risk to save me." Looking up, the young Nightmare blinked, trying to sort through things. "Why?"

"Instinct? Perhaps she believes that you are her kind." Nyx looked up as she hugged the Nightmare, softly brushing her mane. "Perhaps she was simply following her heart rather than her mind."

"She could have attacked me while I was distracted, gaining the upper hoof. She could have simply done nothing when I was about to be crushed. Why did she not? Is it not weakness to ignore such obvious opportunities?" asked the Nightmare, ear flicking in a mix of frustration and confusion.

"She left her guard open when she saved you. Did you not have an opportunity to strike at her?" Critically, Nyx looked down at the Nightmare.

"I . . . I don't know. I didn't even think about it," replied the Nightmare, sounding even more confused.

Slowly, Nyx shook her head. "You have a warrior's heart, yet you stayed your hoof. Did not you not show the same weakness you claim she has?"

With the slightest hint of defiance, the Nightmare replied, "I am not weak, mother."

Smiling, Nyx laughed softly. "If you were not weak in sparing her, then she was not weak in saving you. What is weakness? What is strength? That is something you will need to work out for yourself."

***

The relief was palpable as the white and cyan blur tumbled down the hallway in Gotham General. The thud of the sudden impact echoed down the corridors as the confusion of tail and mane, fur and feathers gradually came to a stop. Where the little alicorn had stood seconds before, a single horseshoe came clattering down onto the tile floor, spinning to a stop after what seemed like an impossibly long time aloft.

Much further down the hallway, the little white alicorn found herself pinned to the floor as a blue pegasus straddled her. "Tia, don't you dare do that again!" admonished Dash.

Laughing, Tia shook her head. "I was safe; the Harley girl wouldn't have hurt me."

"Still, you shouldn't take risks like that," Dash said firmly. "I'm supposed to guard and protect you."

Zatanna covered her mouth as she tried to resist laughing at the scene. She glanced sideways toward the Dark Knight, who was kneeling down to retrieve the horseshoe.

"Curious. It's bronze, worn smooth on both sides, and there is tarnish in the nail holes." The Dark Knight's scowl deepened. "Neither pony wears them."

Zatanna smirked. "I guess that means the shoe doesn't fit. Face it, Bats, it's hardly worth your time. Maybe there is no rational explanation. Maybe it's just magic."

Narrowing his eyes, the Batman looked at Zatanna. "In my experience, everything has a rational explanation. Even you admitted that all magic has a cost."

Shrugging, Zatanna replied, "Whatever it was that was affecting the patients, we now have it mostly under control. That having been said . . ." Zatanna stretched and yawned. ". . . I sensed a massive magical surge a while ago."

"That would have been our little pony doing battle with another of her kind," Batman said, "Someone, it seems, has made more."

Reaching over, Dash grabbed the horseshoe from Batman and tucked it under her wing, "I'll take that back. That's my lucky shoe."

"She's the daughter of Nyx, one of the Greek goddesses, I think," Tia said, poking her head out from under Dash's other wing. "She said she was there to tame or control me."

"I'm not even going to ask where or how she's carrying the horseshoe." Shaking his head, the Batman simply looked at Zatanna, "Nyx, Goddess of the Night. She is one of the few that Zeus is afraid of. We were lucky their battle was limited to just the warehouse."

"Not luck. I kept her there. Not luck! I didn't kill anyone. Not Luck! I even saved Harley's life. NOT Luck!" Smiling brightly Tia stuck out her tongue, tilting her head to the side with a wide bright smile.

Narrowing his eyes at the filly, Batman stood in stoic silence, arms crossed.

Slowly, Tia pulled her tongue back in. "eep." Retreating under Dash's wing, she squeaked, "Dash . . . He's still scowling at me, isn't he?"

Zatanna looked at Batman sternly as she put her hands on her hips. "Really? What's next on your agenda? Kicking puppies? Would it kill you to even show a hint of humanity?" The magician gave an exasperated growl. "Of course not. You're the Batman. That would just eat into your brooding time. Worse, it might brighten that dark image you like so much."

"There's a reason I work alone. Compliments, niceties, are a distraction from the mission," the Batman said firmly.

Tia peeked her head out from under Dash's wing. "I don't know. Maybe friends can help? Maybe, in a way, friendship is magic?" The filly gulped as the Batman locked his eyes on her. She stared back for a second before ducking back under Dash's wing. "Never mind. Friendship bad, brooding good. I get it."

Deliberately, Zatanna stepped in front of Batman before turning her back to him. Smiling, she knelt to Dash's level and said, "Okay. Do you know what we need? A party!"

Cautiously, Tia poked her head out. "A party?"

Nodding, Zatanna replied, "We can get ice cream and cake. Maybe we can watch some good cartoons so we can unwind. What say we go back to the Watchtower and raid the cafeteria for any snacks the Flash hasn't managed to find and celebrate?"

Both ponies perked their ears, tails wiggling. Batman, however, turned. As he walked down the hall, he said, "I need to do some research. I'll be in the cave."

Looking back, Zatanna said, "You really should join us. Goodness knows we could all use a break."

Receding footsteps were Batman's answer. Zatanna shrugged before turning back to hug the ponies. "More for us, then."

Dash and Tia looked at each other then sat up quickly to nod once. "Sounds good."

Tapping her earpiece gently, Zatanna said, "J'onn, can you bring us three to the Watchtower?"

A moment later, the three were surrounded by the glowing lights. The smell of ozone quickly filled the air as sparkles and flashes danced around them. A loud hum reverberated through the hospital corridor as the three vanished.

When the lights faded, the three found themselves surrounded by a different type of sterility. Through the observation window, they could see the vastness of space as they looked beyond the big blue marble that was Earth. They had rematerialized on the League's orbital space station.

Rising, Zatanna said, "Come on, you two. Follow me."

The ponies stared, wide-eyed as they trotted through the station. Tia pronked as she exclaimed, "This is better than sci-fi! Isn't it great?"

Nervously, Dash replied, "Yeah . . . great." She took mincing steps, looking every which way as she followed the exuberant filly.

Zatanna came to a stop in front of a large blank panel. "This is where the real action happens." She placed a hand on the panel. It slid back, revealing a multitude of displays and stations inside a massive room. The room, however, was mostly empty. Except for three humans and a meta seated around a bank of monitors, watching news feeds from around the world, everyone seemed to be walking about with a maintenance kit and a tablet, performing diagnostics and repairs to different bits and pieces around the room.

Dash counted on her hooves and wings before using Tia's. The filly snorted. "Ten people? That's it?"

Everyone in the room stopped and turned to face the new voice. Winged Victory, Shinning Knight's pegasus companion, launched himself from his station at the monitor bank and alit in front of the little alicorn. With wings spread, he curled his forelegs and dipped his head until it was just above the deck. In a regal tone, he whinnied, "My princess."

Tia groaned softly and put her hoof over her face. "Oh, come on! One supervillain calls you a princess and now nopony will let you live that down."

Dash patted Tia's head with a wingtip. "Oh, don't worry. We'll eventually forget it, my princess." Casually backflipping over Tia's playful wing smack, Dash looked up at the large stallion and said, "We are heading to the cafeteria for cake. Want to join us?"

Victory shook his head. "My duty is here. Someone has to help Sir Justin with his irregular verbs."

"You know, until now I never considered Victory actually talking. Any idea what they are saying?" the knight asked Zatanna as he watched the three equines whinnying.

With a slight smile, Zatanna glanced at the old armored knight. "Translation spell works well at times like this, but I find it interesting that she switches languages without realizing it."

"Okay, Dash, guess it's just us," Tia said then stood proudly, pointing at the door. "To the cafeteria! Cake awaits!"

***

"Angels and demons. Demons and angels."

The scientist's white lab coat billowed slightly as he paced back and forth in the control room, pulling at what little hair was left on the back of his head as he raged, shaking a fist. Blood welled from the scratches he had made on the back of his neck. The equipment that lined the room twinkled merrily in reds, blues and greens as their LEDs indicated the changes in statuses.

"They're mad! Why can't they see it? They have to see it!" he said as started another lap around the room.

From opposing corners of the ceiling, two security cameras pitched and yawed as they tracked his every move. Their lenses slowly twisted as they moved back and forth to keep him in focus. The servos hummed almost imperceptibly as they made constant adjustments.

"We're just pawns to them. No, we aren't even pawns, at least pawns can be useful."

He opened his fist and pulled his other hand away from the back of his head, tearing out several gray hairs. With a measure of disgust, he saw that they were both trembling. He threw down the hand that had been grabbing his hair and snatched the badge hanging from the lanyard around his neck. He brought it to eye level and glared at the holographic "L" that was next to the picture of the stranger that stared back. The logo jutted out like mountain peak.

"He knows! Even a blind man could see them. They're everywhere. Angels and demons, playing with us."

Startled, he jumped when a pounding came from the door. Turning, he shook his head. "Something needs to be done!"

The banging became more insistent. A voice called out, "Doctor Pavlis! Please, open the door!"

"Someone needs to do something, but no one understands. It's like they can't see them," the doctor muttered, "Or they don't want to." The doctor went back to scratching the back of his neck as he spasmodically jerked about as if trying to catch something peeking out.

"Doctor Pavlis, please!" the voice called again. Silence reigned for a moment. "Bring up the cutting torch."

"No time, no time to find people. Someone needs to do something. Someone." Pulling his hand back, the doctor rested it on the desk. Blood from his nails left marks on the white surface. Panting hard, he looked at the keyboard before twirling his badge.

"I need to do something, I'm the only one who can." Quickly, he started typing. The main monitor displayed line after line of code in one window while another window opened and shifted a map and zoomed in on a satellite view

"Shiva, Shiva can save us," he said, as his bloody fingerprints quickly covered the keyboard. Pausing, he went back to scratching the back of his neck and looking around. The white noise of the cooling fans was drowned out by the insistent hiss of a cutting torch. The stench of burnt paint and melting steel wafted from the hole where a shower of sparks flew.

"The demons are coming." Turning back, he hit the "enter" key. The monitors went black. Warning klaxons sounded throughout the facilities. Angry, large red letters flashed on every monitor. "LAUNCH".

With a loud bang, the security door was flung open and several guards ran in with truncheons drawn. "Hands up! Put your hands up now!"

Turning, the scientist laughed manically, holding his hands up. "Saved! We're saved!"

A woman in a lab coat walked into the room. "Saved? What, what have you done?"

"Shiva will save us, she'll burn Heaven and Hell!" the scientist cackled. "The angels and demons will be no more."

The guards charged forward, grabbing the man as they forced him to the ground. The woman ran past them to access the console. As she jabbed at the keyboard, the display reverted to what the scientist had been viewing. Shaking her head, she touched her earpiece. "Sir, he's launched one of the experimental missiles."

"Target?"

"Somewhere off the coast of Greece, I think. I'm not totally sure," she said. Absently, she rubbed her fingertips. She wrinkled her lips when she noticed that they and the keyboard were red and sticky. "Sir, it seems I will be required to be quarantined as well now."

***

"DESSERT!" Tia giggled and bounded across the deserted cafeteria. Chocolate cupcakes and glazed doughnuts floated from the shelves onto her tray. Licking her lips, she floated a plate of apple pie from under a heat lamp and placed a small slice of cheddar on it. She nosed the tray to the soft serve machine and covered the pie with a vanilla swirl.

Grabbing a tray in her mouth, Dash set it down on the rails and strolled to the dessert counter. She carefully looked over her choices before picking up a plate of angel food cake with her mouth and set it on her tray. She added a brownie, a cruller, and an assortment of cupcakes to her selection.

"Oh, they have strawberry pie, too!" Tia squealed as she floated a piece over to her collection before levitating her entire tray over to the table.

"It looks like we beat the Flash to the sweets," Zatanna said with a smile. "He tends to swipe all this stuff himself."

Sitting down, Tia giggled as she lifted a chocolate cupcake with her magic. "Cupcakes so sweet and tasty."

Leaning forward, Dash licked the frosting off a butterscotch cupcake. "Cupcakes, don't be too hasty!"

Tilting sideways the two sang out cheerfully, "Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES!"

A sudden blast of wind blew the girls' manes to the side as a man in a red bodysuit stopped and looked at the dessert counter. "Cupcakes? Where!"

"Afternoon, Flash."

"Aaaw, come on! We're out of cupcakes again!" Turning, the Flash smiled. "Oh. Hey, Zatanna. What's up?"

"Nothing much, just babysitting the girls," Zatanna said, sitting down with the last of the cupcakes and smiling.

Zipping over like a bolt of lightning, the Flash looked down at the pair of ponies.

"Hi, girls. You probably know me from the LightSpeed energy bar commercials."

"The what?" Tia asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Are you one of the heroes here? Like Wonder Woman?" Dash asked, tilting her head to the other side.

Deflated, the Flash sighed "Oh harsh. What, did you grow up on an island somewhere?"

"Yep, Themescara," Dash acknowledged, nodding.

"You know Zatanna and Wonder Woman, but not me?" The Flash gave a dejected look.

"Dash, have you tried this pie?" Tia asked as she floated a forkful to her mouth.

Shaking her head, the little pegasus stuck her tongue out. "Ugh! No, I hate pie."

Blinking, the Flash looked at her. "How can anyone hate pie?"

Dash replied, "I have to eat it with my nose."

"What do you mean?" asked Zatanna.

"Well, you have hands, she has magic," Dash explained motioning to the two. "Me, I have to use my hooves and mouth," Dashy stated matter-of-factly.

Blinking, the Flash tilted his head. "Okay, and?"

"I have to lick up or put my face into the food to eat it. It's okay for cakes and foods that hold together, but pie," she said as she motioned to the pie dish, "I have to stick my muzzle in unless I want to eat just crust or just filling. If I stick my muzzle in, it goes up my nose. Trust me, smelling pie all day just isn't fun."

The Flash stood, blinking a few times before he started laughing, "Okay, you got me there. So, how are you two enjoying the superhero life?"

Dash tilt her head and blinked, puzzled. "We're not heroes."

Chuckling, the Flash nodded. "Right, you're just kids who save the day in your spare time."

Tia shook her head and giggled. "Yep, cuz real heroes get costumes and nicknames."

"Well 'Tia' and 'Celestia' are nicknames, aren't they?" Zatanna asked, stroking the ponies' manes.

Dash giggled. "Yeah, but costumes are another thing, and neither of us could really do the whole cape thing, either. Do you know how much trouble a cape would cause for our wings?"

"So? No capes!" Tia said and waggled a hoof at Dash before blinking. "Okay, downside of not having fingers; waggling a hoof doesn't work." She sat up and gestured with her forehooves. "I can still do air quotes."

Suddenly, the lights in the cafeteria flashed red as an alarm klaxon wailed. J'onn's voice came over the speakers, "Rescue crews assemble. Team 3, report to the transport room. This is a delta level alert."

"What's going on?" Tia asked, looking up at Zatanna.

"I have no idea. Flash?"

"I'll go see," He said before vanishing in a blur.

"Bridge?" Dash asked.

Tia nodded. Lighting her horn, she encased the three in her aura. A heartbeat later, they materialized on the bridge just as the Flash ran up to the monitor station, stopping beside the Martian Manhunter.

"What's going on J'onn?"

"We detected a rogue missile launch. We were tracking it on radar until booster separation. We lost it after that; there wasn't any debris." The green Martian tapped the screen, bringing up a display showing the launch trajectory.

"Lost what?" Zatanna asked, looking up at the big monitor.

"I think it was a Damocles class missile launched from eastern USA, but it cloaked soon after launch, and I can't detect its heat signature." J'onn responds.

"Damocles class? That's LexCorp tech!" the Flash said in shock, "What does he think he's doing!"

The main monitor showed the image of a bald gentleman in a business suit. He said, "Contacting you, it would seem."

"What are you doing on this channel? This is reserved for official government communications," J'onn said firmly.

"Helping you," replied a woman's voice as the display split and a slightly overweight African-American woman came into view, arms crossed.

"Waller?" the Flash blinked, looking at J'onn.

"It would seem one of my staff went crazy. He began speaking of angels and devils before launching an experimental missile," Lex said firmly. "The missile is armed with a gravitic fusion warhead that super-compresses its hydrogen fuel." Looking pointedly at Flash, Luthor continued. "In kindergarten terms, it makes a baby star and hugs it tight. When it lets go, everything that was holding it together tears it apart.”

"And then, boom," Amanda said grimly.

"How big a boom are we talking about?" asked Flash.

Grimly, Luthor replied, "Everything within a fifty-mile radius will be vaporized by the thermal pulse. Every structure within a 100-mile radius will be flattened by the shockwave. Every living thing in a 200-mile radius will be killed by the overpressure effects."

"What is the target?" J'onn asked sternly.

Lex shook his head, "Its exact target is unknown at this time; the missile's telemetry and self-destruct are off-line. Its target area is projected to be somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Greece." On cue, a map was projected in front of Luthor's image.

Blinking as she looked at the map Tia tilted her head. "Isn't that the area of Themescara?"

"How do we stop it?" J'onn demanded.

"That is up to you. I simply called Miss Waller here as well as you to advise you of the situation. I would suggest keeping the boy scout out of the blast radius; it emits red sun radiation. You have three minutes. I suggest you use your time wisely."