The Mane-iac's Triumph

Spike strolled casually through the streets of Ponyville, whistling innocently while suffering from Equestria's largest and most obvious case of flop sweat. He clutched a rather substantial brown envelope against his chest, his trembling fingers scraping along the paper nervously as he moved along home from the post office.

He had been at there since they opened, as he had been for the last few days. He was always first in line for the express service from Canterlot. In all the prior days he had gone away empty-handed. That particular day his tenacity had been rewarded. The head postal clerk checked the incoming express packages and handed over the fat, book-sized envelope. Seemed normal enough, given his living situation.

Most of the citizens of the town ignored him as he passed; he was such a common presence that he hardly warranted notice. A few offered waves and smiles. A few happened to notice how nervous and paranoid he appeared and gave him an askance glance as he passed. Even though it was a bit odd no one thought to stop him or question him.

He slipped into the library with a final nervous glance around the outside, closing the door as carefully behind him as he could. His darting eyes scanned the whole library. Empty. No one was in evidence, not even Owlowicious. Spike let out a relieved sigh and made his way towards the stairs to the basement.

“Spike! Is that you?” Twilight called down from the second floor.

“Twilight! Uh, yeah, it's me! Just... just got back in from a walk,” Spike called up, shuffling towards the basement a little faster.

“Spike, what's wrong? I know what it means when you sounds like that. You're up to no good, aren't you?” Twilight asked, coming down from above with a stern look.

“What?! No! I promised I wouldn't do anything wrong, and I honor my promises. It's the dragon code,” Spike insisted, quickly putting the package behind his back and scooting closer to the basement.

“Right. Dragon code. Then why are...” Twilight squinted at Spike, quickly identifying his distress. “Spike, why are you so nervous-looking? And what's that behind your back? What are you hiding?”

Spike broke out into a more powerful sweat, his body trying to keep from trembling. His fingers dug at the envelope and tried to hide it, even though it was wider than his body. “Hiding? I'm not hiding anything. Just... holding onto it...”

“Well what is it?” Twilight asked, firmly.

“It's just a book. You know. A book. You like books,” Spike mumbled, making an attempt at backing into the basement again.

Twilight's magic flashed and the door to the basement shut with a resounding slam. She furrowed her brows at Spike and loomed over him. “Spike... what kind of book is that? You're hiding something from me.”

Spike was caught. He squeezed the book tighter and then slumped. He peeled the top of the envelope open and pulled out a small portion of the contents, trusting to one last gambit. The book within was a large version of his favorite comic books, a thick tome of medium-glossy paper. He pulled it up just far enough to show the top of the title, the letters of 'Power Ponies' just visible. “It's more... Power Ponies. A new special-edition graphic novel I special-ordered from Canterlot.”

Twilight's look softened immediately, and a small tendril of magic reached out to stroke the fins on Spike's head. “Oh Spike... you should try reading real novels. I know you like those Power Ponies comics but real literature is so, so much better for you.” She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “And even if I feel that way, you don't need to hide your comic books from me. I promise I won't get mad. You'll come to love books in your own time, I know it.”

Spike let the comic slip down into the envelope again and looked completely relieved, a smile spreading across his face. “I know. And I'm sorry I tried to hide it from you. But it gets a little embarrassing, and I know how you feel about them.”

“Why were you heading into the basement?” Twilight asked, suddenly thinking about Spike's actions.

“Oh! I was gonna set up my bed and a reading lamp there for tonight. I, uh, needed privacy. Because I planned to read all night! And I know you hate it when I keep you up reading comics. Just trying to be nice,” Spike said with a wide smile.

Twilight chuckled lightly and stroked Spike's fins once more. “I should insist that you get your sleep; you're a young dragon after all. But I know how much you love your comics. And you're so considerate... I'll bring down your bed and a lamp.”

“Thanks, Twilight! You're the best,” Spike said, running up and giving Twilight a tight hug. It had worked. His night had just become what he had hoped it would be.

Later on in the evening Spike was happily settled down in his comfortable basket, in the light of the desk lap settled on top of Twilight's strange machines. His hands trembled anew as he reached into the envelope and slowly extracted his graphic novel. It was a substantial tome, as far as comics went. It was what he had said... by and large. It was, indeed, a Power Ponies comic. But the subtitle was, 'The Erotic Adventures,' and the title of the collection itself, at the bottom, was 'The Mane-iac's Triumph.' The cover image itself was The Mane-iac, out of her costume, laughing as the tendrils of her mane bound the Power Ponies, who had been striped and were screaming in a mix of fear and pleasure.

Spike shivered as he looked at it. He had saved his bits for a month after he had heard that such a thing existed. It was somewhere between a knock-off and an official production. It was legal to sell but questionable at best. He'd sent away for it and been barely able to sleep, awaiting it. He had known that if Twilight had seen it she would have just destroyed it. She wasn't quite overly prudish, but she didn't want him having such things.

But he had made it. She was upstairs, asleep, and he was there. Holding it. Ready to crack it open and be lost in the erotic adventures of his favorite superheroines.

With a lick of his dry lips he opened the front cover, and started to read...

Mane-iac allowed herself a booming, long-lasting and crazed laugh, her hooves pulled down and her eyes cast to the ceiling. She at done it at last. Using cunning, guile, and a secret device from the infamous Dr. MacGuffin she had managed to overpower her enemies, the Power Ponies. With the heroines of Maretropolis captive, all evil ceased. She had to savor her power. If she wasted even a second of her having them by perpetrating any wickedness she would hate herself.

She also had another reason for halting everything to personally oversee the domination, humiliation and violation of the Power Ponies. There was much to be gained, watching her enemies treated in the matter she thought appropriate. But more than them... she could get her revenge on Hum Drum.

He had been the one to stop her. He, even powerless, had destroyed her prior triumph. She had not repeated the same mistake. She did not hold him in contempt. She used all her skill to capture him first, before subduing his friends. He would pay the price for her humiliating defeat. He had made her look like a fool. That was unacceptable.

She smiled as she moved deeper into her warehouse hideout, and saw her prize. Hum Drum was still in his uniform, hands tied behind his back, flanked by henchponies, looking afraid. “So now... can you defeat me again? I think not,” Mane-iac said, adding an insane laugh afterward.

“You're wasting your time!' Hum Drum cried, struggling in his bonds. “The Power Ponies will get out of this. You'll see. And I'll help them do it, just like last time.”

“Keep that notion in mind. Perhaps it will help you while I show you what has become of your friends...” Mane-iac said. She walked past Hum Drum and used a mane tendril to induce him to walk along beside her.

“Where are you taking me?! You won't get away with this!” Hum Drum protested.

“My foolish little Hum Drum... I'm already getting away with it. You just have to be shown that it is so,” Mane-iac said with another crazed laugh. She led him towards a set of metal stairs that looked to reach into a catwalk that was set over the room found beyond a partition.

“What do you mean?” Hum Drum asked, looking a trifle wary as he shakily made his way up the stairs. It was a difficult proposition with his hands bound and a tendril leading him along.

“You will see... in fact, part of my revenge requires you to see,” Mane-iac said.

The catwalk spread out all over the upper portion of the room. There wasn't much to see. It was empty, save for six very large, very high-walled metal cylinders. It seemed that the tops were open, and could been looked into by going to different parts of the catwalk.

“What did you do to them?” Hum Drum asked, looking at the cylinders fearfully, imagining all kinds of terrible fates for his friends.

A smile spread across Mane-iac's features as she stroked a tendril under Hum Drum's chin and led him along to the nearest cylinder. “Come along. Let's get my revenge started...”