Mind Over Mane-Iacby Darkryt OrbinautzChaptersIssue 2: Zapp's Sensitive Secret!Issue 3: Enter The Dark PonyIssue 4: Divided Loyalties!Issue 5: Rainbow Dash's ChoiceIssue 6: In The Medusa's GraspIssue 7: To Save A Friend ... Issue 1: "Arrows of Love!"Issue 2: Zapp's Sensitive Secret! Issue 2 Solicit: SCANDAL! Rainbow Dash has never, ever liked ponies touching her hooves … but is there secretly a reason for that? While Dash struggles with Tresemme learning her embarrassing secret, the Mane-Iac's henchmen launch an attack! RAINBOW DASH remained on the building for a while, relishing in the victorious outcome of her date with the pony she knew was Destiny's chosen soul mate for her. After letting out what must have been her 57th self-satisfied sigh, Rainbow Dash decided it was best she work on getting home now. Descending with the grace and majesty of an immobile boulder, Rainbow Dash touched her hooves to the ground. The entire time, she was overcome with her infatuation with Tresmme. Her hooves on a drunken stagger, her path swaying left and right on the street, and more than once she let out a giggle akin to a schoolfilly who had just said something which left her male peers confused and astounded. She felt as though someone had sucked up a flock of butterflies in a vacuum, then stuck the hose in her mouth and reversed the direction, filling her stomach up with the beautiful insects. Once she arrived at the mansion, Rainbow Dash staggered until she could collapse into the safe, warm grasp of the Couch of Comforting Rest and Relaxation. She let out another sigh, murmuring “Tresemme ...” before resting her head on the back of the couch and closing her eyes. Her leisure within the plush confines of the velvety couch was interrupted by the appearance of Pinkie Pie's shadow over her face, followed by the rest of her fellows. “SO HOW'D IT GO!?” Pinkie Pie screamed into Rainbow Dash's face with such volume Rainbow's manes blew backwards. Rainbow Dash shook her head to regain control of her mane while Rarity was kind enough to move the living stereo system known as Pinkie Pie away from the beleaguered Rainbow Dash. “Pinkie Pie, darling, Rainbow Dash obviously wishes to rest after having been out most of the night.” Rarity told her, pushing Pinkie Pie aside, only to replace Pinkie's enthusiasm with her own, dispensing questions to Rainbow as if they were bullets form a revolver. “But do answer the question, darling. How was the date? Was it good? Fantastic? Romantic?” “Did Tresemme figure out you were Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Did y'all blow it?” Applejack teased. “For your information, Applejack, I did not blow it.” Rainbow Dash told them, quite confident. “And no, Pinkie Pie, she didn't figure out I was Rainbow Dash. As for your question, Rarity, yes, it was romantic.” “Magical, even?” “Magical even.” Rarity nodded, satisfied. “She came kinda close, though.” Rainbow Dash added as an afterthought. “To figuring it out I was me.” Rainbow Dash slapped her forehead. “I mean, close to figuring out Firefly was Rainbow Dash.” At the mention of this, the warm greetings and jovial teasing Rainbow Dash had been greeted with upon her return disappeared. In their place were concerned frowns, disapproving lips bites, and glares from one pony to another. “Guys?” Rainbow Dash noticed the change in the mood. “What's up?” “Rainbow Dash, are you sure you shouldn't tell her?” Twilight asked. “A relationship built on lies … it's not a strong foundation. Once the lies have been exposed, the whole structure tends to collapse.” “Yes, darling.” Rarity said. “There's still time to reveal your true self.” “Now why would I want to do that?” Rainbow Dash questioned, resting her head on her hooves. “Because, darling … imagine if you – or should I say, Firefly – develop a healthy, long-lasting relationship with Tresemme. Say you go steady and get together for years to come. We'll be at a party, a shindig, a hoedown or what have you … some punch will loosen our tongues, and one of us will let slip to Tresemme the pony she's been loving for all those years has been lying to her. Do you realize the impact that has on a relationship? Tresmme will confront you about it, you'll shrug it off with her, as you have with us, and she'll never be able to trust you again. It will cut a deep scar into her that may never heal. She may still love you, but she'll never be able to trust you.” Rarity paused to let the full impact of her words sink in. Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin, mulling it over. “But if you reveal yourself now, while you're both young and beautiful and impetuous, she'll forgive you. You can both laugh it off as a silly joke. That scar of mistrust will instead be a tiny scrape of amusement which will go away and you'll only talk about it again when you're trying to amuse your guests at dinner parties. So please, Rainbow Dash. Think about the consequences to keep lying to somepony you love. Imagine if Fluttershy came and told you she wasn't a different pony than the one we've come to know and love over all these years! Imagine if I told I was different pony than the one you know me as!” Rainbow Dash nodded, appearing to take in the full meaning of Rarity's words and the invisible, immeasurable weight they carried. She nodded to show she understood. “So you'll tell her?” Twilight asked with a note of hope in her voice. “Not yet.” Rainbow Dash answered, producing a round of groans from everypony in the room. “I still don't … gosh, I am just so head over hooves for this girl. I want to know her better before I do anything risky.” “Oh, so dating her under a false identity ISN'T risky?” Twilight asked, pointing her hoof. Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehead. “You don't get it, Twilight. What if … what if she doesn't like me? What if I'm not good enough for her? What if she doesn't like the real me and breaks my heart?” To show her point, Rainbow Dash crossed her legs over her heart with a ginger care. “So what if she doesn't like the real you?” Twilight responded. “Sugarcube, if she doesn't like the real you, well … she's sure missing out on somepony special.” Applejack said. “Believe me when Ah say, Rainbow Dash, if you're not good enough for her, well then … she's not good enough for us.” “We'll always love you and we don't care what she thinks.” Fluttershy said. “Aww ...” Rainbow Dash cooed, a little overwhelmed with her friends' praises. “Thanks, guys!” “GROUP HUG!” Pinkie Pie shouted. The others complied, engaging in Rainbow Dash in a fuzzy, affectionate display of affection. “So, will you tell her?” Twilight asked again. Rainbow Dash's lip quivered, but she remained firm on her stance. “No. Not yet. I'm … I'm still too scared, guys.” The hug separated and everypony nodded, content with Rainbow Dash's answer. As superheroes, they knew better than most how powerful a motive fear was. “Oh, last thing, Twilight.” Rainbow said. “You're a tech geek. Think you can help me learn about motorcycles?” Twilight grimaced, not sure she wanted to give Rainbow Dash more tools to support the deception. “I'll … see what I can do.” “Awesome. Thanks.” They exchanged good nights and headed off to their separate rooms to sleep. Waking up the next morning, Rainbow Dash went to brush her mane and teeth, as any hygienic pony would do. She thought something was odd about the bathroom when she first entered it, but didn't let it bug her again until after she had gargled and rinse. She realized what was odd. There wasn't a line for miles because Rarity wasn't hogging it for her vanity issues. “Hey.” Rainbow called into the hallway. “Where's Rarity?” “Hmm? Oh, I don't know. She said she was going out.” “Okay.” Rainbow Dash went back to focusing on her morning agenda. Her second-favorite part of the day – breakfast. First place went to her favorite afternoon activity – napping in trees or clouds, sometimes to the consternation of Applejack or her fellow weatherponies at the weather factory. Setting herself up a bowl of cereal, Rainbow Dash enjoyed it until she felt a presence loom over her. A menacing, ominous presence, full of trickery and deceit and ... hamminess. Rainbow Dash threw her spoon into the bowl in frustration.“What do you want, Discord?” “Oh, relax, Rainbow Dash. I'm not here to do anything chaotic or disharmonious. I come bringing a message.” “A message?” Rainbow Dash raised her brow, somewhat incredulous. “Yes, it should be arriving in about three … two … one!” Discord curled through the air and stretch himself out next to Rainbow Dash. The wing on his back begin ringing as if it were a phone. Rainbow Dash responded with a blank stare. “Go on.” Discord encouraged. “Answer it.” Not quite trusting of his motives, but knowing he wouldn't leave her alone until she played into his warped sense of humor at least a little bit, Rainbow Dash grabbed his wing. Lifting it up, it curled into the shape of an old rotary telephone. The springy cord customary of phones of the time extended from Discord's back. Rainbow Dash put the phone to her ear. “Hello? Who is this?” “It's Tresemme.” Rainbow Dash froze up, her heart skipping a beat and the blood draining from her cheeks. “O-oh! Tresemme! I didn't expect you would call back so … so soon.” “Well, I had fun last night!” Tresemme said. “I was wondering if you were available today?” “Yes, I'm available.” Rainbow Dash spat out of her mouth with a forceful velocity! So eager she was to lay eyes upon Tresemme again. “Great! I'll see you soon, then? Maybe in an hour or so?” “Yeah, an hour sounds good. Where do you want to meet?” “I was thinking by the spa.” “Done and done!” Rainbow Dash sped off, leaving Discord's wing-phone twirling in the air. Tresemme's confused voice could be heard asking if Rainbow Dash was okay. Discord got up and snatched the whirling phone out of the air. “Hmph. The least you could have done is hang up.” Discord mumbled, plugging the phone into his back and having it resume its normal form. “Rarity – where's Rarity?” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Argh, she's out! Okay … Okay ...” Rainbow Dash passed Fluttershy in the hallway, heading for the make-up cabinet. “Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked. “What are you doing?” “Tresemme called and said she wanted to meet by the spa so now I need to get in my Firefly make-up pronto without Rarity's help!” Rainbow Dash explained as she raided the cabinets, pulling out the face paint, hair dye and brushes. “Or … you know, you could just be honest with her.” Fluttershy muttered. “You say something, Fluttershy?” “Oh, no … nothing.” Fluttershy shook her head, backing out of the room to leave Rainbow Dash to her sham. Having made a successful effort to recreate the Firefly appearance without Rarity's help, Rainbow Dash – er, Firefly cut a path through the streets to meet the pony who had done more than steal her heart. She not only stole it, she locked in a safe and threw away the key. “Tresemme!” Firefly greeted, running up to Tresemme at the entrance of the spa. “Firefly, you came!” Tresemme expressed her glee by giving Firefly a hug. Firefly's eyes turned into beating hearts. “Well, yeah.” Firefly said. “Why wouldn't I?” “You just seemed so masculine I didn't think you would like going to the spa.” Tresemme said. “Oh, yeah, sure. I LOVE going to the spa – wait, did you say going TO the spa?” Firefly asked. “As in, going inside and getting pedicures and manicures and all that other girly stuff?” Tresemme nodded. “Yes. That's not going to be a problem, is it?” “Er, see … the thing is, when you said you wanted to meet BY the spa, I didn't realize you meant you want to go IN it with me!” Firefly explained. “I'm not into that girly stuff.” “Oh?” Tresemme asked. She walked around Firefly, putting her hooves on Firefly's back and stroking her. “The whole masculine act is nice, Firefly, but can't you let your guard down for once and show a softer side?” Firefly was reduced to purring as if she were Rarity's spoiled cat Opalescence instead of a pony. “Okay. Okay.” Tresemme took her hooves off Firefly's back, flashing her a brief, beautiful smile which almost made Rainbow Dash's heart give out. “Let's go inside.” To demonstrate her willingness to the idea, Firefly put a hoof on Tresemme's shoulder. UNKNOWN TO TRESEMME, however, was Rainbow Dash's dread of the spa. To her, it epitomized everything girly and “uncool” and … there was another reason Rainbow Dash disliked going to the spa. A reason she hoped Tresemme and everypony in the world would never, ever find out. It was a deep, dark secret. The kind of secret which can wreck a pony's reputation and follow them forever as a perpetual mark of shame. “'ello.” The accented spa pony greeted them. “Ah, Tresemme! So good to see one of our best customers again. I see you 'ave brought a friend this time.” “Yes, Aloe. This is Firefly.” Tresemme introduced her. “Firefly, say hello to Aloe.” “We've met.” Firefly mumbled, rolling her eyes. “Have we?” Aloe asked as she picked up a menu for them. “I don't remember you.” Firefly realized her mistake and grimaced. Firefly hadn't met Aloe before. Rainbow Dash had met Aloe before. She struggled to come up with a believable and quick lie. “Er, it was a long time ago.” Aloe nodded. “What will you and Tresemme be having today, madam?” “Eh ...” “A simple mani-pedi and rejuvenating mask combo will do, Aloe. Thank you.” Aloe nodded. “Right this way, ladies.” Aloe guided them to the back, presenting them with reclining chairs to rest on. Firefly thought she recognized the mare setting on the next chair over from Tresemme, but she didn't say anything about it. “So what do you have against the spa?” Tresemme asked Firefly. “Nothing.” Firefly said. “It's just not my thing, you know?” “Hmm?” The pony sitting next to them asked. She lifted a cucumber up from her eye, showing a diamond pupil Firefly recognized as belonging to Rarity's. Oh no. Firefly thought as her pupils turned to pinpricks. “My, my.” Rarity said, rising from her recliner. “Isn't this an interesting development?” Tresemme looked at Rarity, confused about what she was talking about. “I'm sorry?” “Rarity.” Rarity offered her hoof. “I'm a friend of Firefly's.” “Ah.” Tresemme shook the offered hoof with good nature. “And Rainbow Dash too, I take it?” Rarity chuckled, glancing over Tresemme's shoulder at Rainbow Dash. “Yes. And Rainbow Dash too. Are you two getting along?” “Oh yes. Just today, I was able to drag her in here even though she didn't want to.” Tresemme said. “That's nice.” Rarity said, leering at Rainbow Dash with the unwelcome gaze of a predatory feline, toying with and tormenting its prey before devouring it. Rainbow Dash put her hooves together and scrunched up her face, a DESPERATE, silent plea for Rarity to keep quiet on the matter she knew Rarity wanted to talk about. She shook her head no. Rarity nodded yes, confusing Tresemme, who was locked out of the loop. Tresemme looked over her shoulder at Firefly, who used her lightning-fast reflexes to hide the fact she was begging a moment ago. Tresemme ignored the oddity and moved on. “So, are you and Firefly good friends?” “Oh, yes.” Rarity said. “Rainbow Dash introduced me to her just recently, in fact!” The high notes in Rarity's voice was an indicator of how much she was enjoying Firefly squirm and sweat. Tresemme nodded. “You know, when Rainbow Dash first met me at the store and talked about meeting a friend of her's, I really thought she just meant herself in disguise.” Tresemme and Rarity shared a good, healthy laugh though for different reasons. “Oh, yes.” Rarity growled, letting Rainbow Dash see the mischievous glint in her eye. “Wouldn't that be something?” “Ah-ah! Yes, it would.” Do you come to the spa often?” “Plenty. In fact, Aloe tells me I'm one of their best customers.” “Oh, I bet she says that to everyone. She also tells me I'm on her best customers. You'd think we'd have bumped into each other before now.” Rarity laughed. “Perhaps we should form a club.” Tresemme laughed. “Oh, goodness! I just realized I've been asking you so many questions, you can't get a word in edgewise! Please, ask me a few things.” “Oh, no, I couldn't.” Rarity said. “But if you insist. Do me a favor first, would you? Ask Firefly if she's got a secret she might like to tell you.” Rarity was smiling as if she was a super villain, tapping her hooves together, enjoying the predicament Rainbow Dash was now in. She'd need to choose her words with extreme carefulness if she didn't want to reveal her secret to Tresemme. “Okay.” Tresemme said. “Firefly, do you have a secret?” “Uh, yeah.” Firefly said. “It's … not really something I want to share. You understand, right?” Rarity pumped her hoof, still wearing her villainous smirk. Any moment now would be the “ah-ha” moment and Rainbow Dash would stand exposed and they'd could end this silly charade while there was still a chance of leaving Rainbow Dash's chances of a serious relationship with Tresemme intact. “I do.” Tresemme nodded. She placed a hoof on her chest. “I have a few secrets of my own I wouldn't want to share with anypony. Some things just aren't meant to be shared, you know?” Rarity's jaw dropped as the possibility of the moment of truth slipped away, as if it was a snake made to slither on ice. “Yeah.” Firefly nodded, paying back Rarity with a maligned smirk of her own. “Some things you just gotta keep quiet until it's time, you know? And nopony can make you rush it.” “I don't know about that.” Tresemme said. “I don't think I would want to share my secrets … ever.” “Eh.” Firefly shrugged. “There are some things you let others know, some things you don't, I guess.” She relaxed a little, having escaped the worst of Rarity's attempts at sabotage. She tensed up again when she saw the masseuse approach the two of them. “What's wrong, Firefly?” Tresemme asked. “Okay.” Firefly said. “I'll share a secret with you right now. I don't like ponies touching my hooves.” Rarity scoffed. “It's not that bad, is it, darling?” “Now, now, Rarity.” Tresemme said, waving her hoof. “We should all be allowed our own quirks. To each her own. But … it would mean ever so much to me if you would at least give it a try, Firefly.” Tresemme put her hooves together, working the charm. She batted her eyelids at Firefly, which was persuasive enough to her. “Yeah, okay.” Firefly gulped. She let down her hind legs for the masseuse to rub. “Have at it ...” The masseuses went about their routine. Firefly did her best to stomach the experience. It wasn't as bad as she was expecting, but she was still moving her hooves away from the touch of the masseuse. It never got to the point where the masseuse couldn't do their job, though, they just had to readjust. Tresemme took particular interest in Firefly's face during the ordeal. She was blushing, a thick line of red on her otherwise blue cheeks. “Okay … not as bad as I thought it would be.” Firefly said after they were done. The three of them got out from their chairs together and waved goodbye to Aloe as they left. “Tresmme, could I talk to Rarity alone for a sec?” Firefly asked. Tresemme nodded and left them. Rainbow Dash turned to Rarity and let out her pent-up anger with her. “Rarity, what was with you back there? I TOLD you I wasn't ready to tell her yet!” “I'm sorry, did I not make my point clear last night?” Rarity asked. “Forgive me for trying to force a light nick where there could easily be a deep scar. Although I admit I perhaps may have gotten carried away ...” “You can take your forcing and keep it, because I don't need it.” Rainbow Dash snarled. Rarity huffed. “Well, pardon for me for trying to be a good friend to you and a good pony to Tresemme. But if you want yourselves to go through the kind of heartbreak and loss of trust which goes with a relationship built on lies, who am I to try to stop you?” Rarity turned and trotted off, leaving Rainbow Dash to lick the wounds her words would inflict. “Everything okay?” Tresemme asked, re-approaching them. “I saw Rarity get kind of huffy.” “She's always kind of huffy.” Firefly remarked. “C'mon. Is there anything else you want to do?” “Actually, yes.” Tresemme said. “I know this is a bit forward, but do you want to go to my place?” This aroused Firefly's intrigue. “Yes.” Firefly said with a smile. “Yes, I would.” “Great.” Tresemme grabbed Firefly's hoof and steered down the street and around a few corners until they arrived at a tan apartment building. Tresemme steered Rainbow Dash inside through a red door. “It's not much.” Tresemme said, as the inside of the building was messy and unfurnished. “But it's home. Sorry for the mess. I haven't really thought about cleaning it lately ...” “Yeah.” Firefly nodded, admiring the untidiness of the place. “I kinda like it, actually. It's cute.” A stray candy wrapper there, an out of place utility there … it was quite like Rainbow Dash's room back at the mansion. It was cluttered, but without being a health hazard. It almost made her feel at home. Minus the part where Tresemme tackled her from behind and pinned her to the bed. “Tresemme? What are you doing?” Firefly asked, going into a panic. What if Tresemme had some sort of dark secret? What if she was a criminal or something? “Relax.” Tresemme said in her soothing, bell-like voice. She rolled Firefly over onto the back, nestling herself on top of her. “I'm just being forward.” She moved her head around until she reached Firefly's hind hoof. “W-what are you doing?” Firefly asked. “Isn't not until after the third date we get to start with the foreplay?” “Ah, but life is so short, Firefly.” Tresemme said. She raised her hooves in the air. “It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, isn't it? Besides, I couldn't help myself after seeing how cute and bashful you were at the spa.” “Eh, come again?” “I know your secret, Firefly.” Tresemme said, sliding down Firefly's body. Rainbow Dash's heartbeat quickened, though not for the right reasons. “You do?” “Yes.” Tresemme grabbed Rainbow Dash's hoof. “You don't like having your hooves touched … because deep down, you actually like having your hooves touched. And you think that's embarrassing, so you keep it a secret. But you can't fool me.” “I-I don't know what you're talking about.” Firefly fibbed. She should have been relaxed because Tresemme didn't know the big secret, the secret of her identity, but in Rainbow Dash's opinion, Tresemme discovering her secret kink for having her hooves touched was not much better. “You don't have to hide it. I saw the blush on your face in the spa.” Tresemme said. “I-I still don't know what you're talking about ...” Tresemme attempted to put the lie to Firefly's words, and her method of accomplishing such a feat was to stick out her tongue and drag it along the circumference of Firefly's hoof. Firefly bit her lip, attempting to suppress the feeling of pleasure it gave her. “Let go.” Tresemme encouraged her. “There's nopony here. It's just us. Anything that happens in here tonight will never leave these walls.” Firefly continued to dig her teeth into her lip. “You promise?” “I promise.” A silence followed, as Firefly got a good look at Tresemme's face to gauge how honest Tresemme was being in her promise. Seeing Tresemme's comforting smile, while also remembering she was operating under a false identity, Firefly decided to let go to enjoy her kink. For once, without feeling ashamed of it. “Lick my hoof again, Tresemme.” “As you command, Master.” Tresemme gave a long, slow slurp. “Master?” Firefly questioned as her wings rose up. “Wow, Tresemme. You sure how know how to get a mare's motor running ...” Meanwhile at the Power Ponies' mansion … Rarity stepped into living room, slamming the shut door behind her. “Hey.” Twilight said, loafing around on the couch. “Rainbow Dash was looking for you earlier.” “Well, she found me.” Rarity spat as she went to the kitchen. She got into the fridge, levitating out a carton and pouring into a glass. “We bumped into each other at the spa with Tresemme. I tried to press her into revealing herself, but she managed to weasel her way out of it.” “Rarity, you know Rainbow Dash doesn't like it when you back her into a corner ...” Twilight said. Rarity sighed. “Yes, I know, I know. I just – I just want for everything to turn out well for them. And that can't happen if Rainbow Dash keeps on lying the way she is ...” She took a sip from her glass. “Though perhaps I did come on too strong ...” “I know.” Twilight assured her. “I want them to be happy, too. But we shouldn't try to ambush Rainbow Dash like that. It won't get anypony anywhere and it'll just make her mad at us.” Rarity sighed. “You may be right, darling.” “I know I am.” Twilight offered Rarity a small smile before her assistant Spike came running into the room, arms flailing around in a blind, sheer panic. “Girls! Girls!” Spike shouted before noticing Rarity. He attempted to collect himself to seem cool to her. “Rarity.” He said in a suave, husky voice. He bowed. “How may I serve you on this fine day?” Rarity gave him a roll of her eyes in return. “Spike, quit trying and failing to woo Rarity and tell us what's wrong!” Twilight snapped. Spike scratched his head. “What's wrong?” “Yes! You came in here screaming and waving your arms around! What's the problem?” “Oh, yeah!” Spike snapped his fingers as he recollected what had distressed him. “I saw a bunch of mummies going down the street into the north district! I'm not sure, but it seemed like they were headed to the shampoo factory!” “Mummies?” Rarity asked. “A shampoo factory?” “Rarity, didn't the Mane-iac try to raid a shampoo factory the other night?” Twilight said. “And do mummies make you think of anything?” “Why, yes, darling., it does.” Rarity said, causing Twilight to smile. “How many shampoo factories ARE THERE in Maretropolis?” Twilight facehooved. “No! I mean, those are probably Pharaoh Phetlock's minions working with the Mane-iac to raid another factory! Round up the girls. It's time to Power Pony Up!” Spike chuckled. “Ha-ha. Still a great catchphrase.” Gathering up the rest of the team in their Power Pony identities, The Masked Matter-horn, Filli-Second, Mistress Mare-velous, Radiance, and Saddle Rager arrived to the scene of the crime in record speed, even without Zapp to ferry them on the back of a thundercloud. “Where in the hay is Zapp?” Mare-velous asked, displeased to see their friend slacking off when there was crime fighting to be done and roughnecks to rough up. “Probably hanging off somewhere with Tresemme.” Matter-horn said with a roll of her eyes. “Come on. We can't worry about that now.” Directing the group to carry onward with their mission, Matter-horn directed them to hide by a nearby dumpster. Ignoring Radiance's complaints about the smell of the trash, Matter-horn focused her gaze on the factory. Just as she suspected, they were the mummies Spike spoke of – the minions of the phony pharaoh known as the cunning and egotistical Pharaoh Phetlock! “Well, that confirms it. Phetlock's minions are working for the Mane-iac.” Matter-horn said. “But why, though?” “And to what end?” Radiance asked as she used her power to create a clothespin and clamp it around her nose. Matter-horn noticed this and gave Radiance a disapproving look. “What?” Radiance asked. “You don't honestly expect me to sit here next to this dumpster without some form of protection, do you?” Matter-horn shook her head, deciding the issue wasn't worth making a mountain out of a molehill over. “Fili-Second, you go in first. Scout ahead and see what you can see.” Fili-Second saluted. “Can do, boss!” Pacing in place to warm herself up, Fili-Second launched off like a rocket shooting through the stars. The blurry afterimage of pink and white which followed zoomed around the outdoor machinery of the building and sped past the mummy minions before disappearing. “Something's wrong.” Mare-velous said when Fili-Second didn't make an instantaneous return. “As fast as she is, she should have in and out like that. If she's not back by now, then ...” “Oh, goodness!” Saddle Rager exclaimed. “You don't think she was captured, do you?” “Maybe. Simple as they are, Ah wouldn't put it past Phetlock's goons to have a trap waiting fer her.” “Look! Here she come!” Radiance pointed as Fili-Second lumbered back to him, lacking her usual energy and walking at a lifeless, robotic pace. “Fili-Second!” Radiance exclaimed. “Are you okay?” “I'm fine, I guess.” Fili-Second mumbled. Her eyes half-lidded and her hooves were dragging behind her. “Not that it matters anyway. We're all just dust in the end.” “What?” Radiance asked. “Pink- I mean, Fili-Second, this kind of talk is so unlike you! What's gotten into you?” “Yeah!” Mare-velous. “We still need y'all to kick this minions backsides to the curb, so show us some of that super-energy you're famous for!” “What's the point?” Fili-Second asked, collapsing to the ground. “We're never gonna beat them. And even if we did, we're all just specks of dust in the cosmos anyway.” “Wait a minute.” Matter-horn placed a hoof on her chin. “Normally happy pony acting depressed … having existential angst about the universe … I've seen this condition before! It's -” The Masked Matter-horn was prevented from completing her sentence, as in the moment, she had to duck to avoid being sliced in two by a flung razor-sharp shoe which embedded itself in the wall behind her. “Ah, Power Ponies!” A classy voice greeted them as the Power Ponies' eyes came to rest on their foes. “So good of you to come!” High Heel said, accompanied by Long Face. High Heel was a shoe-sporting super villainess who wore a red suit with black boots and blue tiara with a red jewel embedded in it. Long Face was a white pegasus dressed like a mime wearing goggles which made his eyes appear red. He also possessed a snout much longer than most ponies, as well as a terrible, terrible super villain name. Both were members of the Mane-iac's villainous club, the League of Villainy! Or maybe the Sinful Six. They were still working on the name. “Oh, accursed Power Ponies.” Long Face said, bouncing a vial in his hoof. “Why would you seek to undo such delicious despair? Let her bask in her misery. Let it grow. Let it spread and fester.” “After we're through with you, the only despair festering will be your own while in jail!” The Masked Matter-horn boasted. She shot a heat ray at Long Face, but Long Face dodged it by jumping in the air. Long Face retaliated by throwing the vial in his hoof, covering the battlefield in black smoke. “Ugh!” Matter-horn covered her snout as she coughed. “Whatever you do, don't inhale it!” She ordered the rest of her team. “Sure would be nice of Zapp to be here.” Mare-velous commented. “She could summon up a gust of wind and blow this smoke away.” “I did notice you seem to be down a Power Brat.” High Heel said she threw another shoe-weapon, this one striking Mare-velous in the head with acute precision, knocking her to the ground. “I'll show you a Power Brat, you spoiled shoe saleswoman!” Radiance boasted. She made a construct of a motorized fan and worked on using it to blow the smoke away in Zapp's place. “Radiance, look out!” Matter-horn shouted. “What?” Radiance was too focused on her task of clearing away the smokescreen to notice Long Face sneaking up on her, holding a vial full of green fluid. Radiance looked around just in time to see him, but not soon enough to prevent him from waving the vial around her face. “One whiff of this, and you'll be destabilized!” Long Face boasted. “AAAH!” Radiance screamed, covering her nose. “Dear Celestia, that's noxious! I'd rather go hide in the dumpster again!” She joined action to words as she ran blind out of the smoke and jumped headfirst into the open dumpster. “Um … perhaps this wasn't the brightest idea.” Radiance muttered. She put her hooves on the lip of the dumpster and attempted to push herself out. But the mummy minions saw an opportunity and took her, climbing on top of the dumpster and slamming the lid down on her. “Aah! Curse you! You are all RUINING my coiffure!” “Ugh!” Matter-horn groaned. “Well, Saddle Rager, it looks like it's up to us!” “Oh my.” Saddle Rager mumbled. She let out a squeak of fear when High Heel appeared in front of her. “Don't just stand there, smash her!” Matter-horn said. “Get angry!” “Oh, I don't know that I can ...” Saddle Rager mumbled. “I saw her kick a bunny on her way over her.” Matter-horn lied, trying to get Saddle Rager to rage out just to get any advantage in this fight they were losing. Two-thirds of their team were already down, but if Saddle Rager could just get angry and buff out, they could salvage the whole mission! “What!?” Saddle Rager bellowed, stomping her hoof towards High Heel as a vein began to bulge in her forehead. “Do you really?” Saddle Rager roared at High Heel, her voice becoming deeper. “Oh, come on!” High Heel whined. She pouted her lips at Saddle Rager. “Does this look like the face of somepony who would kick bunnies for no good reason?” Saddle Rager fell for the act and calmed down. “Oh, well, I guess not.” “AAARG, NO! Saddle Rager! Don't fall for her vixen ways!” Matter-horn complained, just before being dogpiled by a herd of mummies. “Say,” High Heel put her hoof on Saddle Rager's chin, “I've always admired the muscles you get in your super-powered form. Why don't we go back to my place and we can do a few crunches with each other? Or maybe on each other, hmm-hmm!” High Heel giggled. Saddle Rager blushed while her wings rose up. “Oh, I- I don't know, that sounds awfully, um … well, it sounds awfully naughty!” In spite of her reservations, Saddle Rager fell for High Heel's act, leaning forward with a dopey grin as High Heel continued to caress and rub her chin. “High Heel!” Long Face shouted, taking to the air. “We have we came for. Let's get out of here.” “Oh, phoo.” High Heel complained. She whipped out another of her shoe-devices and smacked Saddle Rager over the head with it, knocking her down. High Heel gloated as Saddle Rager rubbed her sore head. “But I wasn't kidding when I said I admired your muscles. Maybe next time, sweet-heart.” High Heel jumped and bounded off the walls and rooftops while Long Face flew overhead. “AAAAAAAAARGH!” With a mighty shout that could pierce the thunder and shake the north mountains, The Masked Matter-horn blew a stream of fire from her horn as if she were a volcano, blasting the pile of mummies off her and scorching them in the process. Fed up and frustrated with her team losing, she wasn't content to let the burnt minions crawl away, instead using her magic to drag them back towards her so she could vent her frustration on them by burning them more before she encased them in blocks of ice. After purging her urge to commit violence out on the mummies, The Masked Matter-horn went to the task of regrouping her team. Having spent most of the day with Tresemme and thwarted Rarity's efforts to make her unmask herself, Rainbow Dash was feeling pretty good about herself when she returned to the mansion from Tresemme's. She had just returned after a long period of letting Tresemme lick her hooves. She was such a good sport about it, too. Rainbow Dash's good mood was soured by none other than Spike, who was giving her the glare parents give their children after they've been out too long at night. “Uh, Spike?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What's with the look of guilt-shaming? Did I do something wrong?” Spike nodded his head and turned away, refusing to answer any more questions Rainbow might have. Questions along the lines of just what she had done wrong. “My, my!” Discord floating over her head, resting on a cotton candy cloud. “You seem awfully chipper for somepony in an imminent danger!” “Imminent danger?” Rainbow questioned. “What are you talking about?” “Oh, that's right. You little ponies aren't gifted with the power of foresight I have. Well, let's just say danger for you will be arriving right ... about ... now.” “RAINBOW DASH!” Twilight screamed. Discord's prediction was on the mark. The mansion doors swung open with palpable force, with the rest of the girls battered and furious. Rarity was sneering, Applejack was scowling, Pinkie Pie was frowning, and both Twilight and even Fluttershy were blowing enraged snorts from their noses. “Where were y'all!?” Applejack demanded, marching up to Rainbow Dash. “Uh, hanging out with Tresemme?” Rainbow answered. “Tresemme.” Twilight repeated. “Tresemme, Tresemme, TRESEMME!” Twilight mocked in a whiny, high-pitched voice. “Ever since you went on that date, all we've been hearing about is TRESEMME! Well, guess what, Rainbow Dash, because of TRESEMME, Long Face and High Heel were able to raid a shampoo factory! You know why? Because you weren't there to help us fight them! Now the Mane-iac''s one step closer to completing whatever her evil plan is, and we still have NO IDEA what it is, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!” “Oh.” Rainbow Dash nodded. She put a hoof on her head, reeling from the blow as the realization she had let down her friends struck with the force of a hammer. “Oh, wow. I'm sorry, guys. I didn't know you needed me on the field so bad. It won't happen again.” Twilight snorted again. She thrust a hoof into Rainbow Dash's chest. “It better not.” Author's Note I gotta say, writing High Heel was really fun. I always have a thing for the femme fatale character. Which High Heel may not necessarily be, but according to my sources, the comic book itself calls her one, even if it doesn't show her acting like it. Not sure the 80's-style comic narration came out as well in this chapter as it did in the last one. Both DarknessRising and I agreed that "League of Villainy" is a boring, generic name. Though I felt the need to use it, as I didn't think it would be super-clear who I was talking about if I didn't use their canon name at least once. Issue 3: Enter The Dark Pony Issue 3 Solicit: AFRAID OF THE DARK? You will be after the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well makes her mystifying entrance! With Dash constantly sidetracked by Tresemme, the Power Ponies call in for help! But is the “Dark Pony” really all she seems to be? “Aw, geez.” Rainbow Dash muttered, scraping her hoof against the polish of the mansion floor. “I'm really sorry, guys.” She repeated like a broken record, withering under the disapproving glares of her friends – like a judgmental parliament of owls. The other girls did not receive her apology with any hint of fondness. All of them, all of them, one by one, turned their nose up at her and trotted off. Rainbow Dash knew not to blame them. If the horseshoe was on the other hoof, she'd be angry too. But it still hurt to see all of them blow her off and walk away to put some distance between them and her. “You know, Rainbow Dash, there's a difference between fashionably late and fashionably NEVER!” Rarity scowled as she trudged to the other hall. “If I had a quarter for every time you let me down, Rainbow Dash, you'd know what I have?” Pinkie Pie asked, pushing her snout into Rainbow Dash's nose. She paused, needing to execute the mental calculations to arrive at her conclusion. “I'd have … A QUARTER!” she shouted before leaving. Fluttershy placed a hoof on Rainbow Dash, offering an apologetic smile. After watching Rarity snub her and Pinkie Pie shout, Fluttershy was feeling much too sympathetic to further Rainbow's guilt with her own frustrations. “Um … at least it's only a quarter, right? I mean, that's good, isn't it?” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Yeah, I guess.” "Oh no." Discord slithered over to rub it. "Did little Zappy let her friends down? And it wasn't even because of me, this time!" "Discord. Not. Helpful." Fluttershy glared at Discord, causing him to slink away. "No, no. It's okay." Far too dejected by the disappointment her friends had expressed to reply to Discord, Rainbow Dash pushed Fluttershy's comforting wing off herself and trotted out the door. Rainbow Dash walked through the city streets. Her alter ego was one of the most respected masked heroes in Maretropolis. But for the time being, as far as the world at large was concerned, she was an aimless drifter, alone and wrapped up in her own little world. A world of self-blame and hatred and despair. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh before lifting her head up, her eyes long getting bored of staring at the same slate concrete for five blocks. Perhaps even ten or fifteen. The attention of her tired eye was caught by a neon sign. Glowing pink letters trumpeted the name and location of a nearby pub. The idea held some appeal to Rainbow Dash. Given she had failed her friends once already, why not give in to a defeatist point of view, fall off the wagon and become a drunkard? At least this way, she could preempt any future failings as a hero with her failings as a plastered, useless drunk, good only for decorating the streets with her semi-conscious drunk form. Rainbow Dash was about to go in and get herself wasted on purpose, so as to escape from the ineffable reality of her friends being disappointed with her. A voice from behind her stopped her and changed that plan. “Firefly?” “Tresemme?” Rainbow Dash was utterly surprised to see Tresemme on the corner, a scant few blocks from her. “What are you doing here?” Dash barely managed to stop herself from asking “and why are you calling me Firefly?” before she looked down at her pale-blue hoof. She made the deduction she had walked into the mansion, been berated by her friends, and walked back out without stopping at any point to shake off her disguise. “I was on my home from the spa.” Tresemme said. “My house is down another few blocks. What are you doing out here?” “Eh-heh.” Dash turned away. “I, uh, well, I was about to go into that tavern over there and get myself hammered and possibly turn into a drunk to avoid dealing with my problems.” Firefly said, hoping Tresemme wouldn't be too judging. “It's perfectly normal for any mare going through a mid-life crisis!” Tresemme gave a concerned frown. “Is that really necessary, Firefly? I'm sure there has to a better way for you to cope ...” “Everything's fine, really! I've been planning this for weeks!” Tresemme made a face which showed to anypony with half a brain cell to spare she was disbelieving of Firefly ill-advised words. “You're a terrible liar, Firefly. Why don't you tell me what's really going on?” “Nothing! It's just ...” Firefly was caught between a rock and hard a place. The rock was ignoring Tresemme and going into the pub, which would both hurt her feelings and ruin any chance of a successful relation while while not really getting herself anywhere but nowhere fast. The hard place was to admit to Tresemme what was going on, which Firefly did not want to admit to under any circumstances. Given the choice between the two, she ultimately made the right one. Placing a hoof on her head. Firefly sighed and told her story. While leaving out as many superhero-related details, of course. Oh, and the tiny detail she was actually Firefly. “I had … somewhere to be today. While I was there, something happened with my friends … something they really could have stood to have me around for. They blame me for it, and I don't blame them. Heck, I blame me. I … I failed them.” Now having confessed her sins, Firefly turned away. “Oh, Firefly. Could you have known that … whatever happened with your friends was going to happen?” “Maybe. Sort of. No.” Firefly changed her answer. “Then you can't really say it's your fault, can you?” Tresemme said. “I guess not ...” “And neither can your friends.” Tresemme said. “It's not fair for them to blame you for something you had no control over. Hey, I know. Why don't you come back over to my house and stay for a bit while all this blow overs? That way, your friends can take the time to figure something out and you don't have to become a drunk wandering the streets.” “R-really?” Firefly perked up, her heart drowning in a sea of hope. “You would do that for me? Aren't we moving kinda fast? We've only known each a day or two ...” “Of course! What are we friends for?” “Well, what are we waiting for?” Tresemme grabbed Firefly by the hoof. Firefly blushed at the close contact, which set off a chemical reaction of Tresemme smiling comfortingly. “Come on. My house is just this way.” “Heehee, hee, hee.” Firefly couldn't help but notice Tresemme was bounding with energy. Clear on her lip for anypony to see her struggling to hold a wave of squees which threatened to burst forth. Firefly figured Tresemme was overexcited about something, and almost got suspicious – accusing, even. But she calmed herself down. Chill, Rainbow. She's probably just like Rarity, and she gets excited about the whole “love” thing. The idea calmed Firefly down at first, but it grew and featured in her mind like an infectious wound full of blood and pus. Rarity moved from one crush of the week to the next the minute something appeared wrong with the first. Would Tresemme treat her the way Rarity treated her crushes? Would Tresemme dump her and move onto the next short-lived, dissatisfying and not fulfilling relationship as soon as she glimpsed so much as one of Firefly's warts? Firefly worried less and less as Tresemme took them to her house for the second time today. She was giggling as if she were a schoolfilly, bounding with childish energy and excited about something. Firefly would have never thought a pony with Tresemme's cool, soothing voice could ever be compared with Pinkie Pie's level of enthusiasm, yet here they were, with Firefly drawing exact parallels in her mind. Still giggling like she was hiding a naughty secret, Tresemme swung Firefly into her house and locked the door behind them. “Boy.” Firefly said. “You sure seem really excited about something, Tresemme.” “Huh? Oh, yes. Oh yes, I AM.” Tresemme turned and pushed herself up against the door. From the way Tresemme, Firefly got the feeling they were involved in a sort of secret conspiracy, of clandestine, nebulous groups meeting and whispering in the shadows. When Tresemme refused to elaborate, Firefly pressed the issue. “May I ask why?” “I want you to take a shower with me.” “Whoa!” Firefly stumbled backwards. A shower? Already? Taking a shower together was something done only by the closest of couples and the happiest of newlyweds. A private romance expressed in steamy water. For Tresemme to want Firefly and herself bathing together after going on two dates and light foreplay … well, it was a bold move indeed! “R-really?” Firefly asked. “A shower? Are you sure we're not taking things kinda ... you know, fast? Like, way too fast?” Tresemme giggled. “Oh no, not at all! Why do you ask? Oh, I know. I think I forgot to mention this ...” Tresemme produced a bottle from her person, despite a lack of pockets on her form. “The company I work for sent me a new product. They want me to test it out before it goes to mass market. And I was just so hoping you'd volunteer to be a test subject, Firefly.” Tresemme blushed and ran a hoof against her well-combed mane, a sign of nervousness if Firefly ever saw one. “But if you don't, it's okay. I guess I'll just test it by myself ...” “No, no.” Firefly shook her head. “If just testing your new product is all you want, I'd be happy to do that! Just not, you know, anything BEYOND that, if you get my meaning.” To be sure she did get her meaning, Firefly gave a wink. Tresemme appeared shocked. “Oh, no, of course not! I would never want to make you uncomfortable by rushing too fast.” Tresemme balanced the bottle in her hoof and tossed it in the air, catching it again in a way which made Firefly suspect Tresemme used to be a juggler in a past life. “Yeah … yeah, okay. I'll help with your product, Tresemme.” Firefly had been worried at first, but two things cleared up to her over the last few minutes. First, Tresemme wanted a subject to run a test for her company's product, nothing more. There was nothing wrong or suspicious about wanting to test something before it hits the market. And it went a long way towards explaining why Tresemme acted like they in some kind of conspiracy together; she'd want to keep it secret in case any spies from rival companies spotted through the window. Firefly didn't think hair care companies would even have spies, but you never know. Second, she was worried about them going too fast for a healthy relationship to form. From the deep recesses of her mind, Firefly recalled a single, important thought; she liked fast. Relishing in such a glorious and easy opportunity to endear herself to Tresemme, Firefly found the shower and let herself, dropping her jacket on the floor. She put one hoof on the edge of the tub before climbing the rest of the way when it hit her. Oh, hay bales. Firefly looked at her hooves. Is this body paint water soluble? “Firefly?” Tresemme called out, entering the bathroom. “Oh, you're in here already. Are you sure you don't want to eat something first? Maybe a light snack?” Firefly scoffed. “Pfft, no. Why would I do that?” Everypony knew not to go swimming until an hour after eating. (Note: actual times may vary depending on who is asked). Why would she want to eat before taking a shower? If she had just woken up and needed breakfast, sure, but it was in the middle of the day and they were conducting an experiment for some nameless company's marketing division. So why was Tresemme concerned about food? “Well, since you're already in the tub, I'm going to guess you're ready.” Tresemme cantered over to the tub and put a hoof on the knobs for controlling the ebb and flow of the cleaning water. “You are ready, aren't you?” “Miss, I was born ready.” “Somehow I doubt that ...” Tresemme whispered under her breath, her ominous words unnoticed as a brown butterfly fluttering in a sea of dusty, dirty moths. Tresemme spun the wheel of the knob and aimed the shower at Firefly. A spray of water blew out from the many spouts inside the symbol of modern life. What was probably the grandest advancement of all since the cave-pony days, the use of indoor plumbing. The water hit Firefly like a spread of needles. Each stream of water seemed to hit her body with the same weight of the realization her deception wasn't going to survive against this onslaught of H20. Already, Firefly could see trails on her hooves and chest as the body paint began to peel and wear off, going down the drains in both flecks and specks. If Tresemme noticed Firefly's chattering teeth, she made no move to acknowledge it. Tresemme lifted the bottle up, opened it, and squirted some of the contents into her hoof. It was a creamy, pink liquid, bubbly and foamy as a good shampoo should be. Firefly's eyes darted towards the shampoo as Tresemme slowly, rather sensuously, lathered it in her hooves. Oh well. Firefly said. At least if she finds out I've been lying to her, I'll have enjoyed some premium-quality shampoo … yeah, that's the best positive I can find about this. I'm grasping at straws, here … Firefly pulled a mental facehoof. Humming a merry, cheery tone, Tresemme applied the shampoo to Firefly's scalp. The effect was instantaneous and unexpected. Everything went blank in Firefly's mind. Her eyes shrinking to pinpricks, Firefly's head cranked itself towards the ceiling, staring up at nothing with a vast, empty expression on face. The shampoo seemed to not only clear her head of dandruff and dust … it cleared her head of thoughts, memories, and basic identity. Behind her, a shadow of dark danger creeped up behind Dash. A curvy, wicked shadow which would make any viewer want to scream through the comic panel and yell “Run, Rainbow Dash, run!” only for their warning to be tragically ignored as Dash was under a complete and total spell, deaf to all and eyewitness to nothing. The water from the shower continued to accumulate in temperate, building up the hot water and creating a cloud of steam which masked the shadow as Tresemme, hidden behind the water vapors, underwent a startling metamorphosis. Her coat changed color from pink to purple. Her blue hair turned green and grew in length and size. Her body itself grew by a few inches. When the transformation was complete, the dark countenance of the Mane-iac was standing where Tresemme was not but a few moments ago. “Ah-ha-ha-haha! Oh-hoo, oh-hoo ...” The Mane-iac laughed, using her hair tentacles to elevate herself above the ground, putting her in a literal position where she figuratively saw herself; above the populace. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, you really are a terrible liar.” The Mane-iac took a tentacle and swiped Rainbow Dash's cheek, removing streaks of the bodily paint. The Mane-iac shook the tentacle to free of the paint, sending into the water and down the drain – the same location as Dash's disguise. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, you didn't really think this disguise would fool me for long?” The Mane-iac asked. “It is transparent to anypony who knows you that Firefly is actually you. You made it up, didn't you? I just want to know … why?” “Uuuh ...” Dash stammered, her eyes turning into pink swirls of thin-lined hypnotism. The poor, pale pegasus was already taken in by the Mane-iac's maniacal mental manipulation. “I … made her up as a barrier between Tresemme and I. So if I messed things up as Firefly, I could come back as Rainbow Dash.” “Ooh.” The Mane-iac cooed. “So you made her up to cover up your insecurities about your ability to maintain relationship. Aww … I can't decide whether that's pathetic or adorable. Perhaps they'll make a new word for it. The new edition of the dictionary introduces the word “Pathe-dorable” to the public for the very first time!” The Mane-iac burst into self-lauding laughter at her ludicrous hypothetical scenario. “How do you like the shampoo, Rainbow Dash?” The Mane-iac asked. “I … love it.” “Of course you do.” The Mane-iac stroked Rainbow Dash's mane, running her hoof through the wide spectrum of hair colors. “It's part of my newest scheme. Brainwashing shampoo. It gives a new meaning to the term, doesn't it? I would have had it finished earlier if weren't for those ...” The Mane-iac halted in speech and drew in a deep amount so she could blow an angry, forceful snort of utter contempt for the names about to leave her tongue with a nasty taste. “Accursed Power Ponies! But thankfully, my dear friends High Heel and Long Face were able to procure the shipments I needed to make my prototype batch. And I'm comfortable telling you all about my evil scheme because I'm going to brainwash you into forgetting it later, okay?” Dash's head tilted slightly to the right, as limp as the neck of a scarecrow planted in the garden to ward off avians. “Okay.” “Oh, and sorry about the whole, you know, brainwashing thing.” The Mane-iac said as if this were no big deal and everypony eventually tricked their girlfriends into a shower for brainwashing at an early point in their relationship. “But I needed somepony to test my shampoo on, and … well, something tells me trying to test a brainwashing shampoo on myself wouldn't end well, and I doubt my Sinful Six friends would be comfortable with it. You know, the whole “villains betraying each other” thing.” The Mane-iac stroked Dash's back with one of her tentacles. “I do like you, Rainbow Dash. After all, it's not like you're one of those … POWER PONIES!” The Mane-iac looked up and let out a wistful sigh, thinking of times gone by and possibilities closed to her which would now never come. “While I'm Tresemme, I make everything go fast so I can live to the fullest. It's not easy being a secret supervillain. As a civilian, you're constantly worrying if somepony is going to find out your secret identity and rat you out to the fuzz. Hmm. I know I'm going to make you forget this entire conversation, but thanks for listening, Rainbow Dash. It's nice to have someone to talk to. Now, who wants some POST-HYPNOTIC TRIGGERS!?” The Mane-iac screamed like a gaudy game show host, offering some slim chance of a double-or-nothing deal in the final stretch of a round where contests would either win big or lose at all. The Mane-iac lifted one tentacle and wrapped it around Rainbow Dash's exposed belly. The tentacle curled and looped around, wrapping itself around Rainbow Dash and going down further and further with each loop. It eventually reached down to Rainbow's legs and … plugged in, giving Rainbow Dash that most deadly of desire, that most carnal of satisfactions. “Oooh!” Rainbow Dash moaned. “Mane-iac … your hair-tentacles are so … thick and spongy.” The Mane-iac let out a dark chuckled, content in the knowledge her victim was hopelessly entranced! “Yes, aren't they, though?” The Mane-iac wrapped more tentacles around Rainbow Dash's legs, constricting her in a tight grip so Rainbow Dash could do nothing to struggle against the pleasure the Mane-iac was giving her. Not that Dash would with the shampoo soaking her into head and into her mind. The Mane-iac pushed in and pulled out, making her tentacle pound against Rainbow Dash's internal walls. Dash let out a symphony of enraptured moans. “Do you like that, Rainbow Dash?” The Mane-iac asked. “Y-yes.” Dash whimpered, her hypnotized eyes half-closed in an overwhelming pressure which might have made lesser ponies crumble by now. Well, crumble far worse than she was already. “Hmm. Excellent.” The Mane-iac increased the speed on her tentacle, going after Rainbow Dash's pleasure centers with a villainous fury, the kind only villains can do. “Now listen, Rainbow Dash, repeat after me … “I like tentacles.”” “I like tenta-tenta-tenta-CLES!” The poor, poor trapped Dash struggled to finish her new mistress's sentence, pleasured as she was by one such tentacle. “When Tresemme offers you a chance to shower with her, you will become aroused and say “yes” every time.” “When Tresemme offers me a chance to shower with her, I will become aroused and say “yes” every time.” Dash repeated. “And if she mentions tentacles, you'll become very excited without really knowing why.” “And if she mentions tentacles, I'll become very excited without really knowing why.” “Well done, Rainbow Dash, well done.” The Mane-iac stroked Rainbow Dash on the chin. “Who's my obedient little thrall? Who is? Who is? You are. Yes, you are!” It was hard for this narrator to watch as the Mane-iac treated Rainbow Dash as little less than a pitiful dog too eager to please its owner. “Shut up, narrator.” Mane-iac said. “Dash and I are enjoying some private time. Now, let's send you home before somepony starts to suspect something, shall we?” The Mane-iac increased her furious pumping of Dash's privates, going so fast she might break something if she wasn't careful with the fragile pony in her tentacle-y trap. “Aaaah – AAAH!” Dash shrieked as she felt an orgasm beginning to happen. The Mane-iac retreated just before it did, leaving Dash tired and drained on the bathtub's porcelain. The only thing keeping her from falling onto the tub's floor in a half-conscious, mindwiped daze was the Mane-iac holding her up with her hooves like a doll. “Now, to clean you up and get you home.” The Mane-iac held Rainbow Dash to where the shower could wash away the, ah, evidence of their most-decidedly not family-friendly activities. The Comics Code would certainly never approve of any of this. They'd say the sexual nature and claiming the one single exposure to a non-mainstream sexual act would turn little kids into sexual deviants. Because that makes perfect sense. “I don't understand why you dyed your hair to become “Firefly,” Rainbow Dash.” The Mane-iac ran her hoof through Dash's hairs while she scrubbed away the brainwashing shampoo. “Your natural hair color is beautiful … Why would you taint it with unnatural dyes? Look at this rainbow you have here. Oh, what I wouldn't give to see everypony with natural hair that looked like this.” The Mane-iac sighed. “Oh well. We must play with the cards we're dealt, I suppose. Time for the rinse.” The Mane-iac lifted her snout in the air and winced as she forced herself to shrink down, her hair retracting and changing shades as she returned to the form of Dash's crush, Tresemme. Tresemme cradled Dash's form, admiring how cute she was when she was coming out of a trance. “T-Tresemme?” Dash asked. “What happened?” Dash rubbed her head. “You fell and hit your head on the tub, “Firefly.”” Tresemme said with a smile. “You were out for quite a while.” “Was I?” Dash asked. “Aw, I probably ought to head home. I'm sure my friends will be worrying about me by now. Gonna have to take a rain-check on helping you test that product.” “Oh, that's fine.” Tresemme said as Dash crawled out of the tub. Tresemme put upon a malacious smirk as Dash faded out of the room. “I'd say you did your part.” “Bye!” Tresemme waved Dash off from the footsteps of her home before going inside. Rainbow Dash waved back and went on her way. The sky was darkening now, and soon the night would fall, casting its shadowy embrace over the land. The Power Ponies were going to be needed, as it's known fact crime increased under the cover of darkness. Man, I feel really good for some reason ... Dash thought to herself as she made her way back to the mansion. The dark of night being close, it made sense the lights of the city buildings would go up. The lights seemed to lay a path out for Rainbow Dash towards her home, as if she walking the hall of fame ready to get her distinct hoofprint immortalized in a concrete square. Rainbow Dash returned to the mansion, drawing the eyes of all therein on her. “Well, look who finally decided to show her face again.” Discord remarked, earning himself a good glare from Fluttershy. “Yeah, mock me all you want, Discord.” Dash said. “I'm in a good mood, and there's no way I'm gonna let you ruin it.” “I will say, you do seem to have a certain … glow about you.” Rarity said, tapping her chin as her mind worked its wheels hard to puzzle together what exactly the glow was. She knew she recognized it from somewhere. “What can I say? I feel happy.” “No.” Rarity walked up to Rainbow Dash, narrowing her eyes. “No. It's something more than that.” Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash for the right amount of time to make Rainbow Dash uncomfortable. “I've got it. You and Tresemme did the dirty dance.” “The what now?” "The beast with two backs?" "Sounds freaky." "You know ...” Rarity said. “The tango for two?” “Actually, Rarity, I don't know. Enlighten me.” Rarity facepalmed and took in a deep breath. Her eye wandered over to Spike. “Spiky, dear, could you leave the room?” “Fine, fine.” Spike threw his hands up in the air, frustrated at having his console video game interrupted. “I know when I'm not wanted. Oh, before I go, the Cutie Mark Crusaders called. Said they wanted to come over.” “Yes, that's nice.” Rarity shooed Spike away, impatient to get to the point with Rainbow Dash. If Spike was frustrated with having to give up his game, he was incensed at Rarity's dismissal of him “Come on, Discord. Let's go hang out, you and me, drake-to-wyrm.” Discord took Spike up on his offer and turned into a balloon for Spike to hold. Twilight let them go, but she watched them with gritted teeth and bated breath. “I'm not sure I'm comfortable letting those two hang out together.” “All well and good, but there's something more pressing at the moment, Twilight, darling.” Rarity said, about to give a demonstration of her skewed priorities as clear as water. “Rainbow Dash, I'm saying you and Tresemme had sex.” Rainbow Dash stared blankly at Rarity for several minutes. Dash blinked, her mind attempting to process Rarity's absurd, forward comment. Dash dropped to the floor and burst out into laughter. “AH – HA – HA! Oh, that's rich. Rarity, I did not have sex with Tresemme. Not today and not in any way.” “Are you sure, darling?” Rarity asked, sounding concerned for Dash. But really, she more worried about whether or not her social senses were dulling. “It's the only reason I can think of for your glow.” “Puh-lease.” Dash said. “I think I would remember pretty clearly if I had sex with Tresemme.” “Science shows us that sex triggers the release of certain endorphins.” Twilight said. “So it's possible the “glow” Rainbow Dash is exhibiting is merely a result of Tresemme finding some way to activate those endorphins … even if it wasn't sex.” Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash scoffed, but for different reasons than the other. “Darling, please.” Rarity said. “She and Tresemme had sex and I know it. Trust me. I know about these sorts of things.” “Yeah.” Dash stifled a snort of derisive derision. “You know sex the way Twilight knows hoofball.” “I know plenty about hoofball.” Twilight said. She was about to launch into a lecture about the origins and history of the sport. “Besides just origins and history.” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, have you actually played it?” Twilight bit her lip and blushed. Applejack ran into the room, carrying a phone to her ear. “I'm afraid whatever is yer talking about is gonna have ta wait, y'all. Got a call coming in. The Mane-iac and her goons are raiding a salon.” Rarity gasped and whined. “Not the salon! That's one of my favorite types of buildings! Right next to the spa and clothing stores on my list.” Rarity was on the receiving end of questioning stares from her fellows. “What? A girl can't have hobbies?” The salon was a mess indeed. Soap and shampoo bottles were open and spilled on the floor, much to the ruing of the Mane-iac. The door hinges were busted and the shelves were toppled over as the Mane-iac's goons ransacked the place, looking for a key. The Mane-iac had a salon employee by the throat, holding her with a tentacle. The employee so far had whimpered, pleaded, and begged for her life, but she had yet to give the nefarious villain what she came here for. “Where is the key?” The Mane-iac snarled into the employee's face, threatening her with other tentacles. “I-I don't know what you're talking about.” The employee stuttered. “You know! The key to the storage room?” The Mane-iac explained. “Where you keep all your extra supplies before moving it to the shelves? I need that shampoo so I can make my formula!” “Let her go, Mane-iac.” The Mane-iac turned to see the Power Ponies standing tall in the remnants of the entrance. They were ready for a fight. “And if I refuse?” The Mane-iac asked, lifting her hostage up in the air as an ambiguous threat to the heroes. Her hired henchmen got into position to fight. The Masked Matter-horn snorted and huffed. After the humiliation she endured during today's last attempts at stopping a villainous scheme, Matter-horn was determined she and the Power Ponies would not be embarrassed again, even if it meant taking some drastic measures. “Power Ponies, power up.” And with those simple (and admittedly hamfisted) words, the fight was to be begun! Matter-horn charged up a beam from her horn and fired it, knocking henchmen flat on their backs. Radiance created walls of force and placed them in front of the henchmen, boxing them in place so Fili-Second could run delivering punches as if she was a punchy Easter bunny on the first week of April. “Ha!” Fili-Second laughed. “It's like giving candy to a baby! A bunch of generic babies who share the same design the animators can copy and paste to fill out a scene!” “Fili-Second, quit ambiguously leaning on the fourth wall and rescue the Mane-iac's hostage!” Matter-horn barked. “Right!” In the blink of an eye or even less time, the blur of Fili-Second's super-speed jumped over the hapless henchmen and snatched the hostage from the Mane-iac's hairy grasp. “Grrr!” The Mane-iac snarled and bared her teeth. While the other Power Ponies were kept busy by her henchmen, Mane-iac found herself facing an unexpected surprise in the form of Zap. “Huh? Ah.” The Mane-smiled. “All right, Mane-iac.” Zap said. “This time, you're going down for good – what? What are you smiling about?” The Mane-iac chuckled, creating a bed out of her tentacles and resting on it. Her affluence to the situation irked Zap with no end in sight. “No, seriously, why are you smiling – OOP!” The Mane-iac's carefree attitude tricked Zapp into lowering her guard down – which was no doubt part of the evil Mane-iac's plan all along – and The Mane-iac snapped Zapp in a tentacle and pulled her close, giving Zapp on a kiss on the lips. Zapp's blush was so hot it might could reach Planck temperature. “Mmmmmmwah!” The Mane-iac separated herself from Zapp with a loud pop and let the dumbstruck pegasus here floating in the air, confused about what happened just now. She was so confused, it gave the Mane-iac the time to maneuver around Zapp and smash her way out the salon, whipping the other Power Ponies aside with her tentacles and, out of pure hateful spite, she smashed up any glass she missed when she and her henchmen first came in. Wha … Zapp thought. Why did she do that? Running a hoof over her lips to see if there were any physical signs of something evil had been transferred by the kiss, like a metal bug or poison, Zap's was struck further by a thought. And those lips … those lips felt familiar, but where would I have felt them before? “Zapp!” Matter-horn teleported next to Zapp, breaking Zapp out of her daze. “What happened? You had her!” “Yeah, yeah, I know.” Zapp blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. Funny, isn't it. Pitiful, even, how after the wonderful feeling she had after she left Tresemme's place, Zapp's day was about to go downhill all over again. Unless … yes, she could see a light at the end of this tunnel. She could still fix this – she could salvage this and not let her friends down again. “It won't happen again, guys. I promise. Let me go after her. I'll catch her. It's the least I can do to make it up to you guys after what happened earlier.” “Hmm.” Matter-horn's face scrunched in a judgmental contemplation of this idea. “All right.” “Thanks, guys.” “What are you waiting for?” Matter-horn snapped. Despite Zapp's assumptions, she was still sore as a camel with the straw that broke its back. “Go!” Zapp saluted and went racing out the door. Her heart was heavy with the knowledge she was fighting to not let her friends and beating fast from the dangerous speeds of flight she was moving, faster than most ponies could ever be prepared for. But she wasn't most ponies, she was Zapp; a Power Pony and one of the fastest pegasi around. “Now ...” Mare-velous said. “What the odds y'all want ta bet she didn't catch Mane-iac 'cause she was thinkin' 'bout Tresemme again?” “I'd say two-hundred to one.” Radiance said with a hint of irritation. “Matter-horn.” Mare-velous turned to her. “Are we sure we can trust Zapp to do what she says and catch the Mane-iac?” Matter-horn sighed. “I don't know. I've never known Rainbow Dash to let us down on purpose … but at the same time, facts are facts and she's not setting a good precedent for herself.” “So, what are we gonna do?” asked Mare-velous. Matter-horn stroked her chin. “Hmm ...” Zapp came whooshing out of the salon like a falcon diving after hopeless prey. She saw the Mane-iac fleeing, wriggling on a bed of tentacles for her getaway. The sight made Zapp think of a paniking squid. She watched the Mane-iac slip into a dark alleyway. Of course. Zapp thought. It's ALWAYS a dark alleyway … Not scared in the very least by the prospect of going headfirst into a place where a large majority of crimes, both civilian and super-powered, occurred, Zapp flew into the alleyway and descended onto her hooves. She scanned the alleyway for the Mane-iac, who seemed to have disappeared. She couldn't have fit all that hair into a dumpster, so she was either hiding elsewhere or escaped by using her tentacles to scale the walls. “Mane-iac ...” Zapp said with a singsong voice. “Come out if you're here ...” “I'm here, sweetheart.” The Mane-iac was holding herself in the air on a web of tentacles like a spider, spread against the walls of the alleyway to prop her up. With a psychotic grin, Mane-iac smacked the surprised Zapp with a tentacle to the face, sending Zapp tumbling. Zapp regained control of her momentum and placed herself on her hooves. Snorting and huffing air, she rose to meet the Mane-iac. “All right, you!” Zapp picked up her magical amulet in her teeth. “You have a lot of explaining to do, or I'll get messy.” “Messy?” Mane-iac said, climbing down from her perch. “I'd love to see you try.” “What's all the shampoo for?” Zapp demanded. “And why did you kiss me at the salon?” Mane-iac raised an eyebrow at her, chuckling a mocking chuckle which set Zapp's nerves burning with rightful frustration. “Isn't is obvious?” “Uh, no. No it's not!” “Oh, poor Zapp.” The Mane-iac was mocking her at this point, nothing more and nothing less. “Do I really need to spell it out for you?” “What?” Zapp bit down harder on her amulet. It was getting more difficult to resist the urge to use it. “Quit talking in riddles and tell me why you kissed me! I'm warning you! This amulet gives me weather magic WAY beyond what most ordinary pegasus can do, and I'll use it on you. I could make a thunderstorm, or a hurricane, or a hailstorm.” “But you won't.” Mane-iac said. “Too much collateral damage.” Zapp's eye twitched, for she knew the Mane-iac was right, as much as she hated to let such a thought pass through her mind. If a random civilian got hurt or a building destroyed, her friends would never forgive her and she might lose her license to practice vigilantism. A cracking noise like the sound of a bomb going off pierced both their eyes. Purple smoke began to fill the alleyway, obstructing both Zapp and Mane-iac from the other's eyesight. “What?” Mane-iac whipped her head in all direction, trying to discover who or what would be so bold, so daring and stupid as to come between her and her Power Pony nemesis. “Who's there? What is this?” Zapp observed the smoke. Thrusting a hoof out into it, Zapp realized she recognized it. “I know who this is.” She looked up at the rooftops, expecting to see her there. There was only one vigilante not associated with Power Ponies she knew of who used smoke bombs in this manner.0 Only one pony who went out at night and preyed on criminals, decrying all criminals as a superstitious and cowardly lot. “Who am I? I am the terror that FLAPS in the NIGHT … I am the slacker in a school group project who coasts on the others' work … I am … the MYSTERIOUS MARE-DO-WELL!” “And her sidekick, the Filly Wonder, Daring Do!” “Yes, yes, yes. You're here too, Daring. Now let me do my thing.” The Mare-Do-Well, showing absolutely no fear or hesitance of any kind, leaps from the rooftops and spreads her cloak, using it to slow her fall as she descended upon the Mane-iac and engaged her in a fistfight. Her purple and blue outfit hid her inside the cloud of color-matching smoke. “I ...” Zapp stammered. “I have no idea what is going on anymore.” Daring Do fired a grappling line down the side of the wall and proceeded to climb down on it. But before she could answer Zapp's question, she ended up smacking her nose into a wall and falling. Zapp flew up to catch her and put her on the ground. “What?” Daring Do shook her head to shake off the blow. “Oh, hi, Zapp! Could you let me down so I could go help Mare-Do-Well beat up Mane-iac?” “No.” Zapp said. “Not until you tell me what is going on here.” Daring Do shifted uncomfortably in Zapp's grasp, almost as if she couldn't tell Zapp what was going on. Deciding Daring Do needed a firm reminder of the fact Zapp was keeping her from falling, Zapp dumped Daring out from her hooves and let her hit the ground. “Ow.” Daring rubbed her head. “That wasn't nice.” “Yeah, well -” Zapp's sarcastic scolding would have to wait, as she heard The Mane-iac scream in pain. Zapp turned to see The Mane-iac lying flat on her back, wincing and groaning. “I'll ...” The Mane-iac pushed herself up. “Make you pay for that.” Despite Mane-iac's confident words, she was on the losing end of this match-up. Blood was leaking from her lip and her legs refused to stay in one place. Meanwhile, Mare-Do-Well struck with the underhanded, but effective tactics of a viper. She appeared from the clouds of purple smoke, struck at the Mane-iac, and retreated back into her camouflage. Mare-Do-Well followed this pattern of attack once more, leaping onto the Mane-iac from behind and pulling on her hair. The Mane-iac staggered and attempted to buck Mare-Do-Well off. “Ow ow ow! Get off! Let go my hair, you jerk!” Mare-Do-Well complied to Mane-iac's commands, release the Mane-iac's terrible tendrils from the grip of her hooves. Mare-Do-Well wrapped her hooves around the Mane-iac's midsection and took the Mane-iac for a tumble, tilting her to the side and slamming into the concrete. “No!” Zapp screamed and reached as if to touch the Mane-iac, to grab her and drag her out of harm's way and tell her everything was going to be all right. “Quit hurting her! You're going to break her or even kill her!” Mare-Do-Well turned to Zapp with her masked eyes betraying no hint of any emotion. Like a cold, unfeeling machine, she turned back to the Mane-iac and resumed her brutal treatment of her. “No. No.” Adjusting the amulet in her teeth, Zapp pointed it to the sky. “I'm sorry, Mare-Do-Well, but Mane-iac still some has answers I need.” A gold light shined from the amulet. The wind picked up … and up and up and up until it blew Mare-Do-Well's smoke out from the alleyway, removing her camouflage and her combat advantage. “What are you doing?” Daring Do shrieked. “You can't just rescue the Mane-iac! She's a villain and a criminal!” “Sorry, kid.” Zapp said through muffled teeth. “But I have questions I need to ask her, and I can't do that if Mare-Do-Well chops her in two!” After the wind sufficiently blew enough of the smoke, Zapp descended onto the ground to begin her line of questioning anew. “Now, Mane-iac, since I just saved from Mare-Do-Not-Well …” Zapp said before she looked around and saw the Mane-iac was gone. “What the? She was just here!” “Yes.” Daring Do walked up to Zapp. “And thanks to you blowing Mare-Do-Well's smoke away, she escaped. If something disrupts Mare-Do-Well's smoke, she finds a place to hide so she can still get in one last sneak attack. The Mane-iac probably climbed one of the buildings and escaped while Mare-Do-Well was looking for a hiding place.” Daring Do huffed. “No thanks to you. If it weren't for you, Zapp, we probably would have caught the Mane-iac and been able to put her away for good!” “If it weren't me for, Mare-Do-Well probably would have killed her.” Zapp shot back. “She would never go that far.” Daring Do said. “I might, maybe ...” “What?” “Nothing. The point is, thanks to you being obsessed with – with – with whatever it is you're obsessed about regarding the Mane-iac, another chance to apprehend has slipped away. And furthermore -” “Uh, no offense, kid.” Zapp pointed. “But Mare-Do-Well is gone, too. Think maybe you should try to follow her back to your base?” “Oh, is she!?” Daring Do looked around saw Zap was right. “Aw, man! I gotta get back to her pronto!” Daring Do galloped out of the alleyway and into the street. Zapp was thankful to be left alone. Everything which had been happening in the last few minutes was incredibly hectic, so for her to get a chance to sit down and do nothing was a welcome relief while she thought, she wondered, she pondered about when and where everything started going wrong. The thankfulness she felt disappeared when the rest of the Power Ponies appeared, approaching from the northeast street and walking up to the alley where they'd seen Daring Do leave from. “Guys!” Zapp rose up to meet them. “I am so thankful you're here. First, I chased the Mane-iac, then Mare-Do-Well showed up and then – I don't even know what's going on anymore!” “Perhaps we can explain.” Radiance said, and only now did Zapp notice the disappointed and irritated expressions on their faces. “Truth be told, we called in Mare-Do-Well as backup because … well, we weren't quite sure you were going to get the job done, darling.” “Uh, what? Why would you think that? Guys?” Zapp backed away, fearful of the answer to the question she was about to ask. “What's going on?” “We'll tell you what's going on.” Matter-horn said. “Ever since you've begun meeting with Tresemme, your performance as a Power Pony has gone way down. You weren't there to help with High Heel and Long Face. You were clearly distracted in the salon by thoughts of Tresemme -” “No I wasn't! I was distracted by the Mane-iac kissing me!” The Power Ponies' eyes raised up in shock and confusion at this. “Still.” Matter-horn said. “That doesn't change the fact we're beginning to lose faith in your ability to be an effective superhero for this city. We're beginning to lose faith in your reliability. We're beginning to lose faith in you. I'm going to give you an ultimatum, Zapp … Either figure how to properly balance your relationship, get your act together and start focusing on missions again without getting distracted by – by surprise kisses by the bad guy or whatever … OR break up with Tresemme.” Leaving the slack-jawed, stunned Zapp to deal with this bombshell by her lonesome, the other Power Ponies turned away from and marched off to the mansion. Author's Note I know the hammy comic-book narration still isn't quite up to snuff this chapter, but I tried to still leave it in there in certain sentences and word choices. It's just become painfully clear to me I keep that up 100% of the time and still write the story. And I wasn't sure how to put it in smoothly, but the original idea was Tresemme was concerned with Dash eating something is because intercourse is a very intensive experience. And some might see the Power Ponies as being a bit unreasonable near the end, but it's for the story. Issue 4: Divided Loyalties! Issue 4 Solicit: THE TEST! When another encounter with the Mane-Iac leaves Zapp flustered, the Power Ponies are forced to take corrective measures. But Discord might have stumbled onto a startling secret that will make Dash's dating life more than a just matter of disciplinary action! THE NEXT DAY … Twilight Sparkle woke up, as so many do, cursing the sunlight coursing through the window. She pondered the possibility of using her connection with Celestia to introduce a bill decreeing “morning” was considered not to take place until at least 11: 30 AM, and anything before then was to be considered part of “last night.” Getting up from her bed, her mind was coherent enough to think about and realize the potential problems such a legislation would not doubt induce. Getting out from her bed, Twilight went to the dining hall where breakfast was already underway without her – or Rainbow Dash. Thought bowls and plates for both were already set up. “Good morning, darling.” Rarity said. “Did you get a good night's sleep?” Twilight surveyed the room. Everypony was eating, sure, but their gazes were all averted from each other and the motions they made to eat their food were tired and mechanical, as if they were doing it simply because they knew it needed to be done, rather than taking the time to sit down and enjoy their meal. “As well as of any of us.” Twilight said. The reaction to this by the other ponies was to widened their eyes and drop their silverware. Had they been so obvious in their discontent with the previous night's situation? “What do we have for breakfast today, girls?” “Oatmeal and muffins.” Fluttershy said. “Yum. I love oatmeal.” Twilight picked up a spoon and scooped out a bite. “Courtesy of Discord. He conjured them up for us. Isn't he sweet?” Fluttershy said. Everypony at the table stopped eating and looked at Fluttershy, contemplating whether she was wearing rose-colored glasses or needed to be sent to the mental ward. Twilight dropped her spoon back into the oatmeal. A good choice, as the oatmeal rose up and crawled out of its bowl, taking on the likeness of a miniature Smooze. It frowned and grumbled before scooting away from Twilight, as if offended she wouldn't eat from its body, and went off to find somepony who would. Perhaps Pinkie Pie would be willing. Fluttershy noticed the omnipresent loss of appetite which seized the room like a plague. “Um, I'll go start another pot, if that's okay with everypony.” Enthusiastic nods and agreements were shared. “Fluttershy, wait.” Twilight reached out. “Before you do that, I think it's time one of us said what everpony is thinking; were we too harsh on Rainbow Dash last night?” Fluttershy fiddled with her hooves while Rarity became curiously interested in the drapes and Applejack took on a guilty expression. Rarity was the first to break the silence. “Perhaps calling in the Mare-Do-Well was a bit hasty.” “She said Mane-iac went and gave her a kiss. Now, Ah don't know 'bout y'all, but Ah would find that pretty distracting myself.” “And she did seem awfully hurt we didn't believe in her.” Fluttershy said. Twilight pounded her hooves on the table. “Well, that settles it. I'm going to apologize. You go make the oatmeal, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy nodded as Twilight left and headed for Rainbow Dash's room. “Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, going THWOK-THWOK-THWOK on the door to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's shared room. “Rainbow Dash, would you join us for breakfast, please?” Twilight's request was enough to get the door to creak open and a wary Rainbow Dash stepped out. “Hey.” “Hey.” Twilight said. The awkwardness surrounding the two ponies threatened to smother and suffocate them. Neither of them sure what to say, they mirrored and mimicked each other by scratching at their heads. “So, listen, about last night ...” “You don't need to say anything, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash said. “I know I messed up yesterday, and you and the girls aren't going to forgive me for awhile. But I promise I will work my flank off until -” “No, no.” Twilight shook her head. “That wasn't what I was going to say. I'm not here to lecture you.” “It wasn't? You're not?” “No! I'm here to apologize.” Twilight bowed her head, making Rainbow Dash feel awkward. What was the social convention for when a Princess, without any social cue or prompt, unexpectedly bows their head to a commoner? “We should have trusted you when you said you would handle the Mane-iac and we should have listened to you when you tried to tell us about Mane-iac distracting you with a kiss. We're sorry, Rainbow Dash.” “No.” Dash put a hoof on Twilight. “I should be the one who's sorry. If I was there for you to stop whatever Long Face was doing-” “How?” Twilight said. “You can't be in two places at once, Rainbow Dash. Yes, we were upset about you not being there, but that doesn't give us the right to call in another superhero on a whim. We should have believed in you.” “Heh.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “I guess we all sort of screwed up a little bit. How about we just admit that and we can move on?” Twilight gave Rainbow a great big hug. “Okay.” “Hey … does this mean I don't have to breakup with Tresemme anymore?” Twilight giggled. “No. As you long as you promise to properly balance your relationship with your responsibility as Power Pony.” “Don't worry, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash saluted. “I'll make sure to keep my love life in line, and that's a one-hundred percent guaranteed Rainbow Dash-certified promise.” “Hey, guys!” Spike strolled into the room. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders are here.” “Oh!” Twilight and Rainbow exchanged surprised looks. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” “I totally forgot they wanted to come over!” “You might want to hurry up.” Spike rested his claw on the doorframe. “I'm not sure how much more the front entrance door can take.” With this uncertainty of Spike's in mind, Rainbow Dash and Twilight took in blurs of light to the entrance – Rainbow Dash moving a little faster than Twilight, of course. Meanwhile, at the headquarters (the SINFUL headquarters!) of our villains, the Sinful Six, their leader, Mane-iac, entered through the door and punched in her time-card. The mere fact everypony who worked in the building was either a supervillain or working for a supervillain did not entitle them to ignore labor union rules, which were stringent about employees not being made to work more than a select number of hours a day. Granted, the supervillains had no compunctions about excessive overtime or poor pay if they met their needs, but half their minions were just thugs-for-hire, so they needed some way to keep things organized. The rest of the Sinful Six gathered around to greet their leader. Long Face, High Heel, the most phony of phony pony pharaohs, Pharaoh Phetlocke, the beady-eyed hooded thief in the shadows, Shadowmane, and the silent, sticky pile of goo known as Smudge (any relationship to the Smooze was at this time, speculative, but rumors persisted.) “Mane-iac?” Phetlocke was the first to notice the Mane-iac's tired, unfocused expression, as if she had a headache, took a headache relief pill, and yet still was possessed of a headache. “Are you all right?” “Hmm?” The Mane-iac turned an eyebrow at him. “Oh, it's nothing, dears. Just thinking about some things … and wondering about lives that could and couldn't be. I'm fine. We need to get to work if my shampoo plan is to succeed.” Hearing this, the rest of the Six gathered amongst themselves and whispered in hushed tones, lest their boss should overhear them expressing their doubts. “I don't like it.” Shadowmane said. “She's not usually like this.” “”Lives that could and couldn't be?”” High Heel said. “And I thought Smudge had a lockdown on the whole “existential crisis” thing.” This earned a displeased glare from Smudge. “What do we do?” “I'm not sure.” Phetlocke said. “She may not say as much, but something is bothering her. Try to ask her about it again later. Prod her until she spills the beans. But be gentle about it. This requires a delicate approach.” “Dears?” Mane-iac asked. “Are you going to help with my grand plot or not?” Phetlocke and the others felt like schoolchildren getting ready for the bus, their mother berating and nagging them to ensure they went to school on time. “Coming!” At the mansion, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the rambunctious bunch of racketeers, the Musketeers of Marks, were brought inside and guided through the halls by the bigger ponies. “Eeeeh!” Sweetie Belle squealed, a noise which was well-familiar to Rarity, but no less stinging to her poor, poor ears. “I can't wait. This is gonna be the best sleepover ever.” “Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that, darling.” Rarity said. “While there's nothing I love more than spending time with my dear little sister, we are adults. We have certain responsibilities which will have to take precedence over hanging out with you. Isn't that right, Rainbow Dash?” “Huh? Oh yeah, right. Sorry, squirt.” Rainbow Dash patted Scootaloo on the back. “Sometimes being a grown-up stinks like Discord's body odor.” “What are y'all doin' at night?” Apple Bloom asked. The ponies froze up. They hadn't told the Cutie Mark Crusaders about them being the masked Power Ponies – they couldn't. The smaller the circle of ponies knew, the better and safer they were. Spike, Discord, and the Princesses – and that was it. It might rude to their families and to their siblings, but if they told loud, sometimes thoughtless ponies like the Cutie Mark Crusaders, there was no doubt in their own minds the Crusaders would get frustrated with a pony's teasing and blurt out something about their siblings being superheroes. Heck, Pinkie Pie struggled to keep it a secret enough as it is. “Uuh … big pony things.” Rarity said. “Very, very big pony things which we will tell you about when you're older.” “Aw, come on!” Scootaloo complained. “I mean, it's not like we don't already hang out with you when we're -” Apple Bloom stuffed a hoof into Scootaloo's mouth. Rarity grew curious. “When you're what, darlings?” “Eh, what Scootaloo means to say is that she perfectly understands y'all have necessities y'all need to attend to.” Apple Bloom affixed Scootaloo with the dirtiest of dirty glares. “Isn't that right?” Apple Bloom nodded for Scootaloo to nod, who complied. “Are you sure?” Rarity asked. “That doesn't sound like what she was saying to me.” She leered at Sweetie Belle, expecting if they were hiding a collaborative secret, she could get her own sister to crack first. Sweetie Belle could tell what Rarity was doing and broke into a sweat, but kept her composure. “Well now.” Discord floated backwards into the room, his serpentine form looping in the air. “Pardon me for overhearing, but it sounds like you're trying to get these delightful fillies to admit a little secret.” “Well … yes!” Rarity said. “What of it?” “Oh, I'm it's fine.” Discord waved his paw. “After all, it's not like there's something you and your friends have been collaborating in keeping from them, is there?” Rarity blushed as Discord made her realize the extent of her hypocrisy. She quickly turned away from the fillies. “Hey.” Rainbow Dash grabbed Scootaloo, pulling her close. “We may not always have time to hang out with you while we're here, but I promise one night, we'll sit down together and make some smores. What do you say?” Scootaloo's eyes turned starry at the prospect of marshallowy, chocolatey, cracker goodness. “You mean it?” “Oh no, she doesn't mean it. She'll be much too busy hanging out with Tresemme.” Discord rudely remarked, raining on their parade. “Discord!” Fluttershy said. “That was rude.” “Hey, somepony needs to break the awful truth about love to these poor, poor fillies.” Discord picked Apple Bloom up in his claws and held her like a stuffed animal, with Apple Bloom scrunching up her lips in the most adorable, confused way. “Who's Tresemme?” Scootaloo asked. “She's – she's no one.” Rainbow Dash said, ushering Scootaloo towards the guest room. “At least, not compared to you, Scootaloo.” “Aaawww. Do you really mean that, Rainbow Dash?” “I do. One-hundred and twenty percent.” Rainbow Dash pulled Scootaloo into a hug and snuggled her. The urge for the other ponies watching to giggle and go “aww” was irresistible, which embarrassed Rainbow Dash, so she pushed Scootaloo away and whistled. The phone rang. “I'll get it!” Pinkie Pie announced, rearing up to use her super-speed to fetch the phone. But at the last second, she realized the Crusaders were watching her and she backed down, skipping and prancing at normal Pinkie Pie pace. Whatever “normal” was in regards to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie returned, dragging the phone and table with her, the phone's electric wiring tangled around the table's legs. She presented the phone to Rainbow Dash. “It's for you.” “Wha-? Lame.” Scootaloo said at sight of the phone. “Who even has a rotary phone anymore?” “Hello?” Dash ignored Scootaloo and took the phone. “Hello, Rainbow Dash.” Tresemme's silky voice came oozing through, making Rainbow Dash blush. “I was wondering if maybe we could hang out together sometime today? Maybe bring Firefly along too?” “Oh, uh … that would be lovely.” Dash said, to the confusion of the others. Dash pulled the phone away and whispered to them. “It's Tresemme.” Dash returned to the phone. “But I can't. Not today. There's a chance my friends will need my help before the day is over.” “Oh … okay. I understand. Maybe tomorrow.” Tresemme's voice sounded disappointed, yet still understanding. Hearing Tresemme's lovely voice speak in such a tone threatened to rip Rainbow Dash's heart clean in two; she almost would have preferred for Tresemme to sound just disappointed, selfish as that would be, instead of disappointed and understanding. Dash hung up the phone and bade Pinkie to take the phone away and return the table to its rightful place. “Rainbow, I'm surprised at you.” Rarity said as she scooted Scootaloo and the other Crusaders into their room and closed the door. “Turning down a chance to spend time with Tresemme? Especially when it was offered so freely.” “Yeah, I know, I know.” Dash said. “But you know what? I figured it was more important for me to be here for you guys in case the Mane-iac or her goons show up.” “Well, I can't say I'm not impressed.” Twilight walked up to Dash and placed a hoof on her. “I know how much you've fallen in love with Tresemme, so saying no to her like that … it couldn't have been easy.” “Yeah. It wasn't. But Scootaloo is more important - you girls are all more important to me. Besides, it's not like I'll never get to see her again, is it?” “No, it's not.” Twilight said. “You'll get more chances to hang out with her. I can almost guarantee it.” “We're proud of ya, R.D.” Applejack said. “Sayin' no to her the way ya did must have taken some guts, especially for the first time.” “It gets easier after the first time.” Rarity said. “Trust me. I know.” “What's that?” Pinkie said. “It's coming to me! It's my Pinkie Sense! What is it? I know! It's sensing A GROUP HUG!” Pinkie sped around the room, picking up ponies and depositing them within arm's length of Rainbow Dash. Per Pinkie's prediction, everypony closed in on and hugged Rainbow Dash, smiles on all their faces. LATER THAT SAME NIGHT … The Mane-iac swung her way from building to building, using her hair to scale the walls and leap from one rooftop to the next until she found her next target – another factory for shampoo and other cosmetics. “Finally.” Mane-iac expressed as she and her minions, using grappling hooks, landed on the rooftop. “It took Long Face and Smudge so very, very long to find a shampoo factory deep enough into town those pesky Power Brats wouldn't make it here in time.” The Mane-iac reached out a tentacle and grabbed a nearby ventilation shaft. A single strand of hair, sufficiently wrapped around, could cut off circulation to a pony's limb. Given this, it should be no surprise the Mane-iac's several strands of woven-together hair could rip the shaft out from the building, lift it up, and bring it swinging down like a hammer into the roof. The impact created a hole in the rooftop wide enough for Mane-iac and her company to climb into. Reaching her tentacles in like an elevator, the Mane-iac descended onto the floor with grace, sliding in on her luxurious locks as though they were a firefighter's pole. “Begin the transfer!” The Mane-iac bade. Her minions ransacked and ravaged the factory, picking up shampoo bottles and pouring them out onto the floor. With this done, the minions pulled out canisters – canisters filled with the Mane-iac's new brand of brainwashing shampoo! The minions opened their canister and poured the Mane-iac's mixture into the shampoo bottles. After they cleaned up after themselves, the employees of the factory would be none the wiser and let the bottles go out to market, thinking everything was fine, never knowing their product been tampered with as a result of the Mane-iac's plotting. The ponies who bought this brand would buy it and use it on themselves, never suspecting the shampoo would turn them into mindless slaves of the Mane-iac! “Hurry!” The Mane-iac hissed. “We need to finish this quickly, before those pesky Power Brats arrive!” “Oh, you mean like right now?” “Yes, I mean like right now!” The Mane-iac snapped, her pupils dilating in seething anger before widening in surprise. “... Wait a minute.” Mistress Mare-velous would not be waiting, thank you very much. She wasted no time in leaping up, up and away and delivering a flying buck to the Mane-iac's face, knocking the Mane-iac off her tentacles and sending her body tumbling along the factory tile. The Mane-iac pushed herself and glared at the Power Ponies before pointing her minions at them. “ATTACK!” “You guys deal with her henchponies.” Zapp said. “I'll deal with the Mane-iac.” Matter-horn and Radiance gave concerned looks. “Zapp, are you sure?” “We're not doubting you, darling. We're just concerned.” “Matter-horn, Radiance … I've never been more sure of anything in my life.” When this response generated an approving nod, Zapp took off to meet her nemesis on the field of battle while the rest of the Power Ponies cut swathes through the minions. “Oh, you want to play this dance again, sweetheart?” The Mane-iac asked with a sultry smile. Extending her tentacles, she lassoed her hair around Zapp's body and pulled the pegasus close, planting a kiss on Zapp's lips. Zapp's eyes widened, but not for the reasons one might expect. So that's where … I knew I recognized how these lips felt! Zapp thought. She wouldn't let this realization or the Mane-iac's coy games distract her this time, though. Adjusting her hooves around, Zapp reached her amulet and tapped it. The amulet activated, sending out an enormous burst of lightning which sent the Mane-iac flying through the air and chucked her through a wall. The explosion of electrical energy shredded through the plaster and the iron of the building, creating a large hole – both in the wall and in the owner's insurance money. The Mane-iac rolled and tumbled onto the street. Cars riding on their way home from work stopped and honked, others swerving to avoid a collision. The Mane-iac rubbed her head and growled at Zapp. Zapp gestured for Mane-iac to bring it. Mane-iac used her tentacles as a springboard and jumped out of the street, launching herself at Zapp with her tendrils poised to strike in the lightning-quick fashion of a scorpion's sting. Zapp was having no part of that, raising her amulet up and summoning a gust of wind which blew the Mane-iac off-course, sending her colliding with a nearby dumpster. Zapp descended onto the ground, flapping her wings. The Mane-iac slid down from the dumpster's lid and landed on her hooves, ready to give Zapp a proper trashing. Whinnying, the Mane-iac charged at Zapp, her tentacles flailing around as if they were live wires. Zapp wasn't too concerned. With a brisk, calm, almost arrogant movement, she lifted her amulet up, summoning a lightning bolt to strike Mane-iac, stopping her in her tracks and leaving her charred and scorched. “Ooh ...” The Mane-iac wobbled and sway on the spot. Zapp came up to her. As an ironic mockery of what the Mane-iac had done to her, Zapp grabbed the Mane-iac and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips … right before clocking the Mane-iac with a punch, knocking her down. “Ready to turn yourself in?” Zapp asked, standing over her fallen nemesis. “NEVER!” The Mane-iac took her tentacle and swept it along it Zapp's underside, knocking Zapp's legs out from under her. The Mane-iac stood up and was readying to strike when a black discus flew from the rooftops and smacked her on the head. “Huh?” Zapp wondered as she got up. Mare-Do-Well appeared next to her, as if manifesting from the darkness itself. “Oh, not you again. Did the girls call you?” “Oh, no no!” Mare-Do-Well said. “I came here of my own accord. You looked like you could use a helping hoof.” “I had her just fine by myself, thank you.” Zapp turned back to the Mane-iac. “But since you're here, you might as well help. But no killing her, got it?” “I was never going to kill her.” Mare-Do-Well said. “In fact, I have a very strict no-killing policy. A violent beatdown that leaves them unable to walk for a week? Sure. But never a kill. Not by my hooves.” “Uh-huh.” Zapp wasn't sure she believed her. Noticing the Mane-iac getting up, Zapp readied her amulet while Mare-Do-Well pulled out another discus from her pocket. Both proved unnecessary, as the Mane-iac, after a good effort to keep herself propped up, fell back to the ground. “Huh.” Mare-Do-Well said. “I guess you didn't need my help after all.” “Nope.” Zapp said with pride in the fact she didn't – and as far she was concerned, never needed Mare-Do-Well's help to begin with. Ego? What's that? “Now let's take in her and figure out what her evil plan is ...” “I think not, Power Ponies!” A glass vial hit the ground and exploded into a cloud of dark smoke. “I'm not a Power Pony!” Mare-Do-Well protested. “We're not going to let you take her so easily!” High Heel's voice said from the smokescreen. The sound of a pony's face eating asphalt could be heard from the wriggly, murky clouds. “Dang it, Long Face, you couldn't make it so that we could see through the fog and they couldn't?” “Uh, no. It's a two-way street.” Long Face answered. "If we see, they can see." “Both of you shut up.” Phetlocke said. “We've got what we wanted.” By the time Zapp figured out to use her amulet to conjure a gust of wind to blow the smokescreen away, it was already too late; the Sinful Six were escaping with their unconscious leader, riding a physical train made of Smudge's elastic body. The Six rode atop Smudge as he bounded onto the rooftops and escaped into the night. “I swear that guy is related to the Smooze.” Zapp said. She turned to thank Mare-Do-Well for her help, even if she didn't really want or appreciate it, but Mare-Do-Well was already gone. “How does she do that?” “Zapp!” Matter-horn and the other Power Ponies arrived on the scene – though it was too little, too late. “What happened?” “Ah. I almost had Mane-iac, then Mare-Do-Well showed up.” Matter-horn's surprised face at this hinted to Zapp Mare-Do-Well was being truthful when she said she only came to help. “And before we could take her in, the rest of her buddies showed up and rescued her.” “Well, sounds like y'all had quite a tussle.” Mare-velous said. “Don't worry.” Matter-horn said. “We'll get her, Zapp. We'll make sure the next time is the last time.” “Yeah ...” Zapp nodded, her mind worrying about other things. “Sure.” This confused Matter-horn; what could be more important than the final capture of their nemesis? The Power Ponies returned to their mansion and slept the night. They weren't tireless, and it would have done good to run circles around the city to find Mane-iac while they were sleep-deprived. Once rested, though, Twilight wasted no time in calling for a meeting in the morning to discuss their next move. “All right, ponies.” Twilight pulled a chalkboard into the room. On its surface were chalk drawings of what they knew about the Mane-iac's plan thus far, with diagrams and illustrations. “We know whatever the Mane-iac's planning involves a lot of shampoo. Now, put your heads together and think; what could she possibly do with so much shampoo?” “Uh, make a brainwashing shampoo which she tries to get ponies to use, making them into slaves?” Pinkie suggested. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Don't be ridiculous, Pinkie Pie.” “Oh, okay. Umm, what about … mixing it all together and creating a giant shampoo blob monster to devour the city?” “She does have Smudge for reference.” Rarity said. “She could take a sample of his DNA and then mix it with the shampoo she's been collecting.” “Doesn't seem likely, but it's worth looking into.” Twilight said. “Rainbow Dash? You've been awfully quiet.” “Huh?” Dash said. “Oh yeah. Listen, Twilight … is it okay if I go see Tresemme today?” “But we need you here to help us figure out the Mane-iac's plan!” “I know, but … think you could figure it out without me?” Dash scratched her neck. “There's something I really want to talk to Tresemme about.” “I don't know ...” Twilight looked around, searching for anypony who might a vote or objection to allowing Rainbow Dash to take this course of action. Rarity nodded to let Dash continue. “All right. You did put on a pretty good showing against the Mane-iac last night, and all of her minions who were there are now in holding. That will cut into her resources. Okay. You can go, Rainbow Dash.” “Thanks.” Rainbow Dash got off her seat and headed for the exit. Even if I really don't want to ... Her heart feeling heavy as a stone, Rainbow Dash went out the door and walked to Tresemme's place. The last two times she did this, a giddy excitement coursed through her every bone; but now those bones were filled with nothing but dread and despair, and a depressed resignation to do what it was that needed to be done. Reaching Tresemme's house, Rainbow Dash considered backing out. She thought about turning back. About letting it slide and ignoring the painful realization she made last night and pretending everything was fine when she was around Tresemme. She turned around and lowered onto a step, but her teeth chattered as if they were alive and telling her to go through with this. With a sigh, Rainbow Dash turned back and knocked on the door. She entertained a brief Tresemme wouldn't be home, thus depriving Dash her chance to ask this bothersome question. “Rainbow Dash.” Tresemme opened the door. “I didn't know you were coming over. What's this about? Oh, it is a surprise? Chocolates? A birthday party invite? Do you want to order a pizza or something, maybe?” “Stop.” Rainbow Dash. “Tresemme, just … stop.” Tresemme tilted her head, a concerned look growing on her face. “Rainbow Dash, what's wrong?” She reached up to touch Dash's chin, only for Dash to deliver a physical rebuke. “It's about last night.” Dash said. “Um … Rainbow Dash? We didn't see each other last night.” “Yes we did.” Dash said. Tresemme did something Dash had yet to see her do, and never thought she would see Tresemme do. She was normally so calm and reserved, but Dash could tell, could see Tresemme was getting nervous. “I'm … afraid I really don't know what you're talking about.” She backed into the house, her hoof slowly bringing the door to closed state. Dash slammed her hoof against the door and let herself in. She bucked the door shut. “Quit playing games with me, Tresemme. Just- just be straight with me when I ask … are you the Mane-iac?” Tresemme blinked. Her quivering eyes gave Rainbow Dash a soulful, piercing and hurt glare, as if her husband had just accused her of cheating on him. Rainbow Dash's expression was unchanged. “I don't suppose you'd believe me even if I said no.” “Not really.” Tresemme sighed. “Yes. Yes, Rainbow Dash, I am the Mane-iac. And I know Firefly is actually Rainbow Dash, and I know Rainbow Dash is Zapp. You should really get a more face-obscuring mask. You know, like Mare-Do-Well. You can question her methods, but she's got the whole secret identity thing down.” “Don't-” Dash shook her head. “Don't talk to me about Mare-Do-Well.” “Sorry.” Both ponies fell silent. They looked down at the floor and scuffed their hooves. “So ...” Dash her head up. “What happens now?” Tresemme smiled. It was soft and sweet at first, but slowly grew into something seductive and wicked. Something sultry and sinister. “Would you like to come in for a shower with me? And maybe some … tentacles, as well?” Rainbow Dash, without understanding why, suddenly felt a heat run through her body. She took in a deep breath, an arousal spiking up within her. Why am I getting aroused? Dash thought to herself. “Don't you remember, Rainbow Dash?” Tresemme stroked Dash's chin. “You like tentacles.” “I … like tentacles.” “You love taking showers with me.” Tresemme said with a wicked smile. Rainbow Dash had to look twice, as she thought she saw fangs in Tresemme's mouth. “I … love taking showers with you, Tresemme.” Dash said in an emotionless, monotone voice as her conditioning reactivated to its full effect, putting her under Tresemme's trance once again. “Ugh.” Twilight banged her head against the chalkboard. Thirty minutes later, they were no closer to figuring out what the Mane-iac's endgame was. “What is it? What's her goal? Why all the shampoo?” “Sorry, Twi.” Applejack said. “We're not geniuses, like you.” “I'm sorry, darling, but we don't know.” Rarity said. “Who could ever fully understand the workings the mind of a crazy pony like the Mane-iac anyway?” Twilight separated her head from the chalkboard. She gave the chalkboard a look of empathy and pity. A tear fell down her eye as her prone-to-panic mind created and exacerbated several end-of-the-world scenarios resulting from their failure to figure out the Mane-iac's plan – an entire city drowning in an ocean of shampoo, being smothered by a blob monster, like Pinkie suggested, or simply flooding the market with shampoo and causing the industry to crash and burn. Which didn't sound too bad on paper, but a decrease in stocks and holdings and the failure of one industry could and would roll to the next, creating a domino effect where the entire – or at least major sections of – the economy fell in on themselves. Twilight pressed her hooves on the chalkboard. “I bet the Originals could figure it out.” The reaction to the mention of the Originals was wild and varied from pony to pony. Rarity gasped. Pinkie Pie stuffed her hooves into her mouth to keep from screaming – or crying. Scre-crying, perhaps. Applejack brought her hat over her chest. Fluttershy put her hooves together and whispered a prayer. “May Celestia guide them, wherever they are.” Fluttershy said. “Darling … I didn't realize … we haven't talked about them in so long.” Rarity said. Twilight went down a few rooms to a portrait. The hall was open-access, unlike some of their Power Pony stations, and the portrait was in full view of any who wished to see. It was easy to see and just as easy to overlook. But if one were to go up to and examine it, they would eventually catch onto the fact it depicted the Power Ponies. But not the Power Ponies as they appeared in the present day, no. This was exposed by the different in their coats and manes. See, Twilight's team were not the original Power Ponies – that title belonged to this team, here, in the portrait. So technically, they would be “Matter-horn II,” “Radiance II,” and so on. One day, after a serious of grueling and painful events involving both Twilight's friends and the original Power Ponies, the Power Ponies decided they needed to step down and retire. They asked Twilight's friends to be their successors – to keep the legend alive and protect the city of Maretropolis. They gave Twilight's friends training, their costumes and magic items, and disappeared for parts unknown. But not before leaving Twilight a golden ring with an onyx set into it – the Power Ponies promised Twilight, even if they were retired, all she had to do was push the onyx into the ring like a button and they would return to Maretropolis to deliver some geriatric butt-whoopings. Twilight placed a hoof under the portrait. “They would have figured out the Mane-iac's scheme by now. They would have stopped it by now.” “Oh, darling ...” Rarity and the others joined Twilight in the hall. “Please, quit beating yourself up like this.” “Yes.” Discord appeared. “Especially since all you need to do to figure Mane-iac's plan is to ask Rainbow Dash.” Twilight glared at Discord. “Rainbow Dash isn't here. We let her go see Tresemme.” “Ah, yes. Tresemme.” Discord. “And even if we hadn't let her go, how would she know?” “The answer lies with Tresemme.” “What's Tresemme got to do with it?” Applejack asked. “And how do you know so much about it? You know something we don't?” “I know lots of things you don't.” Discord said. “For example, if one were to attempt to breed a Manticore with a Chimera, what you get is – in addition to Celestia yelling at you about messing with nature -” “Um, Discord?” Fluttershy asked softly and sweetly. “Could you, um, maybe stay on topic, please?” Fluttershy's sweet tone appeared to win him over. “Oh, of course, Fluttershy. I don't understand I could be so careless and distracted.” Discord momentarily turned himself into a clown wearing a blindfold, driving a car through the air with his body sticking out the window, causing him to hit a stop sign before reverting to normal. “Yeah.” Applejack let slip a passive-aggressive remark. “It's a mystery. Y'all are usually so focused.” “Anyway, with a little eavesdropping ...” Discord popped one eye out his head and it morphed into a liquid medicine bottle marked “EVE'S DROPS.” “And some observation ...” Discord plucked the other eye and it turned into a tiny telescope. “The answer becomes obvious!” “What becomes obvious?” Applejack asked. “Think, girls, think!” Discord said. He presented the telescope to Twilight. “Oh, here, Twilight, this is for you. I know how much you love telescopes.” Twilight couldn't help but squeal in excitement. She reached for the telescope, but then remembered first, it was a gift from Discord; accepting gifts from Discord was almost never a good idea, unless your name was Fluttershy. Second … “Isn't this made out of your eye?” Twilight looked up to see both of Discord's eyes had regenerated. The Eve's Drops bottle had disappeared, yet the tiny telescope had not. “O … kay.” Twilight took the telescope and pocketed it, making a note to find a large clear area away from the city and possibly detonate the telescope there. “I think you'll find it gives you a better view of the stars than even your largest, most expensive telescope.” Discord said. “Isn't that just the way? Now, where was I? Oh yes, Tresemme! Tresemme works for a hair care company, doesn't she?” “Yeah?” Applejack asked. “We know that.” “And the Mane-iac has a serious crush on manes.” Discord said. “Where are y'all goin' with this?” “Think!” Discord insisted, conjuring up a dunce cap and placing it on Applejack's head. “We know the Mane-iac's taking to making out with Zapp. Now, has anypony noticed this didn't start happening until after Rainbow Dash – I'm sorry, “Firefly” began dating Tresemme, despite the Mane-iac having a perfectly good pair of lips to distract Zapp with? To distract ANY of you with?” “Wait ...” Applejack rubbed her head as she put the pieces together. “Are y'all sayin' ...” “Oh, I'm not saying anything.” Discord said. “Tresemme is the Mane-iac?” Twilight blurted out, getting a clue. “Darlings … didn't we let Rainbow Dash go see Tresemme?” Rarity asked. “We did!” Twilight exclaimed in growing horror. “C'mon, girls, we gotta go save her! Put on your uniforms!” “What?” Pinkie Pie said. “No “Power Pony Up?” “Pinkie, there's no time for stupid catchphrases!” Pinkie made an offended gasp. “Stupid? I'll have you know -” “Come on!” Twilight grabbed Pinkie with her magic and dragged her to the changing room. “We have to hurry.” Pinkie Pie took in a deep, deep breath. “Power Pony Up! There, I said it. You're forgiven, Twilight.” Though the way Pinkie Pie crossed her legs and looked away didn't lend much credence to Pinkie's claims of forgiveness. Back the Sinful HQ, Shadowmane supervised as their minions attempted to industrialize the process of making Mane-iac's brainwashing shampoo. “Hey ...” Shadowmane took her eyes off the minions fumbling attempts to converse with her cohorts. “Has anypony noticed something going on with Mane-iac?” “She has seemed rather … distracted lately.” Phetlocke said. “You know, I visited her house a few days ago.” Long Face said. “I made sure I wasn't seen, of course, but I did notice this, like … weird typecast rainbow-mane pony leaving from it.” “”Weird typecast rainbow-mane?” High Heel said. “Well, that's a big help. Do you even know what “typecast” means?” “You know what?” Shadowmane was possessed by a crazy, yet somehow not crazy – at least not to herself – notion. “I bet this Rainbowmane pony probably has something to do with why Mane-iac's not been herself lately.” “You know what? I'll bet you're right.” Phetlocke said. “We should go over there right now and have a little chat with our friend Mane-iac and especially her little friend. Who's with me?” The Sinful Six-Minus-One reared up and whinnied, their hearts united. Their cause in sync. Their goal; to have a nice talk with this pony who's been occupying their dear Mane-iac's thoughts. Rainbow Dash and Tresemme, having finished their naughty, definitely-not-safe-for-children activities, collapsed and hung over the side of the tub like dying fish, flopping and gasping for air as they breathed heavily. “That was … amazing, Rainbow Dash.” Tresemme said. She turned away and coughed. “Even if you were a brainwashed slave for most of it.” “Yeah.” Dash said, not hearing Tresemme's addendum. “It was pretty great, wasn't it?” She turned to Tresemme and they both laughed, but the laughter, like their moods, deflated. They couldn't ignore the issue at hoof forever. Tresemme inviting Dash for shower sex was a welcome distraction, but it changed nothing about their situation. “What are we gonna do, Tresemme?” Dash asked. “I love you … I know that. I want this – I want us to work out. But at the same time, I can't just ignore the teensy, tiny little detail you're secretly my nemesis with a hair fetish!” Tresemme giggled and curled her locks with her hoof. “Heh heh heh. I do really like hair.” Rainbow Dash made a stern expression which communicated “Really? I am not amused.” “Sorry.” Tresemme said. She held up a bottle of the brainwashing shampoo. “You know, you could … defect. Stay with me. Fight for my side. Be part of the Sinful Seven instead of the Sinful Six, heh heh.” Dash shook her head. “No, no, I couldn't - wait.” Dash's ear perked up and she motioned for Tresemme to be silent. “Do you hear that?” “It sounds like ...marching hooves.” Tresemme said. She and Dash exchanged worried glances. Flailing like slippery eels unable to find purchase on the dry, hard land, they scrambled out of the bathtub and headed for the window and saw what was probably their worst fears realized. From the north end of the street, the Power Ponies came a-marching. Five abreast in a line, side-by-side and with a militaristic posture to their movements. From the south end, the Sinful Six-Minus-One came marching into a single file one. Phetlocke led while Smudge was positioned in the back. Upon seeing their rivals in the street, Phetlock raised his scepter and motioned for them to separate. The other members of the Six spread out to the sides of him, rearing up for battle and locking eyes with their Power Pony opposites. "What ... are they doing?" Dash asked from inside. “What are you doing here?” Matter-horn asked from outisde. “We should be asking you that.” Phetlock shot back. “We'll tell you what we're doing if you tell us what you're doing.” High Heel offered. “Fair trade?” Matter-horn looked to Saddle Rager, the one of them who could put the most claim to being High Heel's arch-nemesis. Saddle Rager shook her head. “No deal.” Matter-horn said. Her horn lit up, charging with fiery power with which she would rain molten destruction down on her enemies. The rest of the Power Ponies and the Sinful Six tensed up, ready to unleash their fury on their enemies. Tresemme and Rainbow Dash looked to each other with strained expressions of horror, their eyes wide and their voices panicked. They said the exact same thing at the exact same time. “They're coming to rescue me.” Author's Note Pop Culture References in This Chapter Mare-Do-Well's black discus is a reference to Batman's famous Bata-rangs. At one point, I was even going to call it a Bata-rang, but I figured that would be taking it too far. The shampoo, as discussed in the comments, is based off the brainwashing shampoo from this one episode Kim Possible. I was going to take the homage further, where the Mane-iac would even try to market her brainwashing shampoo with her face on the bottle, which would end up being "self-foiling," as no pony would buy it, and then Mane-iac would have the idea to swap out a legitimate shampoo companies' product for her own. But as the chapter began to take a more concrete form in my mind, there wasn't time to waste on that, so I skipped it. That would have been as far as the homage went, however, and the cast would not be roped into singing terrible rap songs. Can you imagine my surprise and horror when, after the first chapter is published, the IDW comics makes a reference to the whole "brainwashing shampoo" idea? They didn't seem to make any explicit homage to Kim Possible thought, which makes my version inherently better. On a more meta level, Long Face referring to Rainbow Dash as "typecast" is a reference to the part of the fandom who sometimes sterotype her as a lesbian. And despite the penchant for reference, the term for the original Power Ponies - the oh-so-creative (sarcasm) "Originals" is not a reference to the CW show of the same name airing at time of publishing. Issue 5: Rainbow Dash's Choice Issue 5 Solicit: A HOUSE DIVIDED! With Tresemme's secret blown wide open, what will Rainbow Dash do about the fact she's dating her nemesis? Or perhaps a more worrying question … what will the Power Ponies do about Rainbow Dash? THE Fight began. Matter-horn switched between firing heat rays and beams of frost, alternating the two temperatures, trying to induce a fatal thermal shock in her enemies. Long Face threw vial after vial of mysterious and unknown liquid, with Fili-Second using her super-speed to snatch the vials out of the air before they hit the ground. Radiance charged at Phetlocke, engaging him in a duel of staffs using a conjured halberd. Meanwhile, Shadowmane ninja-stepped to avoid getting lassoed by Mare-evelous, and Saddle Rager, angry enough to fight, but not so angry she triggered her transformation, tackled High Heel. Rainbow Dash and Tresemme put their hooves on the windowsill, watching with a sense of pure and utter helplessness as the two teams began their clash. “What do we do?” Rainbow Dash asked. “They're going to tear each other apart!” “We should get out there.” Tresemme said. “Explain to them what's going on.” Tresemme galloped towards the door, waylaid by Dash grabbing onto her tail. “Tresemme, wait.” Dash pulled Tresemme back to her. “We can't go out there right now. I know we have a lot going on right now, and I know things are really confusing … for both of us. But now that you know my secret identity, can I trust you not to tell your other supervillain friends?” “Mmm ...” Tresemme averted her eyes. “Tresemme, please.” Dash looked into Tresemme's eyes, her own eyes wavering. “Promise me. If you really love me … if any of this was real, you'll do this for me. Promise me you won't tell any other villain my secret identity.” “I ...” Tresemme tapped her hooves together. “Okay. I promise.” Tresemme's eyes widened and she covered her mouth, surprising herself with how far she was willing to go for their relationship. Dash smiled and hugged Tresemme. “Thanks.” Dash examined her body. “I can't go out there like this. I need something to conceal my identity.” “I think I have a few sheets you can borrow.” Tresemme said. “Perfect. That should work.” While Rainbow Dash got to work wrapping and trying sheets up into a slapdash costume, Tresemme willed herself to morph from her civilian self to the Mane-iac. Now dressed for the occasion, they charged out from Tresemme's house and into the crossfire of the fight, pleading with their side for a ceasefire. “Everypony, stop!” Zapp yelled, clad in bedding tied around her face and body, making a cloak and bandana. “We want to talk.” “As much as it pains me to say this … Six!” Mane-iac yelled. “Stop fighting the Power Ponies at once!” “Zapp!” Matter-horn said, either not hearing or pretending not to hear Zapp's request. “We're glad you're here. You can help us out. Here.” At Matter-horn's command, Radiance levitated Zapp's weather-control amulet to its owner. “Since you weren't expecting to get caught up in super-heroics, I can see how you might have decided to leave that at our base.” Zapp took hold of the amulet. Zapp gazed her reflection inside the amulet's golden shine and sighed. Should she be doing what she was trying to? Should she be trying to get the fighting to stop, if only for a moment, or should she side with her companions and join the violence? “Guys, I know you came all this way for me, but I don't want you to fight.” Zapp said, lowering her amulet. “Things are complicated between the Mane-iac and I. We need some time to ourselves to figure everything out. Then, once we've done that, we'll come back and tell all of you what we decided. Okay?” The Masked Matter-horn looked to her partners before turning back to Zapp. “I don't like it. It sounds like the Mane-iac has you under her spell, Zapp!” “Under her spell – what?” Zapp balked. “I mean, she's somehow affecting your mind.” Matter-horn. “That, or you're so blinded by your love for her it's interfering with your good judgment!” “Au contraire!” Pharoah Phetlocke said. “We believe a rainbow-maned pony is the one messing with our dear Mane-iac's head!” “What?” Matter-horn and the other Power Ponies expressed their confusion of Phetlocke's claims. “That's ridiculous.” “Oh, is it?” Phetlocke retorted. “Is it any more ridiculous than a pair of six spandex-wearing ponies who fight crime? I mean, the idea is laughable!” “It's not laughable!” Matter-horn said. “It's not spandex.” Radiance gritted her teeth, using her powers to project two giant swords, ready to cleave Phetlock's head off his shoulders for his comments. “Mane-iac hasn't been herself lately.” Phetlocke said. “And we suspect it has something to do with this mysterious pony, whom we know she's going out with!” “How does that make any more sense than the idea the Mane-iac – the bad guy – is messing with Zapp's head?” Matter-horn asked. “Ugh!” Zapp groaned, rubbing her hooves across her temples. “Fine. Forget it. It's obvious none of you are going to listen to me.” Zapp descended to the ground, wrapping her hooves around the Mane-iac's chest. “Come on, Mane-iac. Let's take our business elsewhere.” Without giving either side a chance to convince them to stay, Zapp rocketed up through the air with the Mane-iac as her cargo, leaving both teams wide-eyed and unsure of themselves. The Matter-horn and Phetlocke locked eyes again. “Well, I don't know about you, but seeing as both our primary objectives seem no longer feasible, I'm willing to call this round a draw.” Phetlocke said. “Agreed.” Matter-horn walked away. “Come on, Power Ponies. Let's go see if we can track down Zapp. We'll start by looking around her regular hangouts." The Power Ponies and the Sinful Six turned from each other and walked down the street, heading to their respective bases. Zapp flew over the bustling city with her cargo, ignoring the ponies going about their lives on the street below. From this height, they appeared to be ants. As far as Zapp was concerned, they were ants. Skyscraper after skyscraper passed them by, the glimmering shine of industrial steel shingles little more than distractions to Zapp's eye. “Ugh!” The Mane-iac struggled and flailed in Zapp's grip, trying to push herself out before looking down and realizing pushing herself away from the flying pony while fifty in the air was maybe not the best idea. “Why did you take us away from the fight, Rainbow Dash?” The Mane-iac covered her mouth. “Sorry. It – it just slipped out.” Zapp shook her head, dismissing the Mane-iac's slip. “Our friends aren't going to listen to us. They have their own ideas about what's going on and they're sticking to it. I should know. I do it all the time. We need to find a place where we can talk by ourselves. No distractions. No interruptions. No … well-meaning teams trying to 'rescue' one of us from the other.” Zapp took notice of a skyscraper with a spacious roof and set herself down there, letting the Mane-iac free. Mane-iac shuffled nervously to the side while Zapp sat on her haunches and looked down, watching cars pass by. “So ...” Zapp pulled her head up. “What do we do now?” The Mane-iac sat down, her legs dangling over the side of the building. “I don't know.” Zapp breathed deep and sighed. “Of course you don't. I wish somepony did. Somepony who – who'd been in this situation and could tell us what to do.” The Mane-iac shifted slightly, moving over to rest on her side. She looked to Zapp with a reassuring smile, though she herself wasn't assured of anything. “You know what I think? I think times like this call for a test.” “A test? How can you be thinking of a test at a time like this? Honestly, you're just as bad as Matter-horn … ” “Oh, but this is a special test!” The Mane-iac said. “It's a test to see if you'll do the right thing.” This … piqued Zapp's interest. “Oh?” The Mane-iac nodded. “Mm-hmm. I'm going to let you in on my latest scheme, and we'll see what you do. I'll trust you do the right thing. After all, that's what partners do, right?” The Mane-iac snuggled Zapp, pressing their heads together. “They trust each other?” “Uh ...” Zapp bit her lip. “Yes. They do.” “Excellent!” The Mane-iac applauded her sinister hooves. “Now, listen, here's the deal … you know I've been breaking into shampoo factories?” “Yeah?” “I've been trying to get my newest invention into circulation.” The Mane-iac explained. “My brilliant, if I do say so myself, brainwashing shampoo. Once it gets into stores and ponies begin using it, it will be a piece of cake to take over all Metropolis for my very own!” The Mane-iac let one of her sinister, airy cackles. “And you know the best part? No pony will ever see it coming.” “Uh, why's that?” Zapp asked. “Because.” The Mane-iac flashed a maniacal grin. “Do you remember the shampoo factory your team attacked me at? When you mercilessly beat me up?” Zapp blushed. “Well, I had my henchponies swap out their shampoo for my brainwashing shampoo.” The Mane-iac said. “That way, all the ponies who normally use that shampoo will buy it, never suspecting anything's wrong with their favorite brand until it's TOO LATE and they're already my little brainwashed servants!” The Mane-iac chuckled and cackled, her eyes rolling around crazily in their sockets. “Literal brainwashing.” Zapp said. “Nicely done. You know, for an evil plan.” “Isn't it?” Mane-iac asked with a flirtatious tone, resting her head on Zapp's lap, leading the weather-controlling superhero to blush from the intimacy. “Mmm … and now that you know my evil plan, Zapp, what are you going to do about it?” Zapp shrugged. “I don't know yet. But I'll tell you this much; I won't be the one to stop it, that's for sure.” The Mane-iac laughed, raising up and gifting Zapp with a peck on the lips. “That's my girl! Ha ha ha!” “Yeah. Uh, listen, I need to use the little fillies' room, so could I have some space?” "Of course." The Mane-iac got off from Zapp's lap, allowing Zap the freedom to fly up and over the building and descend to the ground where she could find a public restroom. Or so she let the Mane-iac believe. Zapp was honest when she told Mane-iac she had no intentions of being the one to stop it … but she never said anything about allowing others to put a halt to her nefarious plans. She still had enough of a sense of loyalty to inform her fellow Power Ponies. I owe them that, at least. Zapp thought. Finding a payphone, Zapp slipped a coin inside and dialed a number most familiar to her. At the Power Pony mansion, an unmasked Twilight walked around the room, pacing in circles as the Power Ponies tried to put their heads together and think. To think of a plan to deal with their absent member. To think of what kind of repercussions she might face, if any. Or would they give her an exemption, pat her on the back, and say all was forgiven? This was just one of the many things they had trouble agreeing on. “AAAGH!” Twilight reached her hooves up in the air and screamed. “Why is this so hard? We know Rainbow Dash, we know Tresemme is the Mane-iac, and we know – we think – the Mane-iac is controlling Dash somehow. So why can't ANY OF YOU come up with ANYTHING?” “Well, darling ...” Rarity said. “Perhaps it's because we're not all sure the Mane-iac is controlling Rainbow Dash. Maybe … maybe Rainbow Dash is doing this of her own free will.” “No. Noooo.” Twilight said. “You don't really believe that, do you, Rarity?” “Love will make a pony do crazy things they might otherwise not do.” Rarity said. “Crazy things they might not realize they're even capable of.” Before Twilight could offer Rarity a response, the phone rang, interrupting their debate before it became too tense and heated for any of them to make a reasonable argument. “Hold the phone.” Twilight said. “Ha!” Spike laughed, picking up the phone so the caller would know they'd been heard. “Puns and wordplay! I love it.” Twilight Sparkle walked up to the table and took the phone from Spike. “Hello? Who is this?” “It's Zapp.” came through from the other end of the line, giving Twilight pause. In this second, hundreds and hundreds of electrical signals were traveling back and forth from one end of the cable to the other, sending echoes of speech between both lines near-instantaneously. Allowing two ponies, severed by their circumstances, a brief moment of reunited connection. “What do you want, Zapp?” Twilight tried to remain neutral and level in her tone, but her frustration with Dash and the situation in general showed through, making her voice come out rather passive-aggressive. “Listen, you remember that shampoo factory we fought the Mane-iac a night or two ago?” “Yes. What of it?” “The Mane-iac had her henchman swap out the shampoo from the factory for her own special shampoo she made. It's a brainwashing shampoo which will brainwash anyone who uses it. You have to find a way to keep it from getting into stores.” “Understood.” Zapp couldn't see her, but Twilight saluted. “Zapp?” “Yeah?” “When are you coming home?” “I don't know, Twilight. Maybe not ever.” Twilight's vocal cords stretched out to scream, to say something, to tell Rainbow Dash her answer was unacceptable and she better rush home right now or she would be grounded from her video games for a month, or maybe to convince she had nothing fear from coming back. But it was too late. The line went dead, buzzing a dial tone. Twilight simply … sat there, in silence. “Twilight? Are you all right, darling?” Twilight didn't answer. She put the phone back, dialed a number, and put it to her ear. “Hello, Mayor? This is the Masked Matter-horn. I need you to put out a recall for a certain product. No, nothing major. Just a shampoo brand. Yes, a shampoo brand. What brand? Uhh ... I'm not sure, I didn't ... catch the name. But I know it's been compromised. I just need you to sign the order to recall it - what? What do you mean you have more important things to do? This shampoo is a threat to public safety! Yes, I'm serious! Listen, I'm not in a good mood right now, so I would love the excuse to come over to your office and burn it to the ground. Okay? Okay. Have a nice day. ” Twilight slammed the phone down, breathing heavy. “Er, Twi?” Applejack asked. “You okay? Y'all don't normally make threats like that.” Twilight shook her head, tears rolling down her eyes. “No … No, I'm not.” Twilight sniffed. “Rainbow Dash called … she says … she says she's not sure when - or even if - she's coming back home . . . ” “Aww.” Pinkie Pie said. “I'm sure she's just being silly. Like, not 'ha-ha' silly, but silly in that she'll come to her senses and realize she's being ridiculous. Come here.” Pinkie spread her legs out wide. “Give Auntie Pinkie a hug.” Pinkie zoomed over, embracing Twilight. Twilight rested her head on Pinkie's shoulder, wiping a tear from her eye. “T-thank you, Pinkie Pie ...” Zapp hung up the phone, her hoof lingering on it. She thought about calling Twilight back. About telling she'd changed her mind and was going to come home right away. A shadow fell over her. Zapp turned around and was startled by the presence of the Mane-iac. “Ah! Mane-iac. What a … surprise to see you here.” “Cut the act. I heard the whole thing.” The Mane-iac said, her hooves crossed. The passing cars on the street, to Zapp's internal thanks, didn't seem to notice there was a wanted supervillain on the sidewalk. Zapp had enough to deal with already without a concerned passer-by calling the proper authorities. Zapp looked up at the skyscraper they were sitting on. “How did you get down from all the way up there?” "I climbed." The Mane-iac answered. "You know, with my tentacles? So … needed to use the fillies' room, huh?" The Mane-iac carried herself on her tentacles closer to Zapp, invading Zapp's personal space. "Just couldn't resist, could you?" "Well ... yeah." Zapp said. "I'm a superhero, Mane-iac! I had to do something ... what was I supposed to do, just sit by and let you get away with your evil plan? What kind of Power Pony would I be if l let that happen?" "Of course. I should have known ..." Mane-iac sighed. "You know, Zapp, when I said I was trusting you to do the right thing, I meant the right thing for me." "But ... Tresemme." Zapp looked at the concrete ground. "I don't know what's right for anypony anymore ..." At the mansion, the other ponies had joined in on giving Twilight a hug, thus graduating it to a group hug. Twilight slowly untangled and unwound herself from the collection of affectionate legs. “Feeling better?” Applejack asked. “Yes.” Even so, Twilight dabbed at her moist eye. “A little bit. Rainbow Dash must have been brainwashed by the Mane-iac somehow. Why else would she not want to come home?” Everypony averted their gaze from Twilight's. Applejack made one of those faux-innocent whistles while Rarity made uncertain noises. There were two possibilities; either the Mane-iac brainwashed Rainbow Dash … or Rainbow Dash really had fallen in love with her. Which would make sense, as they knew the Mane-iac was Tresemme, and Dash had been head-over-heels for Tresemme … They each had an odd mixture of denial and wishful thinking. They'd hoped the Mane-iac had brainwashed Rainbow Dash. It wouldn't be easy to deal with, but it would be simpler. All they would have to do is beat up the Mane-iac and make her undo her brainwashing. But if Rainbow Dash's love was true? As true as for the Mane-iac as it was for Tresemme? If one of their teammates was genuinely, madly in love with a supervillain, well … they didn't know what they would do. Twilight saw, through the window, the sun setting over their beloved city of Maretropolis. “Come on.” Twilight said. “It's going to be dark soon. We should go out and search for Rainbow Dash while we still have some light left.” Twilight Sparkle's brain birthed an idea. “We should let the public know something's wrong with the Power Ponies. Put out a bulletin. Set up a number so anypony who sees anything that might be related to Zapp can call us.” “Right!” The rest of the ponies saluted. Twilight, out of force of habit, made a commanding gesture towards the door. “Power Ponies, move out!” The girls put on their costumes and masks. They called the news stations and instructed them on the bulletin. Spreading out the word they were down a pony, they set off into the big city, even while the sun fell further in the darkening sky. Despite a close connection to Princess Celestia and a skepticism in certain fields of magic such as fortune-telling, Twilight felt the sun was rather ominous. As if they couldn't find Rainbow Dash in what few remaining hours of sunlight they had, she would be lost forever. Twilight refused to be distracted by this feeling and resolved to search every corner of the city. “Okay ...” Matter-horn said. “We know Zapp and Mane-iac were last seen around Tresemme's apartment, so we should start our search from there, using a radius.” “But Matter-horn!” Radiance cried. “It's been hours! Zapp could be anywhere in the city by now – perhaps even out from the city.” Matter-horn shook her head. “No. Zapp's been shaken up. She might fly away to avoid us, but she's going to stick to places she knows are familiar.” In an almost – nay, utterly – unbelievable stroke of luck, a mare walked up to them. “Power Ponies!” The Power Ponies cleared their throats and held their chins up high. “What can we do for you, fair citizen?” “I heard about your bulletin about Zapp going AWOL, and, well … I think I may have seen her!” The mare exclaimed. “There was this really fast blur which could have been her. She was heading for a construction site.” “What do you think, girls?” Matter-horn asked. “A good lead, or a false positive?” “I have my doubts.” Radiance said. “Also, there was this big mess of green and purple hanging off her side.” The mare said. “I'm not sure what's up with that.” “That's her!” Matter-horn exclaimed, realizing the green and purple was the Mane-iac as Zapp's passenger. “Come on, team! We know where to find Zapp!” “Here we go.” Zapp flew in and rested the Mane-iac on a steel i-beam. “City ordinance prevents construction from going on at night, so we should be safe here. For a while, anyway.” Zapp sat down on the i-beam next to Mane-iac. “Now, what do you want to talk about first? Our relationship? Whose side we're on? Where we're going to live?” “Um, well … hmm.” The Mane-iac said, posturing and making idle gestures. “Tresemme, quit stalling.” The Mane-iac sighed. She opened her mouth to speak, interrupted by the sound of a small clinking. In truth, she was thankful for the distraction. “Did you hear that?” Zapp rolled her eyes, smacking a hoof into her face. “Tresemme, I said quit -” “No!” Mane-iac said. “Listen, I'm a supervillain. I know random, small clinking sounds means superheroes are trying to sneak up on you!” “Well, I suppose since she knows we're here, there's not any point in hiding.” Matter-horn emerged from the shadows, followed by the rest of the Power Ponies. “Zapp? Would you come down here so we can talk?” “I won't come down there ...” Zapp said, leaning over the edge of the i-beam. “But I will talk. What do you want?” Matter-horn shook her head and sighed. “Zapp, please. Come back to the base with us.” Zapp looked at the Power Ponies, at her friends, and looked to the Mane-iac. The Mane-iac shook her head. “Guys?” Zapp said. “Would you let the Mane-iac and I talk for a bit longer? We still haven't worked out all the … kinks in our relationship.” Matter-horn facehooved. “And you won't! It'll never work between you, Zapp. You're a hero. She's a villain! You care about other ponies … even if you're not always the best at showing it. But the Mane-iac – the Mane-iac doesn't care about anypony other than herself and maybe the rest of the Sinful Six. Every minute you spend with her is another minute she can manipulate you into thinking her way of life is right, when you and I both know it's wrong." “We beseech you!” Fili-Second ran in front of Matter-horn, talking in a dramatic, theatrical voice. “Abandon this folly crusade, fellow knight!” This gave Fili-Second some well-deserved looks from everypony present. “What?” Fili-Second said. “I had to take a theater in class to graduate in rock-farming college.” “Rock-farming college?” Matter-horn shook her head. “Never mind. I don't want to know.” “Well … sorry, guys, but it looks like you'll be going home without me.” Zapp rolled and laid her head on the i-beam. “I'm not going anywhere until the Mane-iac and I have a chance to talk about about a few things … which, granted, would be going easier if she would quit avoiding the subject!” Zapp shot Mane-iac a glare, who responded with a shrug and sheepish grin. Matter-horn closed her eyes, sighing. “Well, I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but I see now I have no choice.” Zapp was taken aback when a beam of pure heat narrowly missed scorching her belly and singing the i-beam she was on. “Whoa! What-?” Zapp rolled over to see the rest of the Power Ponies – of her teammates, of her friends, rearing up to fight to bring her back. Zapp flew off the i-beam and landed in front of Matter-horn. “Whoa! Guys, what do you think you're doing?” Zapp watched and could do nothing as Fili-Second ran up the unfinished construction, and with expert skill Zapp didn't think Fili-Second possessed, came up behind Mane-iac and wrapped her hooves around the Mane-iac, restraining her for the fight to come. “We're sorry, Zapp.” Matter-horn said. “But your refusal to come home lends weight to our belief that the Mane-iac has brainwashed you.” “I'm not brainwashed!” Zapp jumped to the side to avoid a weak icy beam from Matter-horn. It was obvious to Zapp their intent was to capture, not inure her. “The Mane-iac hasn't brainwashed me. Isn't that right, Mane-iac?” The Mane-iac let out a sheepish chuckle. “Okay, well … technically, that's not completely true.” “What?” Zapp stopped dead in her trackes. “What do you mean by that?” “Oh, it's nothing, really.” The Mane-iac said. “Tresemme, what did you do?” Zapp dodged an attempt by Mare-velous to tie her up. “Okay, well … I may have brainwashed you a little bit while using you as a test subject for my brainwashing shampoo.” “You did WHAT?” Zapp yelled, flying up to avoid the immaterial claws Radiance summoned, using them to try to catch Zapp and imprison her. “What else did you do to me?” “Nothing!” The Mane-iac insisted, like a child denying they had gotten into the cookie jar … while chocolate crumbs were tumbling down their cheeks. “I didn't even know you were a Power Pony at the time! If I had, well, things might have gone a bit differently!” Zapp gave the Mane-iac a glare. “Would you excuse me?” Zapp asked as she barrel-rolled out of the way from yet another beam fired from Matter-horn. “I think my girlfriend and I need to talk about how brainwashing your partner is not okay.” Disregarding the anguished look of rage on Matter-horn's face, Zapp flew up to rescue the Mane-iac from Fili-Second's clutches. “Forget it, Zapp!” Fili-Second pulled the Mane-iac and held off her to one side. “I'm not letting the Mane-iac go!” “Well ...” The Mane-iac chuckled. “I've been compliant since I can see you needed to talk with your friends, Zapp, but if this is the part where we make our daring escape ...” The Mane-iac raised up the hair tentacles, lashing Fili-Second on the back. “Yowch!” Fili-Second let go to rub her stinging back. “That's gonna leave a mark!” The Mane-iac smirked, looping a tentacle around Fili-Second's mid-section. Mane-iac lifted Fili-Second up and tossed her to the ground, where the other Power Ponies gathered around to catch her and cushion her fall. The Mane-iac, still smirking, spread her front legs out wide as she awaited rescue by Zapp, her prince in shining armor. Zapp grumbled about her girlfriend's massive ego, failing to realize the hypocrisy inherent in such a thought, but nevertheless scooped the Mane-iac up and flew away, headed for another destination. “Zapp?” Taking a second to ensure Fili-Second was safe and sound, Matter-horn got out from the pile and chased after Zapp. “Zapp, come back here! We're not finished with you! Zapp? Zapp!” Matter-horn ground her teeth, her temper about to reach a boiling point. “RAINBOW DASH!” Matter-horn screamed. Her rage boiled over and reached a breaking point, allowing for an explosive pillar of LAVA and VOLCANIC ROCK to BURST OUT from her horn! “YOU GET BACK HERE!” The volcanic beam sprayed about, some of the lava coming to rest on the ground. Some of it hit the construction and melted through the vulnerable, exposed metal. She may have been a superhero, but the city government was going to tax Matter-horn for the damage when it found out. The Mane-iac raised an eyebrow as Zapp moved left and right to avoid the smoldering rocks Matter-horn sent after them. "It's a good thing I already know your secret identity or her little slip-up just now would have been quite the bad thing. Did you know she could shoot out beams of lava? Not just heat, but actual lava?" “I don't think she knew she could shoot out beams of lava until just now.” Zapp replied, forging ahead with her flight path while Matter-horn fumed and the other Power Ponies shot various glares, ranging from anger, to disapproval, to sadness. “I know there's a hotel near here.” The Mane-iac said. “We can crash there for the night.” “A hotel? Really? How are we going to check in?" "Oh, trust me. I know how to get us in." "It's not anything illegal, is it?" "No!" Begrudgingly, Zapp flew to the hotel under the Mane-iac's direction, flying slow to avoid drawing attention to them. At Mane-iac's behest, Zapp flew into the trimmed hedges lining the front of the hotel so they could hide. “Let me handle this.” The Mane-iac said. In seconds, she changed, shrinking back to Tresemme's relative petite form, her hair reducing in length and shifting to its blue color. She grunted during the transformation, leading Zapp to wonder if it was painful for Tresemme to change forms. Perhaps she had to force the change? Tresemme beckoned for Zapp to follow her inside the hotel. Inside, the couple walked up to the desk, Tresemme leading. “Hello!” Tresemme said, drawing the attention of the bellhop. Zapp's heart came close to melting at the sound. Oh, Zapp didn't realize how she longed to hear Tresemme's soft, calm voice. She much preferred it over the Mane-iac's unhinged cackles. The bellhop, with disinterest painted over his face, put down the magazine he was reading. “What do you want?” “We would like to rent a room.” Tresemme said. “Just for the night.” Tresemme produced a handful of bits and placed them on the desk. The bellhop reached to take them, halting before he accepted his payment. “Pardon me, but I can't help but notice your friend is dressed funny ...” Zapp's eyes widened in panic, and she reached for her amulet. Tresemme bumped a hoof into Zapp's shoulder, attempting to discourage Zapp from whatever rash action she was about to undertake. “Yes, well, you see … we're on our way to a convention. She decided to dress up. I didn't.” “Uh huh.” The bellhop appeared satisfied with their explanation, moving to rake the bits in once more. Finally. Zapp thought. To the internal frustration of Zapp, the bellboy stopped again. “Hey. Even if you are just going to rest for the night, shouldn't you have some luggage?” Oh, come on. Zapp thought, on the verge of whipping out her amulet and giving the bellboy a hundred-megawatt lightning bolt to the face as the answer to all of his current questions and any future questions he might have. He's perceptive! Tresemme admitted in her thoughts. “It's in the car.” Tresemme told him. The bellboy's muted expression suggested he was less satisfied with this explanation than he was with the first one they gave him, but he didn't care enough to turn this into an impromptu interrogation session, much as Zapp suspected he was. “All right.” He swept the bits off the desk, put them in the register, and handed them a key. “Your room key. Your number is the one printed on the side.” “Thank you, sir.” Tresemme flipped another bit onto the table as a tip, which brought a smile to the bellboy's dour face. Showing a much improved attitude, he waved at them as they entered the elevator and headed for the second floor. The pair entered their room. “Finally, I can quit wearing this stupid outfit.” Zapp remarked the second Tresemme closed the door behind them. Rainbow Dash undid the knots on the sheets and tossed them to the floor. The unfortunate bedding made an excellent target for Dash's peaking frustration, accumulated from all the various sources of various problems going on in her life right now. She made the sheets her own personal stomping ground. “Oh, Rainbow Dash.” Tresemme whined. “We could have used those sheets for extra bedding.” Rainbow Dash quit stomping and sighed. “I'm sorry, Tresemme. I'm just so … mad!” Dash proved this by stomping on the sheets again, even though at this point, there was no need for proving anything. “Everything I've tried to do today has gone wrong. I feel so … so weak and helpless. I hate feeling weak and helpless!” “Ooh.” Tresemme cooed, her quite voice having a soothing effect on Rainbow Dash's torn heart, something Dash welcomed with open hooves. “My poor darling.” Tresemme snuggled up against Rainbow Dash, resting her muzzle on Dash's chest. Rainbow Dash chuckled, enjoying Tresemme's comforting touch. “Heh. Thanks.” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, taking a moment to revel in the silence, in the warmth and comfort of this precious time they had together with no one to bother them. No vigilantes, no villains, nothing but the two of them … quiet and together, as a loving couple should be. “Mmm ...” Tresemme smiled, snuggling further into Dash's chest. “It's so nice to have some peace and quiet … I wish this moment could last forever.” “Yeah. Me too.” Rainbow Dash hooked a leg around Tresemme's back. “But it can't.” Rainbow Dash pushed Tresemme, leaving Tresemme to pout. “We need to talk about the fact you may have brainwashed me.” Tresemme's eyes opened wide. “When did you do it, how did you do it, and what did you do to me, specifically?” “I, uh ...” Tresemme scratched her chin, looking around the room for something to distract Rainbow Dash with. She didn't want to talk about this. In truth, Rainbow Dash didn't, either, but Rainbow Dash realized they needed to talk and they needed to make some changes if this relationship was going to last. Tresemme … was not quite yet willing to take the same step. Remembering they were in a hotel, Tresemme kept an eye for the door to the restroom. She found it and smirked. “Tresemme.” Rainbow Dash warned. “I'm waiting.” “Tell you what.” Tresemme put her hooves on Rainbow Dash's cheeks. “Why don't I show you what I did to you? In the shower?” “The shower?” Rainbow Dash asked, becoming annoyed with Tresemme even as she felt her body heat flare up. “Tresemme, this is no time for-” “Don't you want to take a shower with me?” Tresemme asked, activating Rainbow Dash's trigger word. Rainbow Dash shuddered and closed her eyes, experiencing an unpleasant, striking contrast between two different aspects of herself. Her body felt warm, while her mind was going cold and empty, as though someone placed an Arctic bunker with the door open inside of her head, blowing out icy winds to freeze over her brain, giving her what some might call the greatest brain freeze ever known. When Dash opened her eyes again, they were blank and glassy. “I would … love to take a shower with you, Tresemme.” Chuckling, Tresemme dragged Rainbow Dash into the shower, shifting into the Mane-iac on the way in. Once inside the tub, the Mane-iac used her tentacle to turn the shower on, aiming it at Rainbow Dash. The Mane-iac's coiled two tentacles around Dash's front legs, lifting them up and binding Dash as if she was tied to a dungeon wall – and the Mane-iac served as the wall. With the shower going, the blistering water built up heat and steam. When the steam and mist rose to the point their lower bodies were hidden from view, the Mane-iac went ahead and plunged a tentacle into Dash's eager, receptive entrance, pleasuring Dash the same way the Mane-iac did the first time they were in a shower together. With Rainbow Dash moaning, the Mane-iac began to talk over Rainbow Dash's enthralled screams of pleasure. “This is what I did to you, Rainbow Dash.” The Mane-iac. “I made it so whenever Tresemme asked you to take a shower, you would say yes … and so you would be aroused by the idea of having my tendrils wrapped around you, hmmhmm.” The Mane-iac chuckled, though her amusement didn't last. She cast a somber gaze to the bathroom tiling. “I'm … sorry about avoiding the issue.” The Mane-iac said. “Things kept getting in the way, like when you made that phone call. Or those pesky Power Brats getting in our way.” The Mane-iac snarled, her expression fading quickly into one more apologetic. “I'm sorry … I know I shouldn't talk about your friends that way. Or even when I ... actively avoided the topic. I'm sorry. I realize I shouldn't have avoided it so much. I know that. I guess I just … wasn't ready to talk yet. I'd rather keep things simple, and this ...” The Mane-iac shook her head. “Is not simple. I thought if I kept avoiding talking about it, we could make it simple, but … I should have been mature enough to know that was never going to work.” She hung her head. “Give me some time to collect my thoughts, and when we're done here, we'll talk about it. Really. I promise.” The Mane-iac chortled. “You know, when you're a supervillain, you get used to things going your way, without any consideration for anypony else.” She let out a sigh. “The truth is, Rainbow Dash, I don't know what we're going to do … but if I had my way, you would defect to my side. There are plenty of benefits! You could hang out with me, meet my friends, and we have a great dental plan!” The Mane-iac laughed airily. “All right, maybe not that last one, but still ...” “You know ...” The Mane-iac ran a hoof through Rainbow Dash's mane. “If I wanted to, I could just brainwash you into defecting.” “So – so why don't you?” Rainbow Dash asked, regaining a small amount of motor control, enough to question the oddity of why the Mane-iac wouldn't take the easy way out of the situation. “Because.” The Mane-iac said. “I want you to have some say in the matter. If I just brainwash you outright, the other Power Ponies are going to give you this speech about this isn't who you really are and how I'm just using you. Blah blah blah, FRIENDSHIP, blah blah blah, MAGIC and everything goes back to the way it was.” The Mane-iac chuckled while she stroked Rainbow Dash's mane a little more. “But if you were to choose to side with me … if you were to choose to be evil … if you were to choose to let my brainwash you, well … that's another story.” The Mane-iac looked up at the showerhead, noticing the water beginning to turn cold and fridges. The hotel must have set a limit on how much hot water each individual room could use to keep costs down. “All right, well, I think we're done here. Just a little bit of this and ...” “OOOOOOH!” Rainbow Dash's glassy eyes rolled backwards into her skull, the Mane-iac's tentacle wriggling and writing inside, rubbing her insides in ways which felt so good to her. Rainbow Dash suffered through a wonderful, intense orgasm, which had the side-effect of releasing her from her trance. “Mane-iac?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What-what happened?” She rubbed her head, trying to remember the details of their conversation … and how they ended up in the shower together. “Oh.” The Mane-iac chuckled. “Funny story. See, you asked me to explain to what I did to brainwash you, and I got nervous, so I … tried to show you instead.” The Mane-iac flashed a big, compensating grin. “It … didn't work, did it?” Rainbow Dash let her displeasure with this explanation be known with a big frown. The Mane-iac rubbed her forehead. “Okay. Here's what I did. The first time we took a shower together, I conditioned you to always say 'yes' when I – or rather, Tresemme, asked you for a shower, and for you to always get aroused when at the mention of tentacles.” Per her condition, Rainbow Dash blushed as the word 'tentacles' let to an influx of internal body heat. “It seemed much less problematic when I didn't know you were a Power Pony!” The Mane-iac quickly said. “Speaking of which, you really should wear more than just a helmet. I mean, seriously. Even Matter-horn wears a visor, at the least. Or me, for example! I don't just wear a mask, I physically alter my body!” “Listen, Mane-iac ...” Rainbow Dash got up from the tub. “I'm not sure I'm comfortable knowing you brainwashed me. Can't you, like, undo the brainwashing? Or brainwash me into … not being brainwashed?” “Oh, don't even suggest that.” The Mane-iac held her head, her eyes rolling. “I'm getting dizzy just trying to think about how that would work.” Rainbow Dash looked around the room. The tub was still hot, and she could tell the curtains were disturbed from their natural position. “You know? Looking around this room, I have a sneaking suspicion you used the triggers you put in me to avoid talking about our problems … again!” The Mane-iac chuckled. “Well, that's … half-true. I did talk about it. Sort of.” Rainbow Dash shook her with disapproval. “Mane-iac, you can't keep using sex to avoid talking about our issues. I know, as a supervillain, talking about issues – even having issues is a foreign idea to you, but -” “Excuse me?” The Mane-iac interrupted. “You think just because I'm a supervillain, I don't have issues? What about BEING a supervillain? Is that an issue enough for you? Do you know what it's like to be a villain the way I am? I can't stop to smell the roses. I can't sit down and enjoy the growth of a relationship and let it blossom naturally. When I'm Tresemme, I have to rush to enjoy everything today, because I know the Mane-iac could wipe it all out tomorrow. Do you realize how hard it is to file your taxes when there's another side of that's going, 'you know, if I managed to take over the city, I wouldn't have to do this'? So DON'T tell me that I don't know about issues.” The Mane-iac snarled and hissed, baring her teeth at Rainbow Dash. With a shocked expression, Rainbow Dash backed away, holding one leg up for defense. “Gosh, Tresemme … I'm sorry. I didn't know.” The Mane-iac took in a deep breath. “It's all right. I shouldn't be mad at you. You just … struck a nerve.” Rainbow Dash scraped a hoof. “You know … you're still avoiding our major problem, though.” The Mane-iac nodded. “Yes, yes, I know. If you'll come to the bed and give me a moment to collect my thoughts … I'll be ready to talk.” The Mane-iac stepped out of the bathtub and gestured Rainbow Dash to the door. The Mane-iac moved to let Rainbow Dash pass through and followed behind her. The sad, quiet click of the bathroom door seemed a nice reflection of their mood. Meanwhile, at the Power Ponies' base … hidden inside a secret compartment, as superheroes are wont to use, a room with a large, round table was used to bear hosts to meetings between the Power Ponies to make all of their major decisions. As the table did now, serving its purposes. The decisions made here not to be taken lightly. Decisions with lasting repercussions, the consequences of which could prove to be beneficial ... or catastrophic for years to come, for which future generations would blame the Power Ponies for their state of ruin. More than a few times, they had to explain to Radiance the kind of dress she wanted to force Mare-velous into was not one of these decisions. Even Spike, dressed up as their bumbling side-kick Hum-Drum, had been invited. “I'm sure I don't need to tell you why I've called you all here today.” Matter-horn rested her hooves on the table. “But just in case anypony needs a reminder, I'll say it. We are here today to discuss what should be done about our rogue member, Zapp, last seen in the company of the Mane-iac. Specifically, we are here to discuss where Zapp is … recoverable, just confused and in need of somepony to light her way or … if we should consider her gone forever, as the Mane-iac's thrall. It has been witnessed that the Mane-iac, and I quote, 'brainwashed her a little bit.'” The Power Ponies shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Radiance made a grimace, ignoring Hum-Drum's futile efforts to flirt with her. Fili-Second scratched her head. “Given the nature of the problem,” Matter-horn went on to say, “I took the liberty of calling in help, should we prove too close to this case. I've called the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well and briefed her. She should be here any second now … yup.” Matter-horn gave a uneasy look to the empty chairs set out Mare-Do-Well and her sidekick. “Any second now. Any ...” Matter-horn's repetitive mantra proved unnecessary for further repetition. A cloud of dark-blue smoke exploded from the air, covering the chairs and causing the Power Ponies to cough and swipe the air. When it cleared, Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do were in their chairs. “Goodness, darling!” Radiance said. “Couldn't you use a better-smelling chemical for your smoke bombs?” “They're not designed to brighten the room. They are, in fact, designed to do the exact opposite of that. They are designed to make a room very, very dark." Daring Do said. "My apologies for my tardiness.” Mare-Do-Well said. “Normally, I pride myself on my punctuality, but traffic was terrible.” “Traffic?” Matter-horn raised an eyebrow. “You travel by using smoke bombs to disappear and reappear. How can you have traffic? How many superheroes are there who get to places by throwing smoke bombs and disappearing? Never mind, that's not important right now.” Matter-horn slammed a hoof on the table. “What is important is that we figure out what to do about Zapp.” “Zapp.” Daring Do raked her brain for details. “Oh, Zapp! Wasn't she the one who kept you from apprehending the Mane-iac, Mare-Do-Well?" “I'm sure she had her reasons, Daring Do.” Mare-Do-Well said. “I don't understand any of them, but I'm sure she had them.” “Well … she may have been brainwashed.” Radiance turned her head, wincing as she feared what Mare-Do-Well and Daring's response was going to be. “What?” Daring Do slammed her hooves on the table. “Why didn't you tell us that earlier? We could have captured her for you!” “Darlings, we didn't know ourselves until earlier today!” Radiance said. “Besides.” Mare-velous said. “She was only brainwashed 'a little bit.' I'm not sure what that means or what difference it makes, but Ah feel it's sumthin we should take into consideration.” Matter-horn nodded. “Agreed. Now, does anypony have any ideas?” “Oh! Oh! I know!” Fili-Second raised a hoof … and raised and raised up, somehow using her innate Pinkie-ness to defy gravity, lifting up in the air. In line with the laws of cartoon physics, she didn't start falling until she looked down and realized she was no longer supported by solid ground, whereupon she fell over onto the table with a CLANK, stiff as a board. “We could browse through the archives and see if the Originals ever faced a problem like the one we're having now, and what they did about it!” The mention of the Originals summoned a chilled air into the room, bringing up saddened thoughts of the past and inhibiting the ability of the Power Ponies to make positive thoughts for the future. Daring Do scoffed. “You guys … don't you get it? Zapp may be gone already, and you need to start preparing for the possibility she's never coming back.” “Daring!” Mare-Do-Well told Daring off. “While you know that preparation is a quality I admire, we must remain optimistic and keep our minds - and our hearts - open to the idea Zapp can still be saved.” Daring Do scoffed again. “Yeah, sure, whatever.” Daring pushed her chair out and climbed out from it. “I'm done here.” She walked three-quarters of the way towards the normal entrance before pulling out a smoke bomb. She chucked it to the ground, releasing the sphere's polluting contents, and the smoke overtook her body, obscuring it from view. When the smoke cleared, it was as if Daring Do had simply faded into nothingness! “Please forgive my sidekick.” Mare-Do-Well said. “I imagine she's still carrying some resentment towards Zapp for interfering with my attempted arrest of the Mane-iac, as well as some … other things.” Mare-Do-Well turned to the entrance where Daring Do was before she triggered the smoke bomb. “I hope she doesn't go out and do something stupid … ” “Aww.” Saddle Rager said. “Don't say 'stupid,' Mare-Do-Well. That's not a nice word to use for your sidekick.” “You're right, Saddle Rager. My apologies. I should say I hope Daring doesn't do anything … ill-advised.” By all appearances, Rainbow Dash consented to sit in front of the Mane-iac and let her brush her mane with a hairbrush given by the hotel staff. Appearances were deceiving, though, as it was less consenting and more relenting after enduring an endless series of desperate pleas from the Mane-iac to let her play with Rainbow Dash's “beautiful hair.” “Okay, okay, that's enough.” Rainbow Dash swatted at the Mane-iac's tentacle, batting it aside. Rainbow Dash pushed herself up, throwing herself over the side of the bed, and paced back and forth. The weight of her uncertainty about her future – about their future – pressed down on her atheletic shoulders like a crushing plate from a scrapyard, sinking down to crush accumulated detritus into compact, easily-disposed cubes. “What are we gonna do?” Rainbow Dash asked. She paced for a few scant moments more, coming to a dead stop in front of the window. She exchanged glances with her reflection before moving up to observe the moon. “I guess ... I guess we're just gonna have to strike out on our own.” “Strike out on our own?” The Mane-iac asked. “What do you mean by that?” “I mean strike out and form our own faction.” Rainbow Dash zipped over to the Mane-iac's side, embracing her in a tight hug. “Without any of those other ponies. Think about it. No more Power Ponies and no more Sinful Six bothering us! Just you and me against the world!” Dash swept a hoof through the air. The Mane-iac chuckled. "That's not a bad idea … well, it's not the worst idea we've come up with today. But I have another idea. One that might make things easier on both of us." The Mane-iac wriggled one of her tentacles around her body and produced a shampoo bottle from her person. Rainbow Dash failed to recognize the bottle for what it was. “What's … this?” “Do you remember what I said earlier about it being a different story if you were to choose to let me brainwash you?” The Mane-iac asked, chuckling as she handed the bottle to Rainbow Dash. “No, I suppose not, since you were under my control at the time.” Dash realized what the bottle was. “This is ...” “My brainwashing shampoo, yes.” The Mane-iac confirmed. “Like I said earlier, I want you to have a say in the matter. Rainbow Dash, I want you to make a CHOICE." “Either you can either defect to my side of your own volition.” The Mane-iac said. “You can attempt to arrest me and bring me in chains to your fellow Power Ponies as an apology present … OR – and this my personal favorite of the options – you can let me use the shampoo to brainwash you further, making you into my slave and under my control … freeing you from that pesky burden of responsibility for your decisions.” The Mane-iac crossed her legs and sat back, smirking. “The choice is yours.” Rainbow Dash held the shampoo bottle in her hooves, weighing the pros and cons of the idea. On one hoof, it would be nice and easy to submit and let the Mane-iac brainwash into a mindless slave, leaving her mind blank and free of the tenuous stress of having to make a decision for herself. On the other hoof, if she decided to go this route, was she not complicit? If she let the Mane-iac, if she allowed the Mane-iac to manipulate her mind and control her thoughts, was she not accessory to the crime? Was she not culpable in her own right for the fact she refused her responsibility as an adult and let somepony else make her decisions for her? Would she not be guilty of some grand crime against her own autonomy? What would her friends think if they found out she choose to her mind wiped clean, rather than face the consequences of her actions she made while her mind was still her own? Rainbow Dash put the bottle down on the floor. To the Mane-iac's wide-grinned delight and excitement, Rainbow Dash flipped the lid open. Rainbow Dash held her shaky hoof over the bottle, still at war with herself if she should go through it. She closed the lid. Which, in turn, made the Mane-iac pout. Rainbow Dash sighed, placing a hoof to her head. She removed the hoof and locked eyes with the Mane-iac. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and shook her head, moved by the Mane-iac's gaze, crying out for her to take the shampoo. Rainbow Dash opened the bottle again … before closing it again. Wracked with indecision, Rainbow Dash repeated this motion for several hours. Until ... Author's Note When writing Mare-Do-Well's dialogue, I sort of imagined her as sounding like the Adam West Batman … even though Adam West is a male while Mare-Do-Well is a female. I wanted to portray as the Mane-iac is trying to make the relationship work in her own, special little way when she 'tests' Rainbow Dash and offers up the choice at the end of the chapter, but I think in the end result, she just comes across as demanding. What do you think? Also, is there enough comic-book narration in this chapter? I know I can't write it ALL DRAMATIC ALL THE TIME, but still. I've also begun to feel like I've taken this story ... off-track? It doesn't quite seem like the story DarknessRising had in mind when he came up with it. I imagine he was thinking more along the lines of brainwashed, mind control hijinks, but this has taken a turn for the dramatic. Which, granted, can still be done humorously, but I didn't think to try writing it that way. Oh well. Issue 6: In The Medusa's Grasp Issue 6 Solicit: BREAKAWAY! The Power Ponies are in disarray, as none of them can agree of what to do about Rainbow Dash's forbidden love. But it may be Rainbow Dash's own decision that proves the most devastating! THE Remainder of the Sinful Six withdrew to their sinful headquarters, sullen and moody at the recent and unexpected turn of events, which for all their experience with villainy and petty crimes, they never could have predicted. “What do we do now?” Phetlocke shared his musings with his teammates. “We can't be the Sinful Six when there's only … five of us.” “Yeah!” High Heel, taking on a bitter and baleful visage, grasped a shampoo bottle – the leftovers of the Mane-iac's brainwashing scheme, which would the five of the six now feared might never come to fruition, in spite of all their hard labor to see the Mane-iac's will done. “What are we supposed to do with all of these shampoo bottles?” High Heel displayed all the callousness expected of a costumed crook when she soon tossed the bottle aside. “How do we do a hair-themed plan without our hair-themed villain? I mean, at least with the fact Mane-iac's mane was made of tentacles, you could stretch the definition and include both hair and tentacle-based schemes! Look at me! I'm just shoe-themed. Do you how many crimes you can pull off when you base them around shoes? I'm lucky if I can get sidewalk gum to stick to somepony's foot … ” “Not to mention she was kind of crazy, so adherence to her “theme” didn't always matter to her.” Phetlocke said. “Oh, curse that accursed Power Pony! She must be messing with Mane-iac's head. She must be! Probably lying to her and tricking her into becoming a do-gooder.” The collective villains closed their eyes and winced, imagining a corrupted version of their dear Mane-iac running around with the Power Ponies. Dying her hair pink and switching to a lighter, more friendly white costume to reflect her change to the side of good … To show his disgust for the idea, Phetlocke spit on the ground. “Oh, just the thought of it alone makes me sick!” Long Face wiped away a tear, the leak from his tear duct colored black by his make-up. “I miss her already.” “Are you fretting, my dear companions?” The Sinful Five turned their eyes to the door, which opened up, pushed aside by the Mane-iac's tentacles. The Mane-iac walked into the room on her tentacles, each strand of hair hitting the ground like the sinewy, hairy leg of a venomous tarantula. “Well, fret no more!” The Mane-iac announced to the room. “I'm back … and ... I've brought us a friend.” The Mane-iac skittered to the side. “Presenting our newest member … ZAPP!” The former Power Pony, Zapp, followed after the Mane-iac. In a complete inversion to what the rest of the villains were imagining just moments prior, it was Zapp, not the Mane-iac, who had changed costumes into darker hues ... hues more foreboding ... hues more menacing!. The dark blue was replaced by purple, the yellow thunderbolt pattens recolored red, and the once pure-white bottoms of the costume were a soulless black. “Zapp?” Long Face asked. “But she's a Power Pony! How do we know we can trust her?” “Oh, you can trust her.” The Mane-iac reached a tentacle under Zapp's chin and stroked it. “Isn't that right, Zapp?” Zapp wore a blank expression on her face, though it was difficult to say for certain whether it was because she had her doubts about being here … or if, perhaps, the effects of Mane-iac's brainwashing shampoo had washed away her ability to express emotion. “Now, everypony ...” The Mane-iac chuckled and guffawed, her pupils dilating to show her sheer madness. “I do believe it's time for a night out on the town!” In an ordinary street of the city, average citizens were going about their average day, frequenting an antique mom-and-pop dollar store for its wares. WHEN SUDDENLY … The Sinful Six struck, descending from the rooftops like lightning bolts moments before those selfsame bolts struck the treetops and beget a fire in the forest! The citizens could do little beside stare in transfixed horror as the vile villains hopped off the edge of a building and hit the ground. “Aah! Somepony call the Power Ponies!” A stallion screamed. “It's the Sinful Six!” The Mane-iac, hearing his screams, let out a dark chuckle. “My good sir, haven't you heard the news? We're the Sinful SEVEN now.” “Seven?” “Yes.” The Mane-iac reached over, looping a tentacle around Zapp and bringing the turncoat to her chest, holding her like a doll for the ponies to see. “We have a new member.” Zapp shirked, biting her lip and looking very much like she didn't want to be here. “So … now that you have a new number, you're calling yourselves the Sinful Seven?” The stallion asked. “Yes? Why? Is there a problem with that?” “Well, what happens if you get another member? You can't keep calling yourselves 'Sinful' because then you would lose your alliteration!” The stallion shook his head. “Your precious, precious alliteration...” “Ah, we'll just change the name to the Evil Eight.” The Mane-iac said. “Okay … but what if you get another member after that?” “The Nefarious Nine.” “Ten?” “The ...” Trying to come up with a synonym for evil, or at least a sinister word, the Mane-iac became stumped on this one. “Tempestuous Ten?” “Eh.” Long Face shrugged. “That's a bit of a stretch.” “Enough!” The Mane-iac took her tentacles and swiped along the street, batting the curious stallion away. Mane-iac didn't notice Zapp wince as the innocent pony was sent bouncing along the asphalt like a child's lost ball. “We didn't come here to discuss names. Into the store! Quickly!” The Sinful Seven rushed inside the store, pushing away the glass doors without any grace or finesse. They didn't care if they broke the windows and made a mess of the place. What the Seven failed to realize, fruitless though the stallion's questions may have been, he had – wittingly or not – provided a distraction for another mare, allowing her to sneak her way to pay phone. The same mare, in fact, who gave them the tip about witnessing Zapp. “Hello, Power Ponies? Listen, the Mane-iac and her goons are attacking a nearby store.” Inside the store, the Mane-Iac did not suffer from her group any tardiness in reaching their goal. The soaps and bath aisle of the store, where all-organic shampoos were sold. “Please!” A colt behind the register begged, holding onto his wife. “Don't hurt us! Just take what you want and go!” “Hurry!” The Mane-iac commanded her group to begin ransacking the shelves, ignoring the cowering old couple. The Mane-iac lashed out with her tendrils, grabbing shampoo bottles, opening them, and pouring them on the floor. Long Face and Shadowmane clawed at the shelves, sending bottles flying everywhere, while High Heel and Phetlock used a show and an Egyptian scepter to rake along the shelves as if they were farming with sickles, knocking several bottles down at once. Zapp, on the other hoof, hesitantly picked up a bottle, examined, and gingerly set it down on the floor, letting it roll away. The other villains didn't notice, too preoccupied with carrying out their own rampant vandalism. Holding a shampoo bottle in her tentacle, the Mane-iac sighed. “To some extent, it pains me to see so much all-organic shampoo go to waste ...” The Mane-iac removed the lid. “But it must be done. For our plan to work, we must rid the city of its entire supply of shampoo. Then, without anything to wash their manes, the ponies of Maretopolis will become desperate for a good, quality hair-care product! And in their desperation, they'll take anything they can get their hooves on, including our, heh heh, specialty shampoo. And by the time anypony realizes it's brainwashing shampoo, it will be TOO LATE!” “That's not gonna happen!” The Sinful Seven stopped what they were doing, grimacing and growling at the Power Ponies now standing in the doorway. “We're onto your little harebrained brainwashing scheme!” Matter-horn shouted. “Plus, you know, there's always imports.” “Yes.” Radiance said. “What are you going to do about shampoo that's delivered from out-of-town?” “Well, I, uh ...” The Mane-iac scratched her head. “And if worst came to worst, ponies could always wash their manes using soap.” Saddle Rager added. The Mane-iac's head quivered with rage. “Forget it! I'm not here to let has-been heroes like you point out the flaws in my grandiose plans! As much as I might appreciate your constructive criticism in hindsight … SINFUL SEVEN, ATTACK!” “Seven?” An incredulous Matter-horn asked as the villains charged at them. “I don't like those odds. How about we even them out a little?” Matter-horn levitated an entire shelf into the air, hurling it at High Heel and Phetlocke. Matter-horn carried the shelf all the way to the back end of the store, pinning the two villains and burying them under a pile of canned goods. “Five on five.” Matter-horn said. “That's better.” The Power Ponies split apart to deal with their enemies one-on-one. While a fearful Saddle Rager went in for hoof-to-hoof combat with Shadowmane, Radiance put up a shield to deal with Long Face's vile vials, and Mare-velos menaced Mane-iac with a lasso, Matter-horn galloped further into the store to find who was the Sinful Six's mysterious seventh member. Prior to now, Matter-horn had never heard anything about there being a seventh to the Mane-iac's criminal gang. Matter-horn found this seventh member, hiding in the back of the store and keeping clear of the action. The shock of what she saw came down and hit like the blow of a swung hammer to the head. “Zapp?” Zapp met Matter-horn's gaze, chuckling nervously. “Oh, hey, Matter-horn. Uh, what's up?” “What are you doing here?” “Oh, that. Yeah. I'm … I'm with them now.” Zapp gestured towards the Mane-iac. “I was hoping that if I could just hang back here, you wouldn't see me and we wouldn't have to fight. So much for that plan, huh?” “Zapp … why?” Matter-horn's voice came out broken and tearful. Zapp could sense she was struggling to keep her composure. “You know why.” Zapp answered, scuffing a hoof as she evaded the question. “No.” Matter-horn shook her head. “No, I really don't. Tell me. Tell me why, Zapp!” Zapp stubbornly remained silent. “Did she use the brainwashing shampoo on you? Are you brainwashed?” Matter-horn paused. “Or … would you even know if you were?” Zapp still refused to answer, though she bit her lip as though Matter-horn had revealed she knew something Zapp didn't want her to know. “Zapp … please.” Matter-horn stepped towards her. “Come back to us.” Zapp shook her head. “Look, I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be now. We're … we're on opposite sides now. We're … enemies.” “It doesn't have to be this way.” Matter-horn countered. “You could still come back. It's not too late.” Matter-horn turned her attention to the floor. Empty, the same way her heart felt in this moment. “I don't want to have to fight you.” “Yeah.” Zapp said. “I don't, either.” Which is why you won't. Zapp thought, reaching for her amulet and pointing it at Matter-horn. She would summon a single lightning bolt and strike Matter-horn, electrocuting her and taking her out, thus removing the need for any actual fight between them. Zapp summoned the forces of nature at her command and fired. One lightning bolt, simple and effective. “WHOA!” Zapp was taken by surprise when the lightning bolt redirected and found a new target – her. The weaponized spear of natural electricity went bouncing around the store, instead striking Zapp and electrocuting her. The impact blew her away, sending Zapp flying into the wall with scorch marks surrounding the floor she was standing a second ago. Zapp slid down the wall, opening her closed eyes to see Matter-horn had summoned a protective forcefield, which must have bounced off the lighting bolt and sent it back to Zapp. The force-field having served its purpose, Matter-horn dismissed it before stomping over to Zapp's fallen frame, the tip of Matter-horn's horn burning with a red light and letting off smoke. “Just because I don't want to … just because it goes against the very fiber and core of my being, to have fight with a pony I once called my friend … doesn't mean I won't.” Zapp regained her strength and flew away from the wall, mere seconds before Matter-horn would have hit Zapp with a green laser. Zapp didn't know what “green” signified when it came to Matter-horn's powers, and she had no intention of sticking around to find out. Zapp twirled her amulet, whipping out a miniature tornado and hurling it at Matter-horn as a distraction. “Aggh!” Matter-horn tried to use her magic to dispel the tornado, flinging a bolt of pure energy into the center of the whirlwind as it sucked up grocery goods and threw them everywhere. “Radiance, I need you to help me seal this thing off!” “On my way!” Radiance galloped to Matter-horn's side, manifesting a huge projection of a box to trap the tornado inside. Much to Matter-horn's and Radiance's own surprise, this tactic worked … for awhile, anyway, before the tornado's winds overpowered the box and broke free. Zapp raced over to the Mane-iac, tugging on the Mane-iac's shoulder the way a scared child clutches at their mother for comfort. “We have to get out of here, now!” “Already?” The Mane-iac asked with a pout. “I thought we were doing pretty well.” “Matter-horn saw me. She saw me, Mane-iac.” “Oh.” The Mane-iac's expression showed something rare for the Mane-iac to show – sympathy and understanding. “Yes, I understand. Sinful Seven! We're leaving here at once!” High Heel and Phetlocke were still struggling to dig their way out from the pile of cans Matter-horn left them buried under. The Mane-iac stretched out her tentacles and brushed the pile aside before picking High Heel and Phetlocke up. With their companions safe in tentacle, the Mane-iac's gang fled out the front door. The Mane-iac herself glided across the floor as though she was some earth-based squid, the other ponies either galloping out, or in the case of Zapp, flying out. Eventually, without the villains to distract them, Radiance and Matter-horn were able to put an end to the tornado threatening to make a further mess of the store by combining their magic to grab hold of it and steer it until the winds which comprised its form slowed down to the point it disappeared. The danger passed, the old couple dared to peek over the register. “Oh! Thank you for saving us, and our store, Power Ponies! Well … what's left of it, anyway. Tell you what; after we get it repaired, we'll give you all twenty-percent discounts!” The Power Ponies didn't hear the couple's generous offer, instead regrouping and heading out the door to chase after their foes. “ZAPP!” Zapp and the other villains halted and turned to the Power Ponies. “Answer me one question.” Matter-horn said. “Did the Mane-iac brainwash you? Or are you doing this of your own free will?” “I didn't make her do anything she didn't want to.” The Mane-iac taunted them. “Come, Zapp. These Power Ponies are out of style. Old-fashioned. They're beneath us.” Although Zapp's face wore an expression of depression, suggesting she perhaps did not truly want to, retreated with the rest of the Sinful Seven. “So … what do you think?” Fili-Second asked, coming up to Matter-horn. “Is she brainwashed? Did Mane-iac brainwash her?” Matter-horn shook her head. “I don't know. I can't tell. I – I need more information about how the shampoo works.” Matter-horn rubbed her forehead. “Come on, Power Ponies. There's nothing left for us here.” "Oh, now that we've brought it up, I do so wish the Originals were here." Radiance said. "They would know what to do. I wonder if anything like this beguiled them during their tenure?" Matter-horn raised an eyebrow. "Yeah ... yeah, sure." Matter-horn walked towards their home. In another corner of the city, there existed a gun store. The shopkeeper whistled to himself as he polished the barrel of his personal gun, which he carried in the event somepony got any not-so-bright ideas. He was pleasantly surprised to hear the bell of his door announce a visiting customer … and even more surprised when he recognized who it was. "Hey, aren't you that pony?" The shopkeeper asked. "What pony?" "That pony that hangs out with Mare-Do-Well? Yeah, yeah, I think you are! Derring Do, I think it was?" "Daring Do." Daring corrected him. "Yeah, that's me. What about it?" "Nothing." The shopkeeper wisely said, taking note of Daring's angry mug. "What can I do for you, my good madam?" The shopkeeper had an idea and got worried. "I assure you, I follow the law to the letter when it comes to the purchase and sale of guns. Background checks, ID's – the works!" "Yeah, yeah, I'm not here about that." Daring Do told him. "Oh. Then … what are you here for?" "What everypony else comes into a gun store for; cotton candy. I'm here to buy a gun, duh." Daring said. "A gun?" The shopkeeper asked. "Isn't there like, some sort of unwritten rule about guns and superheroes? Like, some kind of code decided by, I don't know, a council of superheroes or something?" "Eh, it's more like a general agreement between superheroes to avoid it, if possible." Daring Do said. "There's some major bad stuff going down with these other superheroes I know, and they keep wondering if … somepony is going to come back." Daring Do shook her head. "I've experienced loss myself. I … know those ponies are never coming back." "Oh my. I'm sorry to hear that." "That's why I want one of these." Daring Do gestured to the plethora of firearms on the wall. "Just to cover the worst-case scenario. These ponies … their loss, their grief will blind them. My partner doesn't approve of guns, but if the worst comes to pass, somepony will have to do what needs to be done, and if they can't bring themselves to do it … I will." "I see." The shopkeeper said. "Well, the law forbids me from selling if know you intend to use it to harm somepony." "I don't want to hurt anypony." Daring Do said. "I want to protect them. From themselves." "Hmm. I … suppose I could sell to you in that case ... and I do know being a superhero can be tough and dangerous." The shopkeeper stroked his chin. "All right. I'll sell you one, but you have to promise me two things; first, you don't use it unless you're absolutely certain it's necessary. Second, if anypony asks, you coerced me into it. What do you say? Have we got a deal?" Daring Do shook his hoof. "Yes, we do. Now, what would you recommend?" "Well, from what it sounds like, a simple, easy-grip handgun ought to do the trick." The shopkeeper pulled out an example of one such handgun. "Which, hopefully, won't need doing." "Yeah. Hopefully." They made the exchange where Daring Do paid him for the firearm. Daring Do was on her way out the door when she heard the shopkeeper sigh, prompting her to turn around. "What?" "Well, it's just ... I'm reconsidering if I want to be an accomplice in a murder that I knowingly allowed to happen." "It's not murder, it's euthanasia." Daring Do said. "If you say so ... still not sure that makes it right." Daring rolled her eyes. "Oh, what does a gun shop owner know about right and wrong?" Daring Do left the building. The shopkeeper crossed his legs. "More than you might think." He tapped his chin, thinking of calling the police or the Power Ponies and telling them of what he'd done and what Daring planned on doing. But after thinking about it, he didn't go through with it. After all, the customer was always right. Right? The Power Ponies, at a loss on how to deal with Zapp's sudden betrayal, once again retreated to their meeting table, once again with the Mare-Do-Well as their company. “Huh.” Mare-Do-Well looked around. “I wonder where Daring's gotten off … I hope she isn't getting herself into any sort of trouble.” Matter-horn paced around the room, walking in circles. The motions of her legs were a nice reflection of the way her thoughts were going – in circles, looping around and around without reaching any useful conclusion beyond what she already knew. Was Zapp really acting of her own volition, was she in the Medusa's grasp? Matter-horn's legs tired out, giving Matter-horn cause to stop and rest on the back of chair. “What are we going to do about Zapp? I mean, she's our friend, but we can't just overlook the fact she's sided with the Mane-iac ...” “I wish the Originals were here.” Radiance said. “They would know what to do.” Saddle Rager nodded. “They would.” Saddle Rager tilted her head up thoughtfully. "I still wonder if something like this happened to them. Maybe that was another reason they decided to retire?" “You know, we were gonna find that out before we had to go deal with that meanie Mane-iac attacking those poor old folks at their store.” Fili-Second said. “We could still do that.” “Heck, we should just call them in at this point.” Mare-velous said. “We've been talking about them so much, might as well. Isn't that right, Matter-horn?” Matter-horn thought about it. She walked over to the walls and pushed a hoof in. The wall decompressed, giving away its true nature as a hidden button, and slid up to reveal a hidden compartment. A white padded compartment housed a cushion where a ring sat – the ring to call the Originals in. Matter-horn reached a hoof into the tiny space, inches away from pressing the black stone which would bring the original Power Ponies back to Maretropolis, from wherever they were hiding. “Matter-horn?” Radiance asked. “Why do you hesitate, darling?” Matter-horn's hoof quaked under the weight of her decision. They hadn't talked about the Originals in some time. For all the threats they faced and all the villains they struggled and fought to thwart, they had never even considered pushing the button. “No.” Matter-horn slid the panel back down, covering the ring in darkness, where she hoped it would remain for some years to come, or at least until they stepped down and choose their own successors. The other Power Ponies were shocked. “No!?” “I said no.” Matter-horn turned to them. “What happened, girls? Why, of all the times we could have, we never tried to summon the Originals until now? Why throw in the towel now? What's different? What's changed?” The Power Ponies looked down at the table. “What's changed … is that we're fighting our friend now.” Radiance said. The Mare-Do-Well, meaning to live up to her name and do well, gave Radiance a comforting pat on the back. “Exactly.” Matter-horn said. “She's our friend. Our responsibility. We've faced tough challenges before. Are we honestly going to be so pathetic that we send the Originals in to fight OUR friend, just because we can't bring ourselves to? I don't know about you, but that sounds kind of cowardly to me.” The Power Ponies looked to each other, each of them clearly realizing the value of Matter-horn's words. Radiance was the first to turn back to Matter-horn. “But darling, surely the Originals could -” Matter-horn groaned. “Ugh! I've HAD IT with hearing about the Originals already. We haven't talked about them for how long, and now suddenly they're the next big craze because one of us turned traitor? Is that it?” Matter-horn climbed onto the round table to speak. “The Originals were fine superheroes for their time, but it's not their time anymore! Now is OUR time, and what the Originals could or could not do doesn't matter now. We're NOT the Originals. We're us, and we need to handle the situation the way we know how, not the way the Originals would.” Matter-horn looked around the room. “The Originals aren't here anymore. But you know who is? We are. And I don't about you, but I've just about had it with Zapp and her antics! Whether she's brainwashed or acting of her own free will, this kind of behavior is not acceptable from a Power Pony. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to come up with plan, and that plan is that the next time we cross paths with the Sinful Six, we're going to arrest her and put her in a cage. We're going to take away her amulet, and we're going to figure out if she's been brainwashed. If she is, we'll beat it out of her. If she isn't … she gets to stay in the cage. ” Matter-horn paused, scanning the room to see if anypony had any objections they would like to voice. They didn't appear to, so she continued. “If this is going to work, we need to work together. As a team. As friends. We have to figure out how to combine our powers in ways we've never thought of before, and we have to be serious about putting the Sinful Six down for good. We'll remind Zapp why the Originals chose us to be protectors of the city. Can we do that? Are you with me, Power Ponies?” The Power Ponies, in awe of Matter-horn's speech, were silent for quite some time before bursting into unanimous applause. “We're with you!” “Good.” Matter-horn said. “Then let's … get ... dangerous.” Under the Mane-iac's leadership, the Sinful Seven gathered around a rooftop to listen to the Mane-iac discuss the next phase of her plan. For some reason, the Mane-iac felt the need to bring along a wooden basket, the kind used for washing clothes. “Uh, not to question your hairy brilliance, Mane-iac, but, uh … what's the basket for?” “I'm glad you asked, Phetlocke.” The Mane-iac said, gesturing the basket around. “You see, as much as we loathe their interference with our plans, the Power Ponies made me realize something earlier today. I've been going about this plan all wrong. All this time, I've been trying to get my shampoo into circulation, when all along I should have been trying to get it into evaporation. And how lucky I am that I just happen to stumble upon a pony who control the weather recently!” The Mane-iac gave Zapp a flirty gesture, making Zapp to blush. “Er, so ...” Phetlocke struggled to decipher the Mane-iac' meaning. “What this means is?” “It means, once we get to a high point in the city – and I mean high, for maximum coverage - we'll have Zapp -” “Better hurry it up.” Long Face pointed to the sidewalks. “The Power Ponies are nearby.” Each villain leaned over the side of the roof, watching as the Power Ponies, plus Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do, walked down the sidewalk as a group, prowling around for signs of their archenemies. “Ah, they're just on patrol.” Phetlocke waved his hoof. “As long as we keep quiet, they'll never know we're here – whoo!” Phetlocke barely had time to duck as one of Mare-Do-Well's throwing discus nearly hit in the head. The villains looked over to see the Power Ponies looking up at them, each with grim and determined expressions on their faces. “Ha!” Phetlocke mocked. “You missed!” Radiance turned to Matter-horn, awaiting Matter-horn's signal. Matter-horn nodded. Radiance's horn shimmered and sparkled, and a glowing translucent horse collar appeared around Phetlocke's neck. Phetlocke grabbed at the collar, trying to pull it off. Radiance levitated the collar – and by extension, Phetlocke – into the air. “Uh oh.” Radiance willed the collar to go flying after the discus, causing Phetlocke to hit his head against it rather than the other way around. The impact disoriented him, stars twinkling around Phetlocke's head, and Radiance felt confident she had disabled him and dismissed the collar, letting Phetlocke plummet to the ground. The remainder of the Sinful Seven watched these events unfold, taken aback by how ruthlessly efficient the takedown was. They cast their gazes over the side of the building. The Power Ponies could see the villains wanted an explanation, so they obliged and gave them one. “The girls and I … well, we had a long talk and determined we haven't done everything in our power to catch you and your friends, Mane-iac.” Matter-horn said. “Oh, sure, we've done lots of things, but nowhere near everything. We eventually realized that, to some extent, we all treat this like a game. And why wouldn't we? Ponies in costumes with powers fighting each other? Why wouldn't you make a game out of that? But now … now we're here to say that playtime … is over.” Zapp thought Matter-horn was simply talking big talk, but then she noticed Saddle Rager's muscles bulging and swelling, almost swimming around her body, as if she was angry and ready to transform, but holding back for some reason. It was then Zapp realized they were serious. “Power Ponies, take them out! They are the villains, and we? We ... are the fast and the furious, here to deliver that fury on the road to salvation for all of Maretropolis!” While Mare-Do-Well fired a grappling hook to the top of the roof, and Radiance conjured a series of stairs, Matter-horn teleported onto the roof, appearing behind Shadowmane and bucking her, nearly throwing her off the edge of the building. Shadowmane clung to the edge to hold on. “Shadowmane!” Never one to resist her urge to rescue ponies, even if the ponies she was rescusing were horrible criminals instead of innocent citizens, Zapp flew forward to retrieve her. Zapp grabbed Shadowmane's hoof and helped the thief onto the roof. Shadowmane said nothing, but her eyes betrayed her thanks to Zapp … seconds before Mare-velous' lasso reached the roof, tied around Shadowmane, and pulled her off. Zapp reached out to grab her, too late to do anything other than watch as Mare-velous threw Shadowmane to the ground. Zapp looked around to see the rest of the rest of her teammates were doing. Smudge was spreading himself, shifting his amorphous form to become a terrifying large beast made of slime, but Radiance imprisoned him with a box, picked him up, and threw the box into the horizon. Fili-Second ran up the side of the building, coming up behind High Heel and tackling her to the ground. While the two of them grappled, Long Face raised up a vial and aimed it at Fili-Second. Long Face threw the vial like a ninja star, but Matter-horn caught it with her magic and threw it back at him, getting the green liquid inside all over Long Face's … long face. While Long Face tried to wipe his own concoction off, a half-transformed Saddle Rager leaped onto the building in a single bound, joining Fili-Second. Saddle Rager grabbed High Heel, yanked her out from under Fili-Second, and tossed High Heel into Long Face, knocking them both off the roof. The sound of their impact was just like the sound of bowling pins falling. Saddle Rager pumped her hoof. “Strike!” Her voice was also in a transitional phase between her normal and muscle-bound form. Zapp, seeing how her former teammates had so brutally and efficently dispatched her new teammates, promptly rushed to the Mane-iac's side. “We have to get out of here. Now.” “I couldn't agree with you more.” Even the Mane-iac herself seemed shaken by the new direction the Power Ponies had taken. She wrapped Zapp in her extra appendages and jumped off the roof of the building to the next. Saddle Rager growled, her muscles beginning to firm up and cease their “swimming” state until Matter-horn held a hoof out to stop her. “Not yet.” Matter-horn told her. “Hold it off a little while longer. We don't want to play this card too early.” Saddle Rager, though disappointed, agreed. She took in deep breathes in and out, calming herself down enough her muscles quit bulging and she shrunk back to her normal size, though still ready to transform at the drop of a dime. “Power Ponies, after them!” Matter-horn commanded. Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do chased after the Mane-iac and Zapp, using their grappling hooks to swing from one building to the next. As the Mane-iac's only method of locomotion was also a form of building-hopping, Mare-Do-Well was quickly closing the gap between them. “Grr ...” The Mane-iac shot out her tentacles and grabbed the cables of the grappling hooks, surprising Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do. Mane-iac shook their cables and jostled them around before tossing them aside. Zapp couldn't help but notice bulges in Mare-Do-Well's costumes as she and Daring Do were dragged by their grappling hooks to the ground, almost as though they were multiple ponies in her costume. “Huh.” “Hahahahaha!” The Mane-iac laughed. “Without Mare-Do-Well's headstart, the Power Ponies will never catch up to us now!” Zapp peeked over the Mane-iac's mane. “You sure about that?” The Mane-iac looked over her shoulder and grimaced – Radiance was using her powers to create a bridge for the Power Ponies to walk on during the chase, adding in one section at a time. “Fili-Second, you're faster than the rest of us.” Matter-horn said. “Radiance, if you can make a fork in the bridge to let Fili-Second get ahead of us and tackle the Mane-iac. Fili-Second, don't worry about subduing her – just keep her busy until we get there.” “Right!” Radiance and Fili-Second saluted. “Say ...” Fili-Second added. “Is anypony else wondering why the Mane-iac is carrying a basket?” Fili-Second and Radiance saluted. Radiance's horn shimmered, a fork in appearing in the bridge as a curved section split off, Radiance controlling its direction so it would land Fili-Second right on top of the Mane-iac when she reached the end. Fili-Second took off, her hooves almost burning as she ran and ran. “Can't you do something?” The Mane-iac asked Zapp as Fili-Second gained on them. “Let me try ...” Zapp pointed her amulet up at the sky. Dark clouds appeared and swirled around, the wind whipping and howling as it formed a tornado on the bridge and sucked Fili-Second up. “Whooa-whooa-whooa-whooooa!” Fili-Second exclaimed before bursting out of the tornado and picking up her pursuit right where she left off. “Well, that was fun!” “Ah! I forgot she was fast enough to outrun a tornado!” Zapp lamented. The Mane-iac had a puzzled expression. “What about … two tornadoes?” “Two tornadoes?” Zapp asked. “What are you, crazy? That ... might be crazy enough to work!” Zapp got to work, twirling her amulet around and creating a second tornado on the bridge. Fili-Second saw the second tornado forming and braked to avoid, bringing herself to a screeching halt. She turned around and fled the other direction, only to be waylaid by the tiny fact the first tornado was still going strong. So Fili-Second went back and forth, constantly attempting to escape one tornado's pull only to be dragged in by the other. “Ha!” The Mane-iac and Zapp laughed and bumped hooves. Their mirth was not long for this world, as a lasso of rope and a chain made from pink energy came at them from both sides, attempting to snag them. “Ah!” The Mane-iac and Zapp looked down to see Radiance had created more forks in the pathway, with these ones being used to hold Radiance and Mare-velous as they tag-teamed from either, throwing their bindings in an effort to catch the Mane-iac. Mare-velous and Radiance attempted another try, throwing their lasso and chain combo a second time. The Mane-iac jumped high in the air to avoid them, causing the would-be bindings to fall back to earth. Mare-velous and Radiance partook in a shared scowl. “What do we do? We can't keep this up forever ...” Zapp realized. She looked at Mare-velous and Radiance, galloping to catch up with her. “Hang on … I have an idea.” “What's that?” “They're chasing us on a bridge made from Radiance's power, right?” Zapp asked. “So if we can disrupt Radiance's concentration ...” “The bridge should disappear!” The Mane-iac laughed. “Oh, I love having an ex-Power Pony around to tell me all their weaknesses!” “Heh heh.” Zapp chuckled. “Yeah. It's – it's pretty great, isn't it?” “And after you do that, I'll make a detour from all this roof-hopping and we'll find a place to hide.” The Mane-iac said. Zapp raised her amulet, calling to turn its weather powers against her friends once more. She summoned a single dark thundercloud. Sweeping her amulet through the air, Zapp zapped Radiance, right on the horn. As was predicted, Radiance lost her concentration and the bridge disappeared, sending Radiance and the flightless Mare-velous plummeting to their potential dooms. “Oh no, you don't!” Matter-horn snarled, lifting Saddle Rager, who'd been with her the whole time, Mare-velous, and Radiance up with her magic and setting them down safely on the nearest building. Once she finished ensuring their safety, Matter-horn flew under her own power after the Mane-iac. The Mane-iac, feeling confident the Power Ponies were dealt with, turned and jumped off the side of the building. Spotting another, shorter building which looked to be deserted not too far away, the Mane-iac shot out her tentacles, grabbing the window's ledge and pulling herself and Zapp inside through the window. Their moment meant when they landed inside, they went tumbling across the floor. “Whew!” The Mane-iac wiped her brow once she had come to stop. “Looks like we lost them.” “Yeah.” Zapp said, having difficulty believing as much after the dogged tenacity the Power Ponies had displayed. “What kind of building is this?” “Hmm.” The Mane-iac said. “Judging from the wide, open space and the easily-visible support pillars, I'd say it's either a rental or a yoga gym. Or both.” Their moment of quiet relaxation was cruelly, mercilessly cut short by the appearance of some sparkling, blinding white light, soon followed by the presence of a snorting Matter-horn. “I TOLD you ...” Matter-horn scraped her hoof, snorting. “This isn't a game anymore! Play time is OVER!” Matter-horn's horn lit up, and the support pillars of the building lit up with it, becoming encased in a magenta aura of magic and power. The Mane-iac and Zapp grimaced, not sure what Matter-horn was going to do. They got their answer when the entire building began to shake, and plaster fell out from the ceiling. She was going to bring down the entire building – with them inside! The support pillars shook, cracks forming from top to bottom. Matter-horn gave Zapp a harsh, bitter glare with an unspoken note of finality to it, as if she considered this goodbye, before teleporting out and disappearing. “Come on!” Zapp grabbed the Mane-iac's hoof and guided her back to the window they came in from. A pile of plaster fell from the ceiling in their path, cutting them off from the window pane. “O-kay. Not that way.” Zapp concluded. She steered the Mane-iac down the stairs of the shaking building, knowing they only had minutes at best before the entire structure came crashing down on top of them. They were able to reach the next floor down, though they knew the building wasn't going to hold out much longer. “We should be able to jump out the window from here.” Zapp said, opening a window – not to easy to do when the entire surrounding area was about to give way. Zapp got ready to jump, but soon abandoned any notion of the idea when she saw the surprise which awaited her on the ground. Matter-horn had figured out she could shoot lava and learned to control it, as she was outside the building, spraying lava from her horn like a hose and creating a moat of molten rock. Zapp could tell Matter-horn was leaving nothing to chance, knowing Zapp and the Mane-iac might find a way out from the building before it collapsed. Matter-horn, finishing her moat, looked up at the window at Zapp with a devious grin on her face. What happened next was a terrible choice – either they could stay in the building and get crushed, or they could try to escape only to be burned alive by boiling lava. “Now what?” The Mane-iac exclaimed. “We can't jump, or we'll be fried, but we can't stay in here!” Zapp looked at Matter-horn, the lava, the Mane-iac, and the building in turn. Watching more pieces of plaster and internal housing fall from the ceiling, Zapp knew what she had to do. “Mane-iac, do you trust me?” “What?” The Mane-iac blushed and twiddled her hooves, suspecting this was some kind of test. “O-of course trust you!” Zapp held out her hooves. “Wrap your hair around my hooves.” The Mane-iac gave Zapp a quizzical look. “Do it!” The Mane-iac quickly coiled her tentacles around Zapp's front and back hooves, wrapping them up tight in the Mane-iac's hairs. Outside, Matter-horn smirked to herself, quite confident she had given Rainbow Dash an impossible choice – either be crushed with the Mane-iac, or risk fatal burning. Perhaps, in her anger, Matter-horn had failed to consider a deathtrap a little more … survivable, one which might be more likely to end in the Mane-iac's and Zapp's shared arrests rather than collective deaths, but there was little she could do to change it now. Oh well. You live and you learn. She thought. So when Zapp came flying out the window, wings beating furiously to generate the lift necessary to carry both herself and the Mane-iac, who was hanging upside-down off Zapp's legs with her tentacles, Matter-horn was understandably floored. Matter-horn watched, slack-jawed, as Zapp carried the Mane-iac away from danger. Zapp dropped the Mane-iac on the curb, away from the street where mystified ponies braked their cars and pulled over to gawk. The Mane-iac pulled Zapp into a hug. “Thank you … Rainbow Dash.” She whispered. “I don't know what I would have done without you.” “Heh. It's nothing.” Zapp said. The Mane-iac turned around. Spotting a particularly tall apartment complex, the Mane-iac smirked. “Oh, do you see that building over there, Zapp? It's perfect for our needs!” “Uh, all right.” Zapp grabbed the Mane-iac and lifted her up, flying to the apartment complex. Matter-horn watched them go, making a note of their heading. She cleaned up her mess, using the powerful magic she gained from her Princess status to repair the damage she inflicted on the trembling building and blasted the lava moat with a beam of ultra-cold ice, creating a protective layer of frost over the lava to prevent it from spreading or burning anypony who came too close. Her clean-up done, Matter-horn teleported to retrieve the rest of the Power Ponies. Zapp reached the building and flew up the side of it, the Mane-iac grinning and laughing as her ultimate plan came closer and closer to fruition. A flash of light appeared at the bottom of the building, revealing the reassembled Power Ponies, sans the Mare-Do-Well team, as Matter-horn didn't know where they were after the Mane-iac dispatched them. “Uh, Matter-horn?” Mare-velous asked. “Was it really a good idea to put us all the way at the bottom of the buildin'?” “Well, I only knew the Mane-iac and Zapp were headed for this building. I didn't know which part, so I had to be cautious. I figure we'd teleport in on the bottom, figure out where they're headed, then teleport there.” Fili-Second helpfully pointed. “Looks like they're headed for the top!” “Then that's where we're going.” Matter-horn's horn shined. She grunted and strained with a visible tax on her body. “Uh, Matter-horn?” Mare-velous asked. “You all right?” “I'm fine.” Matter-horn insisted. “But all that teleporting has taken a lot out of me.” Matter-horn looked up at the building. “I can only teleport us up so far, or I won't have the strength left to fight.” “Get us as far up as you can, and we'll take the elevator from there.” Mare-velous put a hoof on Matter-horn's shoulder. “But Zapp and the Mane-iac -” “Have a head start, we know. We'll handle it.” Mare-velous assured her. Matter-horn smiled. Though still straining and grunting, Matter-horn was able to teleport them halfway up the building, where they dashed inside the elevator, pushing residents out of the way. Cries of “Sorry,” “Excuse me,” and “Official Power Pony business!” were exchanged as they climbed into the elevator, pushed the buttons … and were subjected to awful, terrible muzak music for the entirety of the ride. Outside, the Mane-iac and Zapp already reached the top, Zapp gently descending to let them down. The Mane-iac, still cackling widely, pulled out bottles of her brainwashing shampoo. She opened them up, one by one, and poured them into the basket until they were empty before sticking her leather-clad hoof in and mixing the shampoo up. Unfortunately for them, in the time it took to drain each bottle, the elevator was able to reach the roof, letting the Power Ponies catch them moments before they completed their scheme. “Stop right there, villains!” Matter-horn said, leading the group out. “Your evil scheme ends here!” “Oh, all right, you caught me.” The Mane-iac said. “But before you capture us and take us to jail, don't you want to hear what our evil scheme is?” “Not really, no.” Matter-horn answered. “That would sort of conflict with the whole “no more messing around” message I've been trying to get across.” “Aw, come on, Matter-horn!” Fili-Second said. “We can at least give the villains their fun before we arrest them! Besides, I've been wondering what the basket is for ALL DAY!” Matter-horn, with a sigh, relented. “All right. You can monologue.” Matter-horn glared sharply at Fili-Second. “Don't make me regret this, Fili-Second.” “Zapp.” The Mane-iac said. “Since you're the new villain on the block, why don't you do the honors?” Zapp hung her head. “Okay.” She lifted her head, sparing a look at the ponies she called her friends. Each of them were glaring at her, full of rightful anger and fury … except Fili-Second, who was waiting on the monologue with a big ol' grin. “The Mane-iac figured out trying to get ponies to use the shampoo at retail wasn't going to work.” Zapp explained, gesturing to the Mane-iac. She walked over to the pool. “So she came up with a new plan.” Zapp clutched at the weather amulet. “Our plan was, once we found the highest point for the best possible coverage, to mix the shampoo with water.” Zapp looked at her reflection in the shampoo-water mixture. “Once the shampoo was adequately mixed, we would use my amulet on the shampoo, turning it into rain which would rain down the brainwashing shampoo on the unsuspecting citizens of Maretropolis. Anypony who was outside and not covering their scalp would be turned into a brainwashed slave ... giving the Mane-iac almost complete control of Maretopolis.” “Wow.” Matter-horn said. “That's … actually kind of a clever plan. And kind of horrific. Just think, if you did that, the Mane-iac would have an army of slaves under her command.” Matter-horn chuckled. “Well, it's a good thing we were here to stop you.” Zapp backed away from the Power Ponies, still clutching her amulet. “Zapp?” Matter-horn questioned through gritted teeth. “What are you doing?” Zapp backed further away. “Zapp, don't do this.” Matter-horn said. Zapp began to flap her wings, lifting herself off the ground. “Zapp, I'm giving you one last chance to walk away.” Matter-horn said. “I mean it. This is your last chance. Come back to us, please. Don't do this.” Zapp bit her amulet and raised it up. Mare-velous shook her head. “Don't.” Saddle Rager shed a tear. “Zapp, please, don't – don't do this. Don't this to me. To us.” “Remember all the good times we had together?” Fili-Second asked. “Zapp ...” Radiance said. “If you cross this line, there may be no going back.” Each of the Power Ponies added in their own plea, begging Zapp not to go through with the plan, each of them reminding Zapp of the good memories they made together. A few of them couldn't handle the reality and began to cry. When Zapp's showed no reaction to any of their tears or pleas, Matter-horn shut them up. “FINE!” Matter-horn shouted, silencing all voices. “I can see you're going to go through with this, no matter what, so at least answer me one question. Both of you.” Matter-horn glared at the Mane-iac, who was resting on the edge of the building with a smirk on her face. “Is this something Zapp is doing willingly, or has she been brainwashed? Because she's clearly displaying some degree of autonomy, so did you just gave her a light brainwashing, where's she still her own person, just subservient to you, or is she doing this for you because she loves you? Answer me. Answer me.” Neither the Mane-iac nor Zapp deigned to give Matter-horn her answer. “ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU!” The Mane-iac ducked and Zapp swerved to avoid as Matter-horn shot red beams of heat out from her horn in twelve different directions at once, some of which clipped the edge of the building, right next to where the Mane-iac was sitting. Zapp lifted her amulet, aiming it at the heavens, and summoned a thunderstorm unlike any the city had ever seen before. Zapp pointed the amulet at the basket of shampoo-water, and the liquid inside lifted up, twisting into a pillar of water which shot like a rocket and went inside the clouds. Slowly but surely, the natural clear color of the rain Zapp had summoned was replaced with lavender as the shampoo spread its way through the clouds. The Mane-iac let out some evil laughter. “Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Well done, Zapp, well done!” Saddle Rager almost couldn't restrain her anger for a minute longer. “Now?” She asked Matter-horn. “Now.” Matter-horn said. “You don't have to hold it anymore.” “RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH!” The Mane-iac and Zapp turned around and were horrified to see Saddle Rager undergo a brutal metamorphosis, growing in size and causing rips in her clothes as she became a hulking, muscular juggernaut of a pony, her body growing to immense size – at least the size of small house, her biceps alone the size of bowling balls. To Zapp, what was even more horrifying was Saddle Rager appeared even more muscular and more enraged than usual, her eyes bloodshot to an extreme. Before the Mane-iac or Zapp could think of anything with which to counteract Saddle Rager, Saddle Rager grabbed them both and hurled them through the roof of the building, sending them crashing through three floors. “WE TRUSTED YOU!” Saddle Rager screamed, crashing through the roof herself to order to continue pummeling Zapp and the Mane-iac. “YOU WERE OUR FRIEND!” Saddle Rager picked them both up and slammed their bodies against the wall, over and over, before banging their heads together and dropping them, granting them a brief respite before Saddle Rager punched them both through the floor. “Aaah.” Zapp put a hoof to her lip, which she could feel bleeding. She looked at her body to see blood all leaking down her chest, and looked over to see the Mane-iac in a similar poor, bloody condition. It was now she realized how serious Saddle Rager was this time, not content with her usual smackdown. Zapp saw over Saddle Rager's shoulder to see Matter-horn and the others looking down from the hole in the roof. “M-Matter-horn! Radiance! Girls!” Zapp begged. “You have to do something! She's going to kill us if she keeps this up!” Matter-horn shook her head. “I'm sorry, Zapp. But this is the way it has to be now.” Matter-horn and the others turned and left. Zapp's jaw dropped. With those words, those simple words … they were all she needed to realize how much she had lost. Her friendships. Her relationships. Her history. She wouldn't be able to access so much as a single remnant of her old life. Zapp turned to look at the Mane-iac, the only one she had left. “Well ...” Zapp said. “I guess the only good thing is, we'll die next to the pony we love.” “Heh.” The Mane-iac chuckled. “I love you, Rainbow Dash.” “I love you, Tresemme.” Moments later after this heartfelt exchange, Saddle Rager once brought her hooves down to punish them. Author's Note Author's Notes for "In The Medusa's Grasp" The "comic solitaction" may not entirely match up the events of this chapter. All of the "solicits" were written well in advance of the actual chapters, so changes between the original idea and the execution could have easily happened over time. It's left intentionally vague so you could fill in your own headcanon, but Daring Do, acting as Robin, is alluding to her dead parents. And of course, the idea of Robin carrying a gun against Batman's wishes is something I know the Batman mythos has toyed with from time to time. Heck, you can even write your own story about it! It IS a comic book - sort of. And you know how comics can be. Now, some things I could have done better ... The subplot with the Power Ponies doubting themselves about living up to the Originals could have had more time dedicated to it. I did kind of ... mess up the story flow by rushing to make it so we got past that OBNOXIOUS Firefly element when we did. It could have made to last longer and have the part where the Zapp and the Mane-iac figure out each others' identities develop more naturally over time. And I seem to have had conflicting ideas regarding whether or not the Originals ever had one of their number brainwashed. One idea was that the current Power Ponies KNEW that the Originals had one of their number brainwashed, and it was this incident which caused the original Power Ponies to retire, so Zapp being brainwashing/betrayal wouldn't just be unfortunate - it would lead to this shadow hovering over Twilight and friends, worrying that Zapp's seeming brainwashing would drive them to retire, the same way it did to the Power Ponies. I like to think this would have gone some way towards explaining why they're willing to leave Zapp and the Mane-iac to DIE at Saddle Rager's hooves at the end of this chapter. I also had the idea to keep it ambiguous about what exactly happened with the Originals that caused the retirement, and attributing it to a brainwashed turncoat seemed to remove the mystique, if you will. But at the same time, when I wrote the paragraphs explaining how the current Power Ponies came to be, I said they the events involved both current and former groups of Power Ponies - so if those events involved a brainwashed member of the Originals, the current Power Ponies would have KNOWN about it, and it would be a lot less mysterious. In the finished product, where the events are still left mysterious, but the Power Ponies about IF there was a brainwashed member and IF it contributed to the Originals' decision to retire, was my attempt to reconcile these two ideas, compromising between the two. And quite honestly, I think it would have been better if I stuck to the initial idea - that an Original Power Pony was brainwashed, and the Power Ponies knew as much. If only to make the ending of this chapter more understandable. Oh, you know what I could have done? I could have Twilight go through the archives and discover, yes, a Power Pony was brainwashed, and yes, it contributed to the decision to retire. So it would have still retained the feeling of the original idea while still maintaining the mystique. Oh well. Like the chapter says, too late now. Issue 7: To Save A Friend ... Issue 7: To Save A Friend ... Issue 7 Solicit: Don't miss the THRILLING CONCLUSION to the Mind Over Mane-iac Miniseries! THE THRESHOLD! With Rainbow Dash held tight in the Mane-iac's seductive grasp, how far will the Power Ponies and their allies go to get her back? How far will one go … TO SAVE A FRIEND? “RRRRR!” Saddle Rager growled, bringing her hooves to bear on the Mane-iac and Zapp, punching them through the floor and into the next floor down, where the a resident of the building was surprised to see some of the city's biggest costumed names come crashing down. The Mane-iac and Zapp saw they had a moment of respite from Saddle Rager beating them senseless. Neither of them knew how long it would be, but they understood it would not be for very long. The apartment resident halted and stared, thinking she should call the Power Ponies ... but … there was already a Power Pony here. Wounded and on the verge of cracking like an egg being crushed by an overzealous teen with a hammer, Zapp rose to her feet, struggling to move. Every movement was a like a series of a thousand burns shooting through her bones. Wincing and groaning with each step of her hooves, Zapp still put forth the effort to trudge towards the Mane-iac. “Zapp ...” The Mane-iac asked, her eyes half-shut, her body still stinging from the pain of Saddle Rager's blows. “What are you doing?” “I'm … ugh … coming towards you.” Zapp said, shutting one eye and biting her lip as she willed, as she forced one leg in front of the other. “Why?” Mane-iac asked. “You should … conserve your strength.” Zapp smiled, giggling before groaning and putting a hoof on her back. “Why?” Zapp moved forward, communicating clear as crystal she wasn't going to stop for anything. Not for the confused and uncertain resident in the room, not for the movement of the stars themselves … and most certainly not for the Mane-iac's own pleading. “Because that's what you do when you love somepony.” The Mane-iac smiled, touched by Zapp's answer. Even if it was kinda sappy. Understanding for her not to do the same as Zapp, despite how much pain they were both in, would be both an insult to Zapp and represent a failure on her part of the relationship, the Mane-iac pushed herself and begin to limp towards Zapp, cutting the distance between the two of them at the expense of the Mane-iac's own pain. With Zapp having done most of the walking already, the Mane-iac did not have to go far for them to meet. For each step the Mane-iac took, every ounce of pain she endured, put to rest even the smallest, littlest lingering sliver of doubt Zapp might have had about the Mane-iac's love for her. Standing inches away, Zapp and Mane-iac raised their hooves and tenderly touched them together. A crack appeared in the ceiling. It spread out through the tiles before the brutal form of Saddle Rager fell through, landing right next to the still confused resident. One could hardly blame the architects of the building for failing to brace their ceiling against wild rampaging mutants such as Saddle Rager. “OH, UH, EXSCUSE ME.” Saddle Rager turned to the resident, who shook her head and, deciding she had enough of this, bolted for the stairs. “Well ...” Zapp turned to Saddle Rager. “We both knew it couldn't last forever.” Zapp grabbed Mane-iac's cheeks and pulled her into a kiss before parting from Mane-iac, facing Saddle Rager and scraping a hoof against the floor to show Saddle Rager she was ready to fight. She tried not to show how the scraping made her wince. “Are you sure you want to fight me, Zapp?” Saddle Rager asked, wearing an expression of concern as Fluttershy's inborn kind personality bled through Saddle Rager's mask. “Look at yourself. There's no way you can win.” “I – ugh – have to try.” Zapp groaned, stepping forward. “I won't let you hurt the pony I love.” Saddle Rager scoffed, gritting her teeth. “We loved you, too, Zapp. Or was that just not GOOD ENOUGH for you, huh? Was it!? Fine. Fine.” Saddle Rager scraped a hoof. “I don't want to hurt you, Zapp ...” Saddle Rager banged a hoof on the ground. “Too much.” Zapp held her ground, even though she knew Saddle Rager had them as good as beaten already. Let's not skip facts; getting hit head-first by Saddle Rager's hooves was more or less like getting hit by a truck to the face. Zapp knew she and Mane-iac had little chance of making it out of the encounter victorious … if even alive, considering they had upset Saddle Rager badly enough to trigger her transformation. “We were friends.” Saddle Rager snarled, marching inexorably towards Zapp like a stagnant wind that heralding the coming of death itself. “We lived together. We were practically a family! But you – YOU THREW THAT ALL AWAY! AND FOR WHAT? A GIRLFRIEND WITH TENTACLES FOR HER MANE? WHAT DO YOU EVEN SEE IN HER? WHAT COULD SHE … POSSIBLY … ” At this juncture in her speech, Saddle Rager abruptly stopped advancing towards them and instead elected to vent her frustration on the poor floor of the building. “OFFER … YOU!?” “That's none of your business.” Zapp said. “Maybe if you had tried to break us a half a moment ago, I might have told you, but now ...” Saddle Rager roared. Bringing her hooves up, she brought them swinging down on the floor, sending a massive tremor rippling through the building and causing Zapp and Mane-iac to lose their footing. “DON'T YOU DARE TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME! NOT AFTER WHAT YOU DID. JUST FOR THAT, I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU EXTRA PAINFULLY!” Zapp looked up at Saddle Rager's frothing, frightening visage. She couldn't focus on anything other than the deranged, angry look in her eyes – the look of a scorned mare if Zap had ever saw one. The little bits of saliva slipping through the spaces between her teeth, which were arranged in a massive snarl. This is it. Zapp thought. This is the end. Her time with Tresemme was over. Her time as a member of the Power Ponies was long since past. And her time on this plane was soon to come to an end. Their time was over. Finished. Close the book and stick a fork in them; they were done! Until a most unlikely save came from the most unlikely of objects! A thrown shoe, sent whirling into the room through the holes Saddle Rager punched into the roof. It hit Saddle Rager in the side of the face, distracting her moments before she would have caused another earthquake to rattle the building's delicate infrastructure. “Ow!” Saddle Rager rubbed her cheek. “Who threw that?” There was, of course, but one answer to the question of who would throw a shoe – High Heel, of the Sinful Six! Saddle, Mane-iac, and Zapp looked up to see the rest of the Mane-iac's teammates poking through the roof, riding on the back of the shape-shifting Smudge, his snake-like form rising up like the spirits of departed souls who've come to wreak their vengeance on the living. The Sinful Six were battered and bruised … but not yet broken. “What the?” Saddle Rager questioned. “Didn't we take care of you already? And how did you get on the roof?” “To answer your questions; we recovered and we rode Smudge up to the top.” High Heel pulled out another shoe. “Now let's get her!” To the battle chorus of agreeable cheers, the Sinful Six descended through the holes in the roof, High Heel tossing another shoe at Saddle Rager. Saddle Rager was ready this time, catching the shoe and tossing it back at them, only for Smudge to intervene and catch it in his mouth like a dog playing fetch. “Shadowmane and Long Face will get you out of here.” High Heel told Zapp and Mane-iac, running up to them with Shadowmane and Long Face. “What about you?” Zapp asked as Long Face hoisted her onto his back. “We'll distract Saddle Rager so you can escape.” “What?” Mane-iac and Zapp asked. “You can't!” Zapp protested. “You don't know how angry she is! She'll crush you like a bowl of cereal and turn you into wheat paste, and then she'll turn that wheat paste into more wheat paste!” High Heel smiled. “Well, I'm not sure how she would do that, but all we have to do is just give you enough time to get away.” “But what if she realizes you're just a distraction?” The Mane-iac asked. “She'll get even madder.” “Yes.” High Heel turned a gaze towards Smudge. “But we have a secret weapon. Now go. Get out of here.” High Heel made shooing gestures at them. Long Face and Shadowmane rushed towards the elevator, trying to slip away unseen by Saddle Rager. But if they were, they had it covered. And they were. “HEY!” Saddle Rager shouted, noticing them. “WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?” Saddle Rager prepared to gave chase, only delayed by the odd sound of Smudge whinnying behind her. “Huh?” Saddle Rager turned around. Smudge twisted and contorted his form, stretching and shifting, changing from the snake-like shape he took to a bulky, monstrous form that was a match for Saddle Rager in both musculature and raw bulk. Letting out his unique kind of growl, Smude tackled Saddle Rager. Saddle Rager pushed him off and punched him in the head, though this only succeeding in pushing him back some. Smudge raised his limbs. Saddle Rager, accepting his challenge, got into a grappling match with him, each titan struggling push the other out the building and out the window before the other did. “RRRRAAAAH!” Saddle Rager swatted Smudge's limbs away. She grabbed by the midsection and lifted him up, pulling on his stomach and tearing the sludgy pony in half down the middle. To an invertebrate ooze such as Smudge, this kind of bifurcation was a minor setback. Maintaining control over the separate halves of his body, Smudge swirled around the air like a carnival ride going out of all control, eventually reconnecting his two halves in the form of a giant circle which bound Saddle Rager's front hooves together. Saddle Rager shook her hooves, attempting to fling the Smudge-cufflink from her hooves. When simple shaking proved not to be enough, Saddle Rager did what she did best, and that was to smash. Namely, smashing her hooves into the ground. It worked, as Smudge's body lost cohesion and was splattered all across the room in the form of little droplets. The bits of Smudge begin sliding along the form, snaking their way towards Saddle Rager. Saddle Rager grimaced, not sure what to do. At this rate, they would just be caught in an infinite loop of Smudge reforming and Saddle Rager smashing him again. "Okay." High Heel pocketed a pink cell phone. “Smudge! Phetlocke!” High Heel shouted. “Long Face just gave me the signal! Zapp and the Mane-iac are safe at base!” Smudge steered his component droplets away from Saddle Rager, forming into his relatively normal pony form. Smudge nodded, shifting once again into his snake form, allowing High Heel and Phetlock to ride him. He shot himself up through the hole in the roof, sliding away. “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” Saddle Rager boomed, galloping after them. “GET BACK HERE!” Saddle Rager jumped through the hole in the roof after them, landing on the rooftop. She looked around for the villains, but they were nowhere to be seen. A quick glimpse over the edge of the building offered no clues to their whereabouts; they could be anywhere, going any direction by now. Realizing she there no way she could catch them now, Saddle Rager turned and walked to the elevator, all the while slowly losing her muscles and returning to normal. The Power Ponies, having departed and leaving Zapp and the Mane-iac to contend with a furious, merciless Saddle Rager, were half-way down the building riding on the elevator. They could hear the beat of the shampoo raindrops drumming against the outside of the building, the only noise inside the otherwise silent elevator. The dim, quiet space gave the Power Ponies a moment to calm down, and in this calm, some of them began to reconsider their actions. “Do any of y'all think letting Zapp deal with Saddle Rager by herself was a little harsh?” Mare-velous asked. “Ah mean, Ah know she abandoned us, betrayed us, switched sides, and carried out an evil villain's plan even though she didn't have to ...” Mare-velous adopted an expression of scowling, her fury rekindled as she recounted Zapp's crimes. “You know what? Ah just answered my own question.” Matter-horn levied a gaze to the elevator floor. “Maybe letting Saddle Rager loose on her was a little much … Saddle Rager wouldn't hurt a fly as long as she's in control, but … we all know how quickly she can lose control when she's rampaging. I know we were all mad at her ...” “'Were'?” Flil-Second said. “I'm STILL mad!” “Maybe we should have stayed behind.” Matter-horn said. “You know, to make sure Saddle Rager didn't completely annihilate them.” The elevator reached the bottom floor, letting out a ding as it opened its doors. The Power Ponies all avoided the others' gaze, each of them beginning to have second thoughts about letting Saddle Rager roam free. Mare-velous and Matter-horn scratched the back of their necks while Radiance hummed innocently. Silently, they all concluded it was too late now and went on their not-so-merry way, wandering into the lobby of the building. “Huh.” A stallion observed the rain outside. “Looks like rain. Anypony have an umbrella I could borrow?” “Halt, citizen!” Matter-horn shouted as the Power Ponies got off the elevator. “That is no ordinary rain. That is brainwashing shampoo-rain, brought to you courtesy of ...” Matter-horn paused, thinking about Zapp. “One of the Mane-iac's dastardly plots!” Matter-horn addressed everypony in the room. “We, the Power Ponies, ask that you all stay indoors until we can disable the scheme. Please inform anypony you come across of the situation and remain indoors until we tell it's safe to come out. Thank you for time, and for being upstanding citizens in doing your civic duty. Power Ponies, move out!” As the Power Ponies raced out the door, Radiance manifested umbrellas and full-face helmets for the Power Ponies. Granted, most of them wore cloth already, but it was better to be safe than to be sorry. “Brainwashing … shampoo … rain.” The stallion rued. “That does it; I'm moving to Phillydelphia!” The stallion took a bold step toward the door before seeing the rain and remembering what it was. “Just as soon as this rain passes.” The Power Ponies marched down the street, the clip-clop of their hooves splashing against the thin layer of water the rain was spreading across the asphalt, like the spread of a buttered knife against bread. Everywhere the Power Ponies looked, citizens had fallen victim to the sinister shampoo. Most of them simply stood in place while wearing the expressions of dullards, awaiting a command input from their master. Some gathered together and began fawning over and complimenting the others' manes. “I, like, love your hair!” A brainwashed mare said to her friend, running a hoof through said friend's mane. “How do you get it so soft?” “Thanks! I like your hair, too!” “Ugh.” Radiance shuddered. “Normally, I'm all for complimenting a fellow mare's coiffure, but that is just creepy.” “Girls! Girls!” The Ponies turned around to see Saddle Rager galloping up to them, holding a lampshade (borrowed from the building she had just left) against her head for protection from the rain. “The Mane-iac's friends … they came and rescued her and Zapp. I tried to catch them, but they escaped … oh, I'm sorry!” “What? Why?” Matter-horn pulled Saddle Rager into a hug. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Saddle Rager. Nopony can blame you for the villains pulling off one of their big escapes.” “Here.” Radiance conjured another umbrella, floating it over Saddle Rager's head. “So you don't have to carry that lampshade everywhere.” “Thanks.” Saddle Rager took the umbrella, lowering the lampshade down. “I suppose I better go give this lampshade back to the pony in the building I borrowed it from.” “There's no time for that!” Matter-horn said. “Come on! We need to get back to base to call the Mayor and let her know what's happening!” The Power Ponies raced down the street, going unnoticed by the brainwashed ponies, of which there were no shortage of. The ponies stayed where they were, their eyes blank and their bodies still. If they made any motion, it was to compliment the manes and hair of a passer-by. “Huh.” Fili-Second said. “Now I know what ponies mean when they talk about being 'alone in a crowd'!” The Power Ponies soon arrived to their mansion, still preferring to take the secret entrance. It was unlikely that anypony would be around to see them, as the citizens were brainwashed and the Mane-iac had retreated to lick her wounds, but to let their guard down would be a foolish thing to do, under any circumstance. Spike greeted them as they came into the house. “Hey, girls.” Spike was temporarily blinded as he found a big ball of cloth thrown into his face. “Ah! Pfft! What's this?” Spike pulled the cloth off. “My Hum-Drum costume? What's this for?” “Gear up, Spike.” Matter-horn told him. “We've got a busy day ahead of us.” Matter-horn galloped to the phone, dialing the mayor's number. “Hello? Is the mayor there? Oh, good. Yes, mayor, we're aware of the rain. That's what I'm calling about, actually. That rain is comprised of a brainwashing shampoo devised by the Mane-iac. Do not go outside until we call you back. Start putting out warnings on the local news station that everypony is to remain indoors and not to let anypony in, especially if those ponies try to convince them they're not brainwashed, because that's probably a trick.” Matter-horn hung up the phone and turned to the rest of the Power Ponies. “Okay, Power Ponies, listen up! Whether she's brainwashed or acting of her own free will, we've seen how far Zapp's gone in her descent into villainy. She has gone too far, and we're not going to put up with it, are we?” “Mm-mmm!” The rest of the Power Ponies shook their heads. “Absolutely not!” “No way, no how.” “I wouldn't dream of it, darling.” “Good. So we're all agreed. We're going to find the Mane-iac's hideout and we're going to beat her this time. No more games. No more fooling around. We're going to throw everything we have at her and bring her down like a stack of cards. I don't want anypony holding anything back. Zapp may have been our friend once, but I think she's made it plenty clear that's longer the case, so don't hesitate. If you see a chance to take her out, I want you to take it.” “Don't worry.” Saddle Rager said with a growl. “We won't.” “Somepony go find where Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do went. We'll need their help. Spike, have you finished dressing?” “Oh.” Spike held up the cape and domino mask Humdrum used. “You were serious about that?” Matter-horn glared at him. Somewhere out on the fringes of her subconscious, Matter-horn realized she was taking her anger at Rainbow Dash and taking it out on Spike, but that didn't stop her. “Yes, Spike. I'm serious. Dead serious.” The Sinful Six retreated to their headquarters, blissfully unaware of the complete and total DOOM the Power Ponies were now planning for them. After Shadowmane and Long Face helped carried the Mane-iac and Zapp inside to a bed, Shadowmane had taken up the task of bandaging the Mane-iac's wounds, applying medicinal sprays and wrapping bandages around her legs. The Mane-iac grunted, lifting an eye to see Zapp had gone untouched by Shadowmane's almost motherly attention. “Shadowmane, dear, make sure you get Zapp, too ...” “Oh … yes.” Shadowmane glared over Mane-iac at Zapp, not quite trusting of the former Power Pony. “Of course. How could I forget?” Soon wrapping up her business with the Mane-iac, Shadowmane tended to Zapp as well. Though, Zapp noticed, with a distinct lack of tenderness like she'd seen Shadowmane exhibit to Mane-iac. “Get well soon, Mane-iac.” Shadowmane said, leaving the room. “Oh, and, uh, you too, Zapp … I guess.” She closed the door. The Mane-iac let out a chuckle, slowly rolling onto her side to get a good look at her bedfellow as well as giving her bedfellow a good look at her. “Well, Zapp, it looks like we're alone now.” Zapp said nothing, merely nodding as she sat up and wrapped her bandaged front legs around her chest. “Zapp? What's wrong, dear?” “Nothing.” Zapp answered with the clear, facetious tone which expressed everything was wrong. “I just … after what happened on the roof with Saddle Rager, it made me realize … I've lost the trust of my friends. I've lost my place as Power Ponies. I'm not even sure if I still have a sense of self, with all this stuff about brainwashing shampoo. And the worst part is ... I've lost my friends. I … I don't have anything anymore.” Zapp shamefully buried her head into her hooves. As Zapp sat there on the verge of breaking down and crying, she suddenly felt a comforting presence on her shoulder, expressed via means of a tender hoof. Zapp pulled her face out of her hooves to see Tresemme – not the Mane-iac – looking at her, though still wearing the Mane-iac's black and purple outfit. “You have me.” Zapp wiped a tear from her eye. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do.” Tresemme closed her eyes and leaned into Zapp's chest, giving Zapp a hug which Zapp reciprocated, despite her usual aversion to any form of contact she might consider “sappy.” “Let me ask you something, Zapp.” Tresemme raised her head up, meeting Zapp at eye-level. “If the only thing you have is me … was I worth it?” She gave Zapp a seductive look and smile. Zapp sighed. She placed her hooves on Tresemme's shoulder. “I'm gonna be honest with you, Tresemme … I don't know.” Zapp shook her head. “You're pretty great … but they were my best friends for … years now.” Zapp placed a hoof on her chin. “By Celestia, has it been that long? It seems it was only yesterday when I met them and we -” Zapp paused, noticing Tresemme's curious look and motioning for her to go on. "Nothing." Zapp said. “We did nothing.” Love her though she did, Zapp was not about to divulge anything which would help the Mane-iac deduce the Power Ponies' secret identities and make them vulnerable. “So, you mentioned the Power Ponies have a base.” Tresemme snuggled her nose into Zapp's chest. “Care to tell me where it is?” Zapp gave Tresemme an unamused, disapproving glare. “What?” Tresemme shrugged. “Cute as I may be, Rainbow Dash, I'm still part-supervillain. It's only natural for me to want the information I can use to beat my enemies!” Zapp's glare continued, with her bared teeth now joining on the displeased expression. Tresemme nodded. “You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't make you have to choose between me and your old friends. You shouldn't have to betray them. Not like that. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.” Zapp's expression finally softened. “Thank you, Tresemme.” Zapp emphasized the name, making sure Tresemme understood it was Tresemme, not the Mane-iac, who had Rainbow Dash's thanks. Tresemme resumed cuddling into Zapp's chest. Zapp looked up at the ceiling, imagining possibilities long since past and ones yet to come while dreaming about flying into the endless sky, where she didn't have to worry about any of this superhero tomfoolery. “Tresemme … have you ever thought about, you know, getting treatment?” “What do you mean, Rainbow Dash?” “You know … like therapy. Maybe if you found the right therapist, they could help you and you wouldn't have to be a supervillain anymore?” Tresemme gave Rainbow Dash a bewildered look for a few minutes, before bursting out into laughter at the realization Rainbow Dash was being completely serious. “Oh, Rainbow Dash … I doubt it would be that easy.” Tresemme said. Tresemme looked to the side. “It would never work.” “How do you know? Have you ever tried?” “Come to think of it … no, I haven't.” They both spent a long time staring into each others' eyes, with Rainbow Dash's magenta orbs silently pleading for Tresemme to at least give the idea some thought. “Ah ha ha ha ha!” Tresemme laughed airily – nervously, even. The same of airy laugh used by a pony who was desperate to switch the topic of the conversation after being particularly embarrassed by either their significant other or their parents when trying to introduce one to the other. “Say, Rainbow Dash? You know what I've just realized? We've barely been ... you know … intimate without me putting you into a trance since we found out about the whole 'you're secretly my archenemy' thing. What do you say we fix that?” Tresemme suggestively wiggled her hips. Rainbow Dash crossed her legs. “Tresemme, what have I told about you using sex to avoid talking about our issues?” “I know ...” Tresemme whined. “But still, now that I've brought it up …” Tresemme began to push Zapp down on the bed. “Doesn't it sound like fun to get under the covers without you going crazy about my hair ten-” Tresemme turned her head and coughed, noticing Rainbow Dash's eyes shrinking. “Sorry. Trigger word.” “Yeah.” Rainbow Dash agreed, before taking a look at her bandages. “Are we sure having sex while we're both recovering is a good idea, though?” “No.” Tresemme said with a disarming smile. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Well, that's good enough for me!” Rainbow Dash got onto her back, letting Tresemme crawl all over her. As Tresemme leaned in and gave Rainbow Dash a kiss, Rainbow Dash was powerless to resist the shiver that went through her spine. The shiver was soon replaced by a different experience. The bed they were shook as an explosion from outside rocked the building, causing some of the tiles on the ceiling to begin to fall out. Tresemme and Rainbow Dash both sat up, each a little disappointed their moment of intimacy had to be interrupted by this rude thing, whatever it was. “What was that?” Rainbow Dash asked. An answer came forth as Shadowmane barged into the room. “Mane-iac! It's the Power Ponies! They've found our base!” “What!?” Tresemme exclaimed. “How?” “I don't know, but they're here now, and they're knocking on the door! And by knocking,' I of course, mean “blow up'!” “Aaaagh!” Tresemme pulled at her mane, squinting her eyes shut as she let out an enraged whinny. “Why do those Power Brats have to ruin our special moment? … Very well. Hold them off, Shadowmane. We'll be right there. Just give me a moment to change.” Shadowmane saluted. “Will do.” She closed. Tresemme turned to Zapp, offering a hoof as her skin began to fade from Tresemme's soothing bluish colors to the Mane-iac's frightful and shadowy purple. “Shall we?” Despite some lingering reservations about fighting her once-friends, Zapp took the hoof with a smirk. “We shall.” Though still far and away from peak condition, Zapp and the Mane-iac headed to the main lobby to confront their foes. Besides, their choices were to either stand up and fight in their weakened state, or sit down and let the Power Ponies steamroll right over them. Hardly much of a choice! The Sinful Seven gathered, huddling together by the front entrance where the Power Ponies had come a-knockin' on their doorstep. “MINIONS!” The Mane-iac and Phetlocke shouted, Phetlock shaking his staff for the summoning. Goons in identical green haircuts and mummies swarmed around the room, tensing up for combat. “Boy, this is some sturdy brick!” Fili-Second's voice said from outside. “Blast it again, Matter-horn!” shouted Mare-velous. “Mind if I pitch in?” Mare-Do-Well joined them, and the Seven could a click from outdoors. A click, belonging, no doubt, to a bomb! The Sinful Seven could do little other than wince and brace themselves as they heard the hum of Matter-horn charging up a destructive spell, fueled equally by both Matter-horn's rage and her sense of justice. Matter-horn's beam impacted the building, triggering Mare-Do-Well's bomb to explode in addition to Matter-horn's explosive special effects. The entirety of the front wall was ripped out, brick upon brick being thrown out of the wall, like blades of grass fed into a hungry lawnmower to be chopped up, stirred around, and spat back out in any and all directions. The Sinful Seven took defensive positions to shield them from tossed rubble. When the smoke clear, the Power Ponies, including Mare-Do-Well, Daring Do, and even Humdrum, were standing tall and proud on the piles of rubble they had just created. “Humdrum?” Zapp and the Mane-iac shared a laugh. They had brought Humdrum, one of the weakest Power Ponies with the fewest powers, along. “You actually brought Humdrum?” “Surely you must be desperate.” The Mane-iac said. “To bring along a teammate so … oh, what's the politically correct way to say it nowadays? Bereft of superpowers.” “Yeah!” Zapp laughed. “What can he do?” Humdrum pointed – rather accusingly, one might add – to Matte-horn. “She made me eat ghost peppers!” “Ghost peppers?” Zapp nearly doubled and fell onto her back with laughter. “What are you going do with ghost peppers? Fry us all to death with your bad breath, ha ha?” As Matter-horn's lips curled into a smile, Zapp's laughter begin to die. As did some of her hope. “That's exactly what we're gonna do.” Matter-horn picked Humdrum by the hooves, aiming his body like a shotgun with the head pointed towards them, and tugged on his tail. Instantly, Humdrum's mouth opened and the henchman could barely avoid the wide spread of jade fire that burst from Humdrum's jaws, Matter-horn sweeping Humdrum back and forth, using him as a flamethrower. “The girls and I have been talking.” Matter-horn said. “And we're agreed that we'd like out of the superhero business.” “Oh?” The Mane-iac raised an eyebrow. “Will you hand down your titles to promising recruits like your own predecessors did?” “Nooo.” Matter-horn. “We'll be going out and taking every costumed crook we find off the streets for GOOD – including YOU!” The Mane-iac let out one of her fits of cackling for which she was so well-known. “A bold statement, Power Ponies, but look around you!” The Mane-iac made a sweeping gesture to her minions and Phetlock's mummies. “You're outnumbered.” “Let's see ...” Matter-horn took a look around the room. “The Sinful Seven, plus their goons … I'm going to estimate forty each of Phetlocke's mummies and Mane-iac's barbers … divided by nine Power Ponies equals ...” The Masked Matter-horn's tune changed to a furious growl. Her horn fire multiple pink beams of force, which rotated and swirled around room like the flashing lights of a police siren, knocking down both Phetlocke's mummies and the Mane-iac's hired help en masse, clearing the way for the Power Ponies to take the fight directly to their opposite numbers. “Equals 25-to-life, which is exactly long you're ALL going to jail for!” Matter-horn and the others stepped down the pile of rubble. “Wait ...” Zapp took a scrutinizing view of her former companions. “One, two … subtract me, add Mare-Do-Well, Daring Do and Humdrum … that makes eight. Hey, Matter-horn! I think your math is a little off!” Matter-horn took this insult, which might could be one of the most insulting insults one could ever insult Matter-horn with, with pride and a self-assured smile. “No it isn't. My math is never off.” Zapp raised an eyebrow. The Mane-iac lifted her hoof and pointed to the Power Ponies, encouraging her newest, most loyal minion to forget about the mathematics and attack. Zapp went to her task with a fervor unmatched, flying into the air. The Power Ponies and the Sinful Six charged each other at the field of battle, each Power Pony taking on their foil. Shy, quiet Saddle Rager took on the seductive High Heel, bright and cheery Fili-Second ran full-speed at her gloomy and sullen Long Face. The honest, hardworking Mare-velous threatened the shadowy, thieving Shadowmane with a lasso. Clean and tidy Radiance, who could construct objects with her mind, took on the messy, gooey Smudge, who could reshape his body. And Matter-horn, the leader, of course took on the enemy leader, the Mane-iac. With the Power Ponies down one member, though, it fell to Humdrum to be the one to take on Phetlocke. It was a surprisingly even match, as Phetlocke wasn't much without his minions and gadgets, meaning Humdrum had to contend with little more than Phetlocke's staff – which was easily melted with a breath of ghost-pepper enhanced dragonfire. Zapp raised her amulet at the ceiling, preparing to call forth a storm of such thunderous wrath the likes of which had never been seen before or since! Fortunately for the Power Ponies, Daring Do flew up and tackled Zapp to the ground, bringing the wayward turncoat back to earth. Zapp tried to fight her off, but Daring Do soon proved herself the superior hoof-to-hoof combatant. “You've been relying too much on your amulet!” Daring Do insulted Zapp before striking her in the face. High Heel produced a large boot and charged at Saddle Rager, waving the boot around like a berserker pony gone mad with rage. “Hi-YAH!” High Heel was overcome and taken by surprise when Saddle Rager charged back at her, grabbing High Heel's hooves and wresting away the boot from High Heel's possession, soon followed by Saddle Rager slapping High Heel across the face with the boot. High Heel halted, starring wide-eyed at Saddle Rager after her vicious attack, rubbing the injured cheek. “Oh, I'm sorry!” Saddle Rager dropped the boot to the ground in horror at the pain she so clearly inflicted. “It's just that, well, my friends really wanted me to do everything I could to make this a final battle, so I did. I'm sorry!” She squeaked. “It's okay.” High Heel reached over and cupped Fluttershy's chin. “But … you know how you could make it up to me? Over a nice, quiet dinner. What do you say?” “Um … I don't know.” “Ah, come on! It'll be fun, you and me ...” Saddle Rager was spared from having to commit to an answer by Mare-velous coming to her rescue, galloping and headbutting High Heel before following by tossing a lasso around her. Mare-velous threw High Heel into the air and spun her round and round before flinging her into the wall. Saddle Rager and Mare-velous watch High Heel slide the wall and curl over one herself. “Saddle Rager, y'all know when she's flirting with ya like that, she's just trying to distract and confuse you, right?” “I know that.” Saddle Rager whined. “But in the heat of battle, it's, um, easy to forget … she's … quite sultry.” “Uh-huh. You ain't gonna do what Zapp did and switch sides to be with her, are you?” “Oh, no!” Saddle Rager shook her head, giving Zapp a glare and not doing anything to help as Daring Do delivered to punch after punch to Zapp's face. “Never.” Matter-horn and the Mane-iac spared. Matter-horn fired blast after blast, which the Mane-iac avoided by sliding around the room on a bed of tentacles, not unlike a slimy squid on the floor of a disco rave party. “Ha ha ha!” Mane-iac laughed. “What's the matter, Matter-horn? Does the great Power Pony leader need glasses? Ha ha!” “Grrr.” Matter-horn showed an uncharacteristic amount of teeth in her growl. She fired another beam at the Mane-iac, who simply ducked, allowing the beam to pass harmlessly over her head. “THAT'S IT!” Matter-horn teleported, a flash of light being the only thing Mane-iac could see before the Matter-horn manifested herself on top of the rubble from earlier. “POWER PONIES, I'M BRINGING THE HOUSE DOWN!” Energy collected and swirled around Matter-horn's horn, little bubbles of pure magic gathering together for one big blast. Matter-horn cut loose, firing a laser from her horn which begin to shred the ceiling like a blender, bringing down a rain of roofing on the Mane-iac and her friends. She could simply grab a hold of the builder's foundation as she'd done when chasing the Mane-iac and Zapp across town, but this way afforded her a more direct control over the destruction. “She's going to bring the entire building down!” Zapp exclaimed. The Mane-iac slithered up to her, using a tentacle to knock Daring Do aside before picking Zapp up. “Yes, I do believe she just said as much. There's an emergency exit in the back. Now RUN!” The Sinful Seven picked themselves up and rushed towards the back. Phetlocke went around and made sure to pick up High Heel, carrying her on his back. The Mane-iac held the door open with a tentacle while Zapp directed the evacuation of the others to hurry up and get out before leaving themselves, shutting the door behind them. “Matter-horn, the Sinful Seven have left.” Saddle Rager said, gently poking Matter-horn's shoulder to get her attention, though somewhat afraid of turning Matter-horn's anger on her. “I don't think destroying the building will help any.” “It'll keep them from returning.” Matter-horn proceeded to continue with her cutting beam, swiping it across the roof. "It's one less place for them to hide." “But, um, what about the minions?” Saddle Rager pointed. “Surely they don't deserve to be buried them under tons of rubble ...” Matter-horn examined the minions left behind by the Mane-iac. Phetlocke's mummies, scared speechless by the Matter-horn's display, and the Mane-iac's goons, too injured to be much of a threat to anypony. Injured by Matter-horn, in fact, and realizing this was a major part of why Matter-horn acquired to Saddle Rager's request to stop. “You're right, Saddle Rager.” Matter-horn said. “Besides, we'll want this place intact so we can investigate it later, after we capture the Mane-iac.” “Speaking of which, how are we gonna do that?” Mare-velous asked. “They've already escaped and got a head start on us.” “Oh, I wouldn't be too worried about that.” Matter-horn said, walking up to the emergency exit door the Mane-iac used to flee. “We've got an agent out there, remember? With the math problem?” Matter-horn smirked as she opened the door. “We'll find the Mane-iac waiting for us, neatly wrapped up in a box of chocolates ...” The Sinful Seven galloped through the streets, their hooves becoming soaked as they paraded through the still-wet streets. Zapp looked left and right, observing the blank-eyed, mindless slaves standing on the sidewalks. “Wow.” Zapp murmured. “I didn't realize the shampoo-rain would be so effective. Almost everypony out here looks totally brainwashed.” “Yes!” The Mane-iac cheered. “That was the plan all along!” “Huh.” Zapp said. “You know, maybe if we had remembered we had the whole city under our control, we could have used them against the Power Ponies.” “Zapp, I'm impressed! Volunteering the use of citizens for our ends and means? Congratulations. You're well on your way to becoming a qualified supervillain!” The Mane-iac complimented her. “I ...” Zapp stammered. “I only meant – I know how the Power Ponies work. I used to be one, remember? And I know they would hesitate to harm an innocent civilian – even a brainwashed one – WHOOOOA!” All of the Sinful Seven were caught totally off-guard as the asphalt underneath their hooves suddenly gave way to slippery liquid chocolate, causing their hooves to loose friction and send them skating on the chocolate road, each of them flailing and struggling to grab onto something – a stop sigh, a traffic light, a lamppost, perhaps, anything to regain control of themselves. “What the ...” The Mane-iac expressed, losing her balance and falling, where her body continued to slide until it hit a roadblock in the form of a huge powder-covered brownie in the middle of the road. “Fudge?” Shadowmane, Phetlocke, High Heel, Zapp, Smudge, and Long Face suffered similarly, only coming to a stop when they bumped their heads or other appendages up against brownies on the ground, laid out as though somepony was trying to build a brickhouse out of brownies. “Yes!” A confident voice answered. “Fudge! Isn't it wonderful? The recipe's not mine, but the road is my own creation.” Zapp pushed herself, jaw dropping at the sight. The being she recognized as Discord descended into view, wearing a costume which looked very much like Humdrum's, with the addition of a black stealth suit and a different belt. Zapp understood the Power Ponies had decided to dedicate everything in their power to the pursuit and capture of the Sinful Six-ni-Seven, but this was a whole other level of determined, desperate, and deranged. They were pulling out all the stops on this one. “What are you doing here?” Zapp snarled, defiantly punching a hoof through one of the brownie-blocks. “You know him?” The Mane-iac asked. “Oh, nothing much.” Discord answered. “I'm just here to capture you and all of your little friends and put them in a box.” Discord did indeed conjure a wooden fruit box, the kind used for apples. “Oh, excuse me. These ARE your friends, aren't they, Zapp? It's getting a little hard to tell with all the betraying recently. Or are these six just a phase until you find the NEXT group who gives you a better offer?” Zapp flew up to him, incensed. “YOU, of all ponies, have NO RIGHT to talk to ME about BETRAYAL!” “Maybe not.” Discord admitted, frowning. “I've done some things I know I'm not proud of. Still, for the time being, at least, I (somewhat) have the moral high ground, and I'm going to milk it ...” A cotton candy cloud appeared next to Discord with a string hanging out of it. Discord pulled on the string, causing the cloud to rain down chocolate milk. “For all it's worth.” “Fine.” Zapp admitted. “Zapp?” The Mane-iac asked with concern, not recognizing this bizarre creature or understanding why Zapp recognized it. “What's going on?” “It's nothing.” Zapp held her hoof. “Just stay there. Let me take care of this.” Zapp turned her attention back to Discord. “All right, you. Let's go. Just me and you, one on one.” Discord tilted his head back and laughed. “Oh, Zapp, we both know you couldn't beat me in a real fight.” Zapp was offended by this, ego intolerant of the idea she didn't excel at something, but she realized Discord was right and decided to play to his one weakness; his ego. “You're right.” Zapp said. “So why don't we make this a little more fair?” Discord leaned forward, a claw on his chin. “I'm listening. What do you propose?” “Hmm.” Zapp's eyes darted to the cotton candy cloud, lingering by Discord's shoulder. “That's a nice cloud you got there. How about a weather control contest?” Discord offered a claw to Zapp. “Deal. But who will be the judge?” “Oh, I think we'll know who wins.” Zapp shook his claw for a split-second before rocketing into the skies and summoning a huge massive of clouds with her amulets. Discord followed suit, flapping his wings and creating a mass of cotton candy clouds, which shoved Zapp's clouds out of the way so they could hog the spotlight. Zapp was visibly frustrated, though she didn't lash out. She had a plan. She summoned several smaller clouds and made them swim around in circles. Discord, somewhat impressed by Zapp's amusing trick, felt the need to upstage her and created a bundle of cotton candy clouds. He grabbed the clouds and smushed together, forming them into the rough shape of a dog. The Mane-iac, watching from below, thought the dog-cloud was rather cute. Okay. Zapp thought. Now for the Coup de Grace … or whatever it is Rarity says. She had Discord feeling comfortable, convinced this was a contest and not a trap. Zapp dotted the sky around Discord's with precisely five clouds arranged an equal distance from each other. Discord noticed the unusual cloud formation. He laid onto his back (in mid-air) and scratched his chin as he contemplated what Zapp was making now. “Say ...” Discord grew suspicious. “What's the big idea here?” Zapp swung her amulet through the air. Lightning bolts appeared from each cloud at once, zeroing in on Discord and electrocuting him. As powerful as Discord was, even he couldn't shrug off the millions of amperes running through his system. When the lightning finished frying his body, Discord remained in the air with a comical burnt crisp on his skin. He coughed, letting out a little puff of smoke. Discord weakly raised his hand as though he was a student asking the teacher a question. “I thought this was a contest?” “It was.” Zapp smugly answered. “And I won. Isn't that right, Mane-iac?” The Mane-iac smiled and made an approving gesture with her tentacles. “Hey!” Discord shouted. “You can't have your girlfriend be the contest judge! That creates a conflict of interest!” “Aw, shaddup.” Zapp primed her legs and bucked a cotton candy cloud at Discord. It hit him in square in the face, binding to his muzzle and blinding him. Discord tried in vain to pull the cotton candy off with his claws. All he ended up doing was pulling out long stretches of the candy, only for it to snap back into shape. “Ah! Ow! Oof! Oh, why did I make these things so sticky? Well, I know why, it's because cotton candy is sticky, but anyway … ” “Come on.” Zapp flew down, hovering next to the Mane-iac. “Let's get out of here.” “Not so fast!” Zapp and the Mane-iac turned around to see the Power Ponies, steadily gaining on them. Zapp dealing with Discord had given them all the time they needed to catch up, which Zapp suspected was their plan along! Clever. Sneaky. “The only place you're going is maximum security prison!” Matter-horn shouted. Zapp clutched her amulet and reared up, ready to fight, but the Mane-iac held out a tentacle and held her back. “Let me handle this.” The Mane-iac confidently walked towards the Power Ponies. “I remember what you said earlier, Zapp, and I agree ...” The Mane-iac cleared her throat. “ATTENTION, SLAVES!” The Power Ponies became unnerved when all around them, the brainwashed townsfolk, who up until were as motionless as statues in the wind, turned to face the Mane-iac. They recognized the call of their mistress and they obeyed. “We are on the cusp of a new era!” The Mane-iac announced. “We are about to revolutionize the field of hair care! We are going to enter a new society, a society where we'll have all the time we like to fawn each others' manes and compliment our lovely, luxurious locks!” “Yeah!” The brainwashed crowd cheered, unnerving the Power Ponies further. “A society where we can brush our names to our hearts' content until we've removed every last cowlick, every trace of imperfection, and can spend time coming up with news to improve our shampoos! Think about it, shampoos which promote healthy hair, prevent hair loss, annihilate dandruff, and really bring out the inner shine of our manes ...” The Mane-iac sighed lovingly, losing herself to her fantasies. “Doesn't all it sound so lovely?” “Hey.” High Heel patted Mane-iac on the back. “Listen, I get that you're excited about the whole “improve our shampoos” thing, but don't you have something to deal with?” She pointed at the Power Ponies. “Oh, right.” The Mane-iac said. The Mane-iac directed the attention of her slaves to the Power Ponies. “My fellow ponies, do you see these seven ponies and one dragon before you now?” The crowd gave a collective nod. “Well, these heathens seek to prevent our new world from coming into being! These heretics do not believe seeking to improve our manes is a worthy cause! Are we going to let them get away with that?” “No!” Matter-horn gulped as the Mane-iac smiled. “Get them.” With those two simple words, the Power Ponies found themselves under attack by a mob of brainwashed citizens, all convinced they would soon be living in some sort of … hair-based utopia based on the Mane-iac's words, and her words alone. The Mane-iac gave Matter-horn a flippant wave of her tentacles before exiting, stage left, with the rest of her team. Though they still had to navigate the mess of chocolate Discord had placed in their path. Incensed at the idea of the Mane-iac getting away again, Matter-horn raised her hoof and prepared to slug the nearest pony in front of her. “Matter-horn, don't!” Saddle Rager protested. “They're innocent! It's not their fault they're brainwashed. We can't hurt them!” Matter-horn sighed, knowing Saddle Rager was right. “Well, then what can we do?” “Doesn't seem like there's much we can do, other than take defensive positions and hope they don't hurt us!” Mare-velous expressed. Matter-horn growled, furious about being forced into a defensive position when they were so close to the final capture of the Mane-iac and her gang. She wanted to simply blow away any obstacles in her path. But these weren't obstacles, they were ponies. They were innocent civilians. Mostly harmless, powerless, innocent civilians for whom even the smallest display of the Power Ponies' considerable power could cause potential permanent damage. There was nothing they could do. The Sinful Seven made their way through the town, under the oppressing gaze of a coming twilight as the sun set. It seemed a little too appropriate, as though celestial entities and all-powerful pony princesses were carefully crafting the stage of the play so the world itself would reflect their situation – a twilight hour. The Sinful Seven made their way down a street. With most ponies in the city either brainwashed or hiding indoors from said brainwashed ponies, the Sinful Seven were free to stroll at their leisure. After wandering into a side street, they found what appeared to be an abandoned building. Crafted from carmine bricks, guarded by a gate rusted red, with gargoyle embellishments at the top of the building. “This looks like a good place to hide.” The Mane-iac said. “Looks dark. Wide open space, plenty of vantage points to see a lookout. Okay.” The Mane-iac gestured a hoof. “Everypony in there.” “Aw, do we really have to go in there?” High Heel asked. “It looks creepy. Like a mansion from those old cartoons where you just know something bad – or at least creepy -is gonna happen.” The Mane-iac narrowed her eyes. “Do you have a better idea?” High Heel had no answer. “Everpony in!” The group made their way inside, dusting off the occasionally cobweb with their hooves. Long Face seemed to quite enjoy getting the silk on his hooves, though High Heel couldn't care less. “Okay.” The Mane-iac announced once they were all inside. Phetlocke made sure to close the doors behind them. “Sinful Seven ...” The Mane-iac said. “Gather around. I have something I want to say to you. All of you. I think it's pretty clear by now that the Power Ponies are serious this time. That they're determined, and they will not stop hunting us until we're either behind bars. Do you understand? They. Will. Not. Stop.” The Sinful Seven nodded. “So, I say we stop running. No more villainous escapes. No more 'exit, stage left.' No, here ...” The Mane-iac pounded a hoof into a creaky floorboard. “Here is where we make our final stand. Here is where the battle lines are drawn, and they'll be drawn no further than THIS very building! And in case the outcome is … unfavorable to us, I want you all to know ...” The Mane-iac became teary-eyed. She reached a tendril to wipe the tear away. “You're some of the best villainous friends I've ever had, and it's been my pleasure to work with you in evil. Sure, we tried to betray each other a few times, but what villain doesn't? I am … happy that I have gotten the chance to call each of you … my friends.” Everypony was touched by the Mane-iac's sentiment. Even Smudge, normally emotionless, seemed on the brink of tears. High Heel cried a little. Shadowmane and Long Face's expressions softened. Zapp smiled, though a bit nervously, given her brief time with the group. Phetlocke, though, proved the most touched of the lot, letting out gushers of tears which sprayed High Heel and Shadowmane and got them sopping wet. “Yeesh! Okay, okay!” High Heel grabbed Phetlocke's head in the hopes of stemming, or at least redirecting his tears. “And I thought I was being sappy!” “Group hug!” Phetlocke declared. Everypony could tell his emotions were in a volatile state, so they obliged him. Each pony gathered around the Mane-iac, who wrapped her tendrils around all of them. Like the wing of a hen mother wrapped around her baby birds. “That's enough.” The Mane-iac separated. “Everypony, split up and cover the building. Find whatever supplies you can, and we'll use it and whatever you have on you to make traps for our guests. Move!” The Sinful Seven nodded. They split up and ran off in different directions, High Heel and Phetlocke taking the east wing while Smudge, Shadowmane, and Long Face took the west. Zapp flew up to cover the upper portions, but was pulled down by the Mane-iac's tentacle wrapping around her leg. “Not you, Zapp.” The Mane-iac said. “I want to talk to you in private.” “Okay.” Zapp gently shook her leg out from the tentacle and got on the ground. “What's this about?” “Zapp ...” The Mane-iac looked aside. “You're lovely. I think you're wonderful.” Zapp blushed. “But … I think you and I both know this isn't going to end until the Power Ponies capture us.” The Mane-iac said. “And I want you to be able to go back to them. I've committed too many heinous acts, done far too much evil, broke too many laws … but it's not too late for you. You can still have a good life. A life on the strait and narrow. Just because I'm going to go down doesn't mean I have to take you with me.” “Mane-iac … Tresemme, what are you saying?” The Mane-iac used a tentacle to reach into her back pocket and pulled out a bottle of brainwashing shampoo. She held it in her hooves. “There's still some shampoo left at the bottom of this bottle. I'm going to use it on you. When the Power Ponies arrive and see you as a giggling pile of mush wrapped up in my coils, they'll be more likely to forgive you when all is said and done.” As she spoke, the Mane-iac extended her tentacles and began to wrap them around Rainbow Dash's limbs. “Tresemme …” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “You don't have to do this.” “I do have to do this. For you.” The Mane-iac said. She looked at the shampoo bottle, opened its cap, and looked at Rainbow Dash. “I'm doing this because I love you. It'll trick the Power Ponies into thinking you were brainwashed the entire time, from the moment we left my apartment. We'll know the truth, of course. We know what choice you made in the hotel. And I promise, we will be the only ones who will ever know what choice you made that day.” Ranbow Dash looked into the Mane-iac's eyes. For the first time, Rainbow Dash could see the two 'halves' which comprised Tresemme united. United in purpose and united in spirit, as a united … being for the first time in what must have been a very long time. Oh, sure, there was always some of the other bleeding through, but those were more like compromises. Sometimes it was 87% Mane-iac, 13% Tresemme, others it was 75% Tresemme, 25% Mane-iac. But this was the first time Rainbow Dash could see it being 50% Tresemme and 50% Mane-iac. No – it was more like 100% Tresemme, 100% Mane-iac, even though that wasn't mathematically possible. But Rainbow Dash had never been good at math. “Do you remember when we first met?” The Mane-iac asked, speaking with Tresemme's voice. “In the grocery store? You were so taken in with me. Things seemed so simple then. Who would've guessed we would've gone on this crazy adventure?” Tresemme rolled her eyes. “All right. Enough dallying. Let's get this show on the road.” Tresemme lifted the shampoo over Rainbow Dash's head, peeling off Zapp's cowl. Rainbow Dash looked up at the shampoo bottle before tearfully returning to Tresemme. “Tresemme … don't.” “Shh.” Tresemme leaned forward, holding Dash's head in place she placed a kiss on Rainbow Dash's forehead. “I love you, Rainbow Dash.” The Mane-iac's tentacle squeezed the bottle, squirting a dollop of shampoo onto Rainbow Dash's mane. “What are we gonna do?” Mare-velous pondered as she was forced to grab a citizen by the front hooves, tie said hooves together, and hurl the citizen away from her. “Ah'm not sure how many of these folks Ah can neutralize before they wear us down!” Matter-horn backed away, trying to put some distance between herself and the enthralled crowd who were out for her blood. Grimacing and at a loss, Matter-horn sent out the first spell she could think of to buy them some time. A force field spell. A beam of light rose from her horn before expanding and surrounding the Power Ponies inside a transparent, purple dome. “A force field spell!” Mare-velous marveled at Matter-horn's magic. “That was a great idea, Matter-horn.” “Yeah.” Matter-horn blushed at the praise. “Unfortunately, it still doesn't solve our real problem!” Matter-horn watched in horror as the brainwashed swarm pounded and banged on the force filed, trying to break in. “Hmm.” Mare-velous scratched her chin. “Think we could use the force field to push these folks out of our way?” “No. The force field is stationary. It can't move. “Matter-horn explained. She tapped at her head, quite racked her brain for ideas. A 'ding!' sound from no discernible source happened as she had an idea. And it was a good one. “There's nothing that says we have to be on this side of it, though.” Matter-horn said. “Er, pardon?” Matter-horn projected a small screen which equations swam across as she worked out all the variable factors she would need to take into account to make their plan work. “Radiance, can you ...” Matter-horn leaned over and whispered. Radiance nodded. Matter-horn's horn shimmered and the force field was dispelled, fading away. As the hordes of mind-controlled ponies ran up to their targets, Radiance conjured a giant shovel the size of a small office building. Using the shovel, Radiance scooped up the townsfolk, shoving them to adjacent side streets and clearing the way for the Power Ponies to move forward. “Come on!” Matter-horn beckoned a hoof at the Power Ponies to move, galloping down the road. Once they reached what Matter-horn thought was a good distance, Matter-horn turned around and re-activated the force field spell. Only this time, the crowd was on the inside of the force field, trapping them in the bubble. “What? Hey! You can't do this to us!” One pony protested, banging on the forcefield. Ignoring his protests, Matter-horn helped herself to a smirk before she and the Power Ponies continued on their way. “Discord, are you coming?” Saddle Rager stopped to ask. Discord, still struggling with the cotton candy cloud stuck to his face, waved her off. “Oh, go on without me! I'll catch up.” He resumed his efforts to pry free of the cloud's sticky grip. Saddle Rager nodded and joined the others. “How are we gonna find the Sinful Seven?” Radiance asked. “Their distraction worked long enough, they could be anywhere by now.” “Hmm.” Matter-horn thought about this as they came upon an abandoned construction site. It was a good bet the workers had been doing their business when the shampoo-rain hit. Matter-horn levitated up a few steel i-beams, eying them with the sort of scientific curiosity that led to the creation of Frankenstein's monster. “I think what we need … is a bird's eye view.” “Uh, Twi?” Mare-velous asked. “Are y'all sure we can take those?” Matter-horn shrugged. “It's not like they'll be using them. Besides, I'll pay to replace all the parts we used after we've caught the Mane-iac.” Matter-horn set about affixing the beams to each other. “While I work on this, Mare-Do-Well will go and find where the Sinful Seven are hiding.” Inside the abandoned building, the Sinful Seven had returned to their foyer after setting up all the defenses they could manage with the limited supplies they had available to them. They were surprised and amused to find the Mane-iac cuddling with Zapp, whose hair was covered with foamy, bubbly shampoo. Some of the bubbles dripped off her scalp to the floor. “Getting in some quality time, I see.” High Heel observed. The Mane-iac didn't seem to hear her. “Who's a good slave? Who's my good little, brainwashed slave?” Zapp giggled. “I am.” The Mane-iac laughed, tickled by Zapp's child-like demeanor while under the influence. She, along with the rest of the Sinful Six, was surprised when the ground beneath their hooves shook. “What was that?” “I don't know!” High Heel shrugged. The ground shook again, becoming louder as the source of the noise came closer, or so Long Face would venture to guess. It shook again, and again and stopped. The Sinful Six looked around the room, wondering if the noise stopping meant they could let their guard down a little. The answer to that was a loud “NO!” as an enormous hoof made of metal punched a hole through the building, knocking rubble and plaster on the floor, a scant few feet away from crushing the Sinful Six underneath it. The Sinful Six were greeted by a truly monstrous sight, one which could render the hardiest villain speechless. A series of interconnected i-beams and some other scrap metal, bent around and glued together into a twisted shape roughly matching that of a pony. “Ha!” Matter-horn laughed, riding atop the iron beast. “Good work, Mare-Do-Well; you led us straight to them!” “Well, it wasn't hard.” Mare-Do-Well said. “I noticed a tripwire set on the lawn and said to myself, 'say, now what would an ordinary citizen be doing with a tripwire in their lawn?' Seeing Long Face walk around the yard only confirmed my suspicion.” The metal pony creation stuck its head into the hole it made, lowering its head so the Power Ponies could slide down its neck and land on the floor. “This is how it's gonna work.” Daring Do said. “You give yourselves up nice and quietly, and Matter-horn won't use her giant robot to smash you into pieces.” Matter-horn laughed. “Well, it's not a robot. It doesn't have any circuitry or wiring, it's just metal. Really, it's more like a golem or a homunculus – and you don't really care, do you?” Daring Do clutched at her face in mock-horror. “Holy pedantic distinction, Mare-Do-Well! That answer your question?” The Mane-iac chuckled. “I would love to take you up on that offer, but I'm afraid my slave and I are going to have to decline. Isn't that right, dear?” The Mane-iac stroked Zapp's mane with a tentacle. Zapp nodded in agreement. “Mm-hmm. Right ...” Matter-horn gasped. “What have you done to Zapp, you green-maned monster?” “Oh, nothing much.” The Mane-iac said. “I just used a little bit of my brainwashing shampoo on her, like I've been doing all along!” The Mane-iac burst out into evil laughter without missing a beat, allowing the Power Ponies to believe Zapp had been brainwashed the entire time. Even though both the Mane-iac and Zapp knew Zapp had only been brainwashed some of the time. “ATTACK!” The Mane-iac ordered her teammates. The Sinful Six sprang into action, ready to fight the Power Ponies for what they thought would be the last time. Fili-Second used her powers of speed, running up to High Heel and smacking over the face with the same boot Saddle Rager used. With Fili-Second's speed behind it, the boot hit High Heel at fifty miles-per-hour, enough to leave a bruise on High Heel's cheek and send her sliding across the floor. The monstrous golem wrought by Matter-horn stuck its hoof into the building. It attempted to stomped the Sinful Six, which would surely have turned them into a fine, mushy smear on the floor. It locked onto Long Face, trying to squash him. Phetlocke was just nimble enough to avoid the giant hoof, using his wings to assist in jumps and backflipping to get out of the way. “I grow tired of this.” Long Face said. He galloped up the Mane-iac and Zapp. He grabbed Zapp's amulet and pulled it over her head. “Hey!” The Mane-iac protested at this intrusion of privacy. “You won't mind if I borrow this, will you, Zapp?” Long Face said. “I thought not.” Placing the amulet into his teeth, Long Face pointed the amulet up and swirled it through the air. Thunderclouds manifested inside the building. At Long Face's bidding, the thunderclouds sent struck Matte-horn's golem with a lighting bolt. Amidst the list of conductive elements in the world, metal was near the top of the list. The entire structure of the golem, from its head to its hooves, was soon subject to a self-perpetuating vicious cycle of electrocution. Each piece of iron formed a conduit which fed it on itself, multiplying the lightning's strength before it jumped to another part of the body. As the creature's consciousness was only as complex as it need be to follow commands and input from Matter-horn, its 'brain,' such as it were, was totally fried beyond repair. The pieces of steel which made up its form now lacked the primitive mind that held them together, and so they seperated and fell apart into a pile of scrap metal. “Now that Matter-horn's homunculus taken care of ...” Long Face gently slid the amulet back onto Zapp and pulled out a vial filled with black, inky liquid. Long Face stared the Power Ponies down. “I would like to introduce you, Power Ponies, to my old friend … FEAR!” “You think fear is your friend?” The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well tossed one of her signature black discus, knocking the vial out of Long Face's hoof. It fell to the floor and shattered, creating gaseous black clouds around Long Face. “No!” Long Face gasped, holding a hoof up in horror. He knew the effects of his vial, and he knew they would wear off if he could get out from the cloud. But the smoke around him was so dark, black as night, that he couldn't see clearly. “Let's get one thing straight between you and me.” Mare-Do-Well said. Long Face whipped around, trying to find where her voice was coming from. “Fear is not your friend. It's my friend. I was born from fear. I was cast by it. Fear does not work for you.” Mare-Do-Well descended from above like a bat out of Tartarus. Having to inhale his own concoction, Long Face's mind and perception of reality was warped. When he laid eyes upon Mare-Do-Well, his vision was distorted to the point Mare-Do-Well appeared be bat-like demon, come to swoop upon him and take him away, where his soul would be weighed against a feather to determine his sins. “Fear works for ME.” Mare-Do-Well bucked Long Face in the chest. Long Face stumbled, grasping at his chest and coughing from his smoke, before collapsing onto his side. “Ugh ...” High Heel rubbed her head as she regained consciousness. Looking around, she saw the black smoke and Mare-Do-Well triumphant over Long Face. “Grr ...” High Heel saw Phetlocke and Shadowmane were still standing. High Heel rallied them. “Come on, guys! Let's go get them!” Phetlocke and Shadowmane shared a glance, both of them fearful of losing. But they braced themselves. Together with High Heel, they charged at the Power Ponies, screaming like excited football players on the night of a big game. Seeing their display of bravado, Radiance rolled her eyes. Horn shimmering, Radiance created two walls on either side of High Heel's group. Her expression of utter disinterest, Radiance brought the two walls together, trapping High Heel, Shadowmane, and Phetlocke between them. “You're … crowding me!” High Heel complained with Phetlocke's hoof stuffed into her cheek. Radiance had not left them a lot of room. “Well, sorry!” Phetlocke responded. “There's not much I can do about it!” “Now that's what I call a villain sandwich!” Fili-Second joked. “Eh? Eh? “Villain sandwich'?” Fili-Second found, to her dismay, nothing but questioning glares in her direction. “Wow, tough crowd. Well, I thought it was funny.” Mare-velous observed the fact Radiance had caught and disabled three of the Sinful Six in one swift movement. “Huh. Not a bad day's work. At this rate, we'll capture this whole criminal lot in no time – MARE-DO-WELL! LOOK OUT!” “Huh?” Mare-Do-Well turned around a second too late to react to Smudge sneaking up on him. Smudge growled and wrapped his hooves around her, pulling her towards his chest with the intent to absorb her into his body. Although not exactly clear on what would happen to Mare-Do-Well if she were absorbed, Mare-velous was determined not to see it happen. Leaping into action, Mare-velous tackled Mare-Do-Well, freeing her from Smudge's clutches and landing her on the ground. “Got'cha!” Mare-velous said. “Don't y'all worry now. Yer in safe … hooves?” Mare-velous paused. In the process of rescuing Mare-Do-Well from Smudge, Mare-velous had knocked Mare-Do-Well's hat off. Not only that, but she had knocked loose Mare-Do-Well's mask, and she thought she recognized the face poking out from it. Mare-velous, failing to think about the fact they were villains in the building, went ahead and peeled the rest of Mare-Do-Well's mask off. Revealing … “Apple Bloom?” “Hi.” Apple Bloom said, smiling sheepishly. “Hi!” Sweetie Belle poked her head out, shoving Apple Bloom up. “Hi!” Scootaloo followed, pushing up Sweetie Belle's head. Radiance galloped over to confirm what she was seeing was real. “Ah don't believe it.” Mare-velous said. “Mare-Do-Well, one of the most feared, competent crime-fighters in all of Maretropolis … is secretly run by my sister and her friends.” “Yup.” Apple Bloom said. “We knew you went out to fight crime, and we wanted to help.” Scootaloo said. “But we knew you would never let us join you on your secret mission, so we went and made our superhero identity.” “We all stuffed ourselves into this Mare-Do-Well costume and began our super-secret superhero training!” Sweetie Belle explained. “That way, we could help you if things got really bad and make sure you came home on time. No pony ever realized it was behind Mare-Do-Well. Not even you, sis!” “We've gotten pretty good at beating up bad guys and taking them to jail.” Scootaloo said. “But … if you want us to stop, we understand.” Sweetie Belle said. “Oh, Sweetie Belle.” Radiance had tears in her eyes. “I never realized … you cared about me so much that you were willing to risk life and limb as a vigilante to see to it I returned home safely every night … that's so selfless of you!” “Really?” Sweetie Belle asked. “So you're not mad?” “Oh, I'm furious. How could you be so irresponsible as to dress up as a masked hero and then not tell your big sister?” Radiance placed a hoof on Sweetie Belle's shoulder. “But … I'm also touched, too.” “Hmph.” Daring Do watched and turned away, feeling betrayed and hurt her mentor had turned out to be a trio of school fillies. She turned her attention to the Mane-iac. The Mane-iac had opted to stay out of the fight the whole time, instead simply cuddling with Zapp while calling her cute pet names. The Mane-iac was rubbing Zapp's chin with a tentacle when she noticed Daring Do. “Who's my good little pegasus? You are. Yes, you are! … Oh.” The Mane-iac turned her attention to Daring. “Hello. What are you going to do, then? Try in vain to snap Zapp out of it? Well, let me save you the trouble. You can't. She's too far gone.” The Mane-iac smirked. “I'm not here to save Zapp.” Daring Do reached into her back pocket. “I'm here to finish you. I'm removing you from the picture, Mane-iac … permanently.” Hearing this surprisingly menacing statement, The Power Ponies all turned their attention to Daring Do. “Is that …” Matter-horn stammered. “Is that A GUN?” Daring Do did indeed have a gun on her person. She aimed it square at the Mane-iac. “The Power Ponies have let you get away from them one time too many.” Daring Do said. “And they've been trying to fix that lately, I'll give them that … but still. I'm not convinced they can do what needs to be done.” "And you do? Well, go on then! Do it!" The Mane-iac encouraged Daring, a tear dripping down her cheek as her voice distorted, blending between the Mane-iac's and Tresemme's. "I don't want to be a villain anymore ..." "What?" Daring asked. "Could you speak up?" "Nothing." The Mane-iac used her tendril to wipe a tear from her face. "Do it. Show the world how high and mighty of a superhero you are that you would be willing to use a gun." “Daring, don't!” Sweetie Belle protested. “Why not?” Daring Do reached for the trigger. “Zapp's too far gone, and you need to accept she's never coming back. Just like – just like … how somepony I loved is never coming back.” Daring Do's grip on the gun became shaky, but she righted herself. “This is what you wanted, isn't it? To put an end to the Mane-iac's schemes for good?” “Well, yes.” Matter-horn admitted. “But not like this! Using guns is against superhero code!” Daring Do scoffed. “Code? What code? We have no legislative body. No … secret superhero council, or anything like that. No, we don't have a code. We have a bunch of guidelines we've all politely agreed to follow. There's nothing in writing which says I can't do this. When I pull this trigger, the only ponies who will have any legal grounds over me will be the police. And honestly, I'll doubt they'll arrest for putting an end to the Mane-iac.” “You mean … if you pull the trigger.” Matter-horn said. “No, I mean when.” And 'when' was 'now,' as Daring Do pulled the trigger, over the protests and objections of everypony in the building. The Mane-iac closed her eyes, accepting her fate. To everypony's surprise, it was Scootaloo who came closest to saving the day, as she jumped, using her wings to gain flight time and tackling Daring, throwing her aim off. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Matter-horn tried in vain to grab the bullet before it reached its target. The Mane-iac closed her eyes and held onto Zapp tightly before pushing her away so the bullet wouldn't hit her. Zapp, her mind reduced to child-like levels from the brainwashing shampoo, had no understanding of what was going on when she heard the pop of the bullet leaving the barrel. She had no understanding of why, after being so lovingly wrapped around her for so long, the Mane-iac's tentacles suddenly unwound from her body. She had no understanding as she heard the thud of a body hitting the floor. Zapp moved her hooves around, trying to find some piece of her lover to hold onto. After some flailing and stumbling, she saw the Mane-iac and got down to her knees. She placed her hooves on the Mane-iac's body. The Mane-iac's … cold … unmoving … unresponsive body, "T … Tresemme?" “Mmm ...” Rainbow Dash groaned. “Ugh ...” She opened her eyes to see she was on a bed. A bunk bed, in particular. She recognized this bed. It was the same bunk bed she and Pinkie Pie shared at the mansion, but for some reason, she was on the bottom when she usually slept on top. Turning her head to one side, Rainbow Dash saw Twilight Sparkle sitting in a chair by her bedside. “Hey.” said Rainbow Dash. “Hey.” Twilight turned her head away, crossing her legs. Rainbow Dash rolled onto her back. She rubbed at her temples and covered her face. “Boy. I really messed up this time, huh?” “Yes.” Twilight said. “But I'm not here to tell you things you already know.” Rainbow Dash removed her hooves from her face. She turned back to Twilight. “What happened?” “Well ...” Twilight tapped her hooves together. “After the Mane-iac was dealt with, you were left lying on the floor with brainwashing soap on your head.” “Shampoo.” Twilight glared at her. “The girls and I figured we couldn't just leave you there, so we figured we might as well take you home. We rinsed the shampoo off and put you in Pinkie's bed, hoping you would be back to your senses when you woke up.” “Mmm.” Rainbow Dash was grateful for her friends' kindness, especially after everything she put them through, but she noticed something. “Twilight?” “Yeah?” “You said the Mane-iac was 'dealt with'. How … how, exactly?” Twilight bit her lip and sighed. “Daring Do … pulled a gun on the Mane-iac.” Hearing this caused Rainbow Dash to bolt upright. “Sweet Celestia! Did she – really – a gun? Like, a real gun?” “Yes.” Twilight nodded. “She made this big speech about how there weren't 'rules' in the superhero community, and how we didn't have the guts to do what 'needed to be done.' She … fired the gun at the Mane-iac. I tried to talk her out of it, and when that didn't work, I tried to catch the bullet with my magic, but it was too fast and – oh, Rainbow Dash, I'm sorry.” Twilight closed her eyes. “Mm-hmm.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “What about her? The Mane-iac? Is she … is she dead?” Twilight refused to answer. “Answer me, Twilight!” Rainbow snapped. “Is she dead?” Twilight continued to dodge the question, only answering after a long silence. “I'm sorry. You may not have made the best choices these last few days, but I could tell you really loved her. I'm so sorry.” Rainbow Dash grimaced, taking a hoof to her forehead. She cried, letting tears stream down her face. “That's it.” Twilight said. “Let it all out.” Rainbow Dash sniffled. She uncovered her face. “And … what about Daring? What happened to her?” “Daring Do is in custody.” Twilight said. “She may have been wrong about a few things in her speech, but she was right about a few things, too. We're petitioning Princess Celestia to create a superhero legislative body. For superheroes, run by superheroes. As for Daring, we're putting together a formal inquiry to decide whether her shooting the Mane-iac was justified. We got so busy with trying to subdue her after she shot the Mane-iac, the rest of the Sinful … Five got away with the Mane-iac's …” “It's okay, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash said, sniffling and holding back tears. “You can say it. I'm a big girl.” “With the Mane-iac's body.” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash cried and sniffled some more. “You know ...” Rainbow Dash said. “I never liked her. Daring, I mean. From the moment we first met ...” Twilight chuckled. They could at least wring some good humor out of the situation. “Yeah, I know. Oh, and Mare-Do-Well is actually the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “As in – as in, our Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Twilight nodded. “Mm-hmm.” Rainbow Dash a put a hoof to her cheek. “You know, in a way … I'm kind of not surprised. Figures they would do something stupid like that.” “Mm-hmm.” Twilight looked away. “So, I'm curious … through the whole thing, how … brainwashed were you, really?” “A bit.” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I see.” Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to look away. “Twilight, listen … I have a confession to make. While the Mane-iac and I were on the run, we went into a hotel, and … she made me make a choice.” “Go on.” “My choices were to either defect willingly, try to bring her in and present her to you guys, or let myself be brainwashed so I didn't have to choose for myself.” “Okay.” Twilight said. “Since it seemed like you never tried to bring us the Mane-iac, that leaves one of two options … unless, of course, I want to be generous and assume you did try to bring her in, only for the Mane-iac to subdue you and brainwash you anyway.” Twilight nodded. “In fact, it might be easier to just pretend that was what happened.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “Yeah.” Twilight frowned. “But we know the easy thing isn't the right thing. So … what choice did you make?” Rainbow Dash glanced to the side. “Well, that's the thing … I want to tell you. But the Mane-iac promised me only two ponies would know what choice I made – myself and her. I don't want to betray her trust … I don't want to break that promise. You understand, don't you?” Twilight Sparkle nodded. “I do.” Twilight was silent once again for awhile, until she said ... “Write a letter.” “Huh?” “Write a letter describing what choice you made.” Twilight explained. “Go outside of Martropolis. Find a wide, empty field, and bury the letter there. In five years, if you haven't earned our trust back by then, we'll go out and dig it up. I think that's a fair compromise after everything we've been through ... maybe even a little too forgiving.” Twilight levitated a pencil and a piece of paper to Rainbow Dash. “Okay.” Rainbow Dash wrote on the parchment. When she was done, Twilight levitated an envelope to her. Rainbow Dash folded the letter up to fit it inside said envelope. After the envelope was finished, Twilight took it from Rainbow Dash. “Well … I guess there's not much we can do now other than accept you back into the Power Ponies until those five years are up.” Twilight said with a smile. “But until then, you're gonna have to work really hard to prove to us we can trust you from now on.” Rainbow Dash blushed and smiled. “Yeah, I know. Don't worry, Twilight. I promise, I'll do everything I can to make it up to and prove I'm still a Power Pony, through and through. Even if I got a little lovestruck for awhile. Pinkie Promise.” “Good. Believe me, Rainbow Dash, I want this letter to stay buried just as much as you do. Oh, one more thing.” Twilight said. “The next time you suspect somepony you're in love with as secretly being one of our enemies … tell us first, before you go confront them alone.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Deal.” The doorbell to the mansion rang. “I'll get it!” Pinkie Pie announced, zipping through the hall. She returned moments later to Rainbow Dash's bedroom. “It's for yoooou!” Pinkie said in sing-song. “Me?” Rainbow Dash pushed off the covers and got out of bed. She went downstairs to greet whoever it was. It was a pony. A doctor, if Dash to guess, going off his white coat and blue shirt. “Uh, yes. Hello. I'm looking for a Rainbow Dash?” The doctor said. “I've been led to believe she lives here.” “That's me.” Rainbow Dash said. “What do you want?” The doctor, as it turns out, worked at the local hospital. Rainbow Dash had become a pony of interest in the case of an unusual patient. “We have no idea where she came from.” The doctor said. “We were finishing up the night shift when we suddenly found her lying outside the front entrance, like somepony had just … dumped here there. She's quite the unusual case. With some surgery, she survived a bullet wound to the head.” “A bullet wound ... to the head?” Rainbow Dash asked, incredulous. “Yes. It's quite remarkable, really. Almost a miracle. The odds of this happening … well, statistics say it'll be another ten to fifteen years before anything like this happens again!” The doctor said. “The bullet hit her head at just the right angle for her to survive, if she got appropriate medical care in time. Somepony made sure she did. It's funny. If the bullet had been so much as one centimeter either way, she would have never made it. If she had gotten her care a second later, she wouldn't have made it. The universe must have really been smiling on her today.” “She's suffered some head trauma.” The doctor went on. “Heavy memory loss. She can only remember two things, one of which was your name – that why's I went looking for you, by the way. I'm hoping if she sees you, it'll jog her memory some. But other than that, she's fine! She has full cognition, motor functions … everything but her memory. Ah, here we go!” The doctor stopped and opened the door to the patient's room. “Please, go in.” The doctor nodded. Rainbow Dash went in, not expecting to find much of interest to her. What she did find made her jaw drop. “Tresemme?” Tresemme was on the bed, reading a book. Her cranium was wrapped in bandages, but otherwise, she looked fine. “Oh, hello.” Tresemme said to her. “Tresemme? Is that my name?” “Uh, yeah.” Rainbow Dash said, nervously walking up to her bed. Dash put a hoof on the guardrail. “Do you … remember me?” Tresemme shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe. Are you Rainbow Dash?” “Uh, yeah. That's me.” Rainbow Dash still couldn't believe it. Here was Tresemme, alive and mostly well. Dash wanted somepony to come pinch her to be sure this wasn't a dream. “I remember two things.” Tresemme said. “Hairs. Lots and lots of hair … and your name.” Tresemme said. “So, since I can't remember anything, why don't you tell me how we know each other?” “I'm, uh, I'm your girlfriend.” Rainbow Dash said. Tresemme's was taken aback. “Really?” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yup!” “Huh.” Tresemme looked at Rainbow Dash's mane. “I absolutely love your mane. It's so vibrant and colorful. How do you get like that? What dye do you use? What's your regimen?” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “This? This is all natural.” Tresemme's stared in shock. “No way.” “It's true.” Rainbow Dash said. She presented her mane to Tresemme. “You can feel it if you don't believe me." Tresemme took a hoof to Rainbow Dash's hair, curling a stand of hair around her hoof. “Wow … I don't believe it. It really is natural!” “I told you!” Rainbow Dash said. The two of them shared in delighted laughter. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe. She not only had a second chance with the Power Ponies, but she also had one with Tresemme. She could help Tresemme build her life back up. Get her back to apartment, get her back her old job. Though hopefully without the part about falling into a vat of acid. She could train Tresemme to be a hero instead of a villain. She could teach Tresemme to control the dormant Mane-iac part of her Dash knew was still in there. Rainbow Dash paused to wonder … was it right for her to take advantage of Tresemme's memory loss? Was it ethical to try training her to be a hero when Dash knew Tresemme was a villain at heart? Isn't that no better than what the Mane-iac was trying to do to me? To Maretopolis? "Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?" Tresemme asked. "You looked troubled." "Yeah, fine." Dash assured. "You just keep playing with my mane." Rainbow Dash resolved a compromise. She would get Tresemme to where she could stand on her own hooves. After which, as soon as both she and Tresemme felt they were ready, she would tell Tresemme about her past and let her decide if she wanted to go back to being the maniacal Mane-iac … or if she would like to start anew, as a hero. But that was going to take awhile. For right now, Rainbow Dash was determined they were just going to have some fun, lying here in the hospital while Tresemme flicked and poked at Rainbow Dash's hair bangs. Author's Note And with that, another story comes to a close. I wanted to include another scene of the Mane-iac and Rainbow Dash being 'intimate' after the Power Ponies cut them off at the HQ, but I realized it would disrupt the flow and pacing of the chapter. I also wanted the steel I-beam golem Matter-horn made to last longer in the fight, but it kind of disrupted the balance of power. So away it went. And the speech Mare-Do-Well makes to Long Face is a spin on the speech Bane makes to Batman early into The Dark Knight Rises film. Originally, it was just going to BE the speech with the word "Darkness" substitued with "Fear," but I decided to give it a bit more variation than that. And of course, in the same scene, Long Face seeing Mare-Do-Well as a demon also references multiple occurences when the Scarecrow becomes victim to his own Fear Gas and sees Batman as such. That "weighing a soul against a feather" thing mention in the narration? Totally real. Well, "real" as far as mythology goes. That's the end of it, for now. I've discussed with DarknessRising and toyed with the idea of writing a spin-off or "What If?" issues with alternate endings, but I won't write those until I really feel comfortable with spending my time in that manner. Don't expect any sequels anytime soon, either. But hey, it's a comic book. I've always approached this story as thinking it was a comic book, fitting into a long series of publications involving the Power Ponies, with other Power Pony related stories being released by the same 'company' over a period of years, taking place in alternate universes, or being reboots of each other ... it's fun to think of that way. And it's fun to think some reading this might want to do their own Power Pony stores with the same approach. Issue 1: "Arrows of Love!" Issue 1 Solicit: After a routine mission beating the Mane-iac, The Power Ponies have to deal with another frustrating foe; being out of groceries. But while at the store, Rainbow Dash struggles with an even more worrying predicament: being struck by Cupid! IN a desolate and lifeless foundation made from steel and iron, lit only by the smooth gleam of the silver moon and what little light peeked from the building's windows, the shadow of a figure crept in the pitch-black night. It rose up like a budding flower from the edge of an old ventilation machine. The shadow ducked and rolled, moving from the cover of one dinged-up useless machine to the next. It raised its hoof and made the motions of a beckoning signal. Out from the machine the shadow had whence emerged from, crept out five more shadows which joined the first. Most ponies might question the wisdom of going to a forsaken facility in the dangerous dark. Most ponies might decide it best to stay home and leave the rest of the world alone to its own devices. Not these six. For these six were not most ponies. No, they were special. They answered the calls no one else would, to do the jobs no one else could. They were lights in the darkness. They were defenders of truth, justice, and the Equestrian way. They were calm protectors against an ever-present, ever-changing mass of chaos, a chaos which was always just out of sight but always looming overhead. They were (and are) ... the POWER PONIES! Including The Masked Matter-horn, able to send out beams ranging from the most scorching heat to the coldest frost. Mistress Mare-Velous, who wields an enchanted lasso in combat. Radiance, with the power to make anything she can think of into a solid construct. Fili-Second, able to run at several hundred-thousand miles per hour (and who the Masked Matter-horn would be quick to point out, was not a real measurement of seconds. Milliseconds, yes, microseconds, yes, nanoseconds, yes, but not Fili-Seconds). Zapp, with her enchanted amulet that could bend the weather to her will. Last and least was Saddle Rager … who was too shy and timid to do much. Unless she got angry, which triggered a transformation in her into a monstrous rampaging beast! But she was just so gosh-darned scared all the time, getting her angry was too much of a hassle. On this dim and starry night, the Power Ponies had received a tip-off about suspicious ponies in barbershop outfits who were going in and out of an abandoned shampoo-making factory. A description which perfectly matched the modus operandi of their bitter nemesis, THE MANE-IAC! A former hair product sales-ponies turned superpowered criminal, the Mane-Iac was a mutated pony whose hair was green, pliable, and extendable, the long reach of her tentacles working without end to fuel her plans for world domination! Hair-based world domination. The factory having its lights on at this late hour was in itself suspicious enough, but the Power Ponies needed to only the faintest echo of the Mane-Iac's distinctive cackle for the confirmation of their suspicions and the validation of the anonymous tip-off. The Masked Matter-horn found an air-duct and directed the other Power Ponies to it. Using her power the way a construction worker uses a welding torch, she melted the metal of the duct and tore the door off. It was too small for their bodies to fit in, but they were prepared. Radiance created a large hammer to chisel out enough space for them to get through. “Oooh.” Saddle Rager whined as they crawled into the dusty, abandoned space. “Do we have to be here? I'd much rather be at home with my animal friends.” “Tough it up, Rager!” Zapp snapped. “We've got a job to do, and that job is kick the Mane-iac's flank into next week! If you don't wanna do it, fine, but we'll just carry on without you!” “Zapp, there's no need to be rude.” Radiance said. “Saddle Rager is simply stating she would prefer to be at home. I would prefer to be at the spa, but we chose to take this duty as our own and we will fulfill it. Isn't that right, Rager?” Rager sighed. “I guess ...” The Masked Matter-horn, at the front of the pack, turned around and gave the order for silence. They had arrived at the end of the ventilation shaft, where they could spy with their little eyes the Mane-iac and her goons, attempting to reactive the disused machinery, no doubt for their nefarious plans to create shampoo. EVIL shampoo. “Tonight, minions, we shall take Maretropolis!” The Mane-Iac shouted, using her tentacles to give herself a perch at the highest point of the machinery. “And I know I say that every time ...” The minions murmured amongst themselves in agreement. “But I really mean it this time! We SHALL take Maretropolis through that most beautiful of natural accessories – hair! Think about it. Who doesn't love hair? Who doesn't wake up and brush their mane first thing in the morning? And with my new scheme, minions, we shall use the natural beauty of hair to convert the world to our way of thinking! We will show them the LIGHT! … of hair!” A minion raised their hoof. “I have a question.” “Yes?” “What if sompony's bald? What do we do then?” “That's a good question.” Saddle Rager said. “I mean, what if they have a condition that prevents them from growing hair?” “Yeah.” Another minion muttered. He turned to his fellow, who nodded. “That's a good point!” The Mane-Iac stiffened like a hound taking point. “Who's there? Who is talking over my grand moment uninvited?” Matter-horn put her hoof to her face. “Um ...” Rager muttered. “Nopony! Nopony is there. Pay no attention to the mares behind the ventilation shaft.” The Mane-Iac looked upward, tapping her chin with a tentacle. She pointed upwards. “Minions, I'm not sure why, but I think you should check that ventilation shaft.” “Oh, forget it.” Matter-horn used her horn to blast the ventilation grate off the wall, blowing it into smithereens – A MOST DRAMATIC ENTRANCE! “Power Ponies!” Mane-iac swore. “Yes, it's us.” Matter-horn growled. “And Mane-iac … you're late for your haircut.” The Mane-iac was not so easily cowed. She reared up and pointed her tentacles at them the way a porcupine bared its needles at predators. “Minions, GET THEM!” The minions tensed up to pounce on their prey, but the Masked Matter-horn proved far more reactive than them, dispatching a large number of them with a single laser beam of heat which she swept over the room. She jumped down from the grate, allowing Radiance to materialize a set of stairs for the others to climb down on – after all, safety was first. The Power Ponies now on the ground level with their opponents, the minions lunged and charged at the masked team. However, them being thugs and mooks with no powers or abilities of their own, and the Power Ponies equipped with the special abilities to bend nature and defy science, the fight was a lopsided one at best. Zapp raised her amulet up and created a cloud, which rained down ice and snow until the floor was too slippery for the hooves of the minions to get any traction on. They slipped and fell. Radiance created three walls of energy, which she placed on the ground around the minions, cornering them like cattle ripe for the slaughter. That “slaughter” being the Matter-horn blasting them all with a freeze ray, binding their iced-over hooves to the iced-over floor. Meanwhile, Fili-Second was going through the machines of the factory, opening panels, unplugging wires and disconnecting circuits, much to the frustration of the Mane-iac. “Oh, what does this button do?” Fili-Second asked as she ripped out a cord from a machine. “No! Stop that!” Mane-iac hissed, snapping her tentacles at Fili-Second. Fili-Second was unto a flash of lightning – here one minute and gone the next as she sped through the complex, dismantling machinery bit by bit to foil the Mane-Iac's evil plan, whatever it was going to be. “What's the matter, Mane-iac?” Mistress Mare-velous teased as she used her lasso on another mook. “Don't like sharing yer toys?” “NO! No, I don't! Oooh, I'll get you pesky Power Brats!” “Ah doubt it!” Mare-velous shouted as another minion got the drop on her, trying to attack her rope with a pair of scissors. “Git … off!” Mare-velous struggled with the determined mook until Matter-horn took care of him with a laser blast. To the FACE. Mare-velous turned to Matter-horn. “Thanks, hon. Yer a doll.” “Don't mention it.” Matter-horn waved her hoof. “Now, to put the Mane-iac behind bars once and for all!” She looked up to the Mane-iac's perch. The Mane-iac herself had vanished and gone, no doubt having fled while the Power Ponies were distracted by her mooks – a sure sign of her disregard for their safety and health. “PINKIE PIE!” Matter-horn screamed. “YOU LET HER GET AWAY!” “What?” Fili-Second, or Pinkie Pie, questioned as she enjoyed tugging on more wires. “I'm sorry, I was more focused on playing with all the fancy doodads inside of the machines and their doohickies!” Zapp shook her head. “Pinkie Pie, what are we going to do with you?” In truth, the Power Ponies each had a secret, civilian identity which they used their costumes to hide from the world. Zapp was the weatherpony and aspiring Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie, Super-Duper Party Pony, was Fili-Second. Radiance was Rarity, a fashion designer,farmer pony Applejack was Mistress Mare-velous, and Saddle Rager was Fluttershy, a timid animal caretaker. The Masked Matter-horn was Twilight Sparkle, envoy of Princess Celestia. They took up the costumes to protect themselves and their loved ones from enterprising villains who might be tempted to take hostages or strike them when their guard was down in the safety of their home. Said home was a shared mansion in Maretropolis. After thwarting the Mane-iac's scheme, even if they failed to apprehend the Mane-iac herself, the Power Ponies returned to the mansion. They went inside through a secret entrance, so nopony could see them enter and make the connection between their vigilante selves and their secret identities. Inside the mansion, a portrait lifted up and swung to the side, exposing an elevator chute. The elevator which accompanied the chute rose up soon after and dinged before opening. One by one they went inside, each of them taking off their costumes and stuffing them behind another portrait which had a secret compartment. “Hello, ladies!” A deep voice greeted them. A whirl of colors moved through the air like a serpent of living paint, until it stopped and made itself into a mix-and-match creature with features of a mule and a serpent – Discord. A spirit with reality-warping powers who Twilight's group had befriended and reformed from his evil ways. They preferred he didn't join them on Power Pony missions to avoid giving hints about their identities. “Enjoy any good heroics last night?” “Nothing much.” Twilight answered, trotting past him. “We stopped the Mane-iac from doing her scheme, but we didn't catch her.” Twilight jumped and halted when an arcade game appeared in front of her out of thin air. “Don't worry!” The game said. “You'll get them next time!” It bleeped and blared victorious music like Twilight had won a game on it. Twilight noticed the game was colored like Discord's fur and relaxed. She sighed. “Thank you, Discord. That's nice of you to say.” She walked past him to the living room and threw herself onto the plush couch with a thump. She used her magic to pull out the television remote and turned the T.V on. It was set to a news channel, showing a police report on the crime scene the Power Ponies had left last night. “In conclusion, we have the Power Ponies to thank for stopping yet another of the Mane-iac's schemes before the police were even aware of it.” The officer on the screen said.“ However, we would have appreciated if they could left less collateral damage in their wake.” The officer pointed to the factory's machines, which Pinkie Pie had sabotaged. Pinkie Pie blushed and shirked as the others gave her disapproving glares. “Why do we even have police?” Rainbow Dash shrugged as the officer continued to espouse praise for their heroics. “I mean, we're stronger, better, faster ...” “The police do a good job with normal criminals, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said, sipping a teacup she had acquired. “The Mane-iac and her friends aren't normal criminals, though, so they need special teams like us. On top of that, if we didn't have the police, we'd have to go out all the time to deal with regular criminals who do things like steal watches. Do you really want to have to bother with small time petty crooks like that?” “I guess not ...” “It's mutually beneficial, darling.” Rarity said as she opened the fridge and looked inside. “We make their jobs easier by dealing with the powered brutes, they make our jobs by making it so we don't have to deal with the petty thugs … hmm. We're out of milk, darlings. We need to go to the store.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Rarity, we're not going to the store just because we're out of one thing.” Rainbow Dash flew into the kitchen and came back through with an empty soda bottle. “We're also out of soda.” “Fine! Two things. Still not worth a trip to the store.” The rest of the girls went into the kitchen and spread out, searching for anything else they might have needed. “And oranges.” Applejack added. “And sugar!” Pinkie Pie held up an empty bag for the sugar. “And animal feed for Angel.” Fluttershy said. “You know, darling, I have made back a large investment with my dresses.” Rarity tapped her chin. “It would be nice to go and spend a little cash on a few indulgences ...” Twilight sighed and put a hoof over her forehead, the way exhausted mothers do. “Fine. We'll go to the store.” “Yes!” Rarity clapped and ran about the room like she was Fili-Second instead of Pinkie Pie. “Oh, it's been awhile since the last time I allowed myself to spend away like the rich mare I am at heart” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh … that's nice!” So, Twilight's group did go to one of the most danger-wrought places in the entire city of Maretropolis: THE GROCERY STORE! Danger and fear was around every corner, as the store was full of awful, awful things … things like … Somepony bumping into them at the register! Somepony bumping into them in the aisle! INDECISION as they tried – no, not tried, STRUGGLED with what brand they wanted to buy! Oh, the calamity! The indignity of it all! “I'll head straight to the fashion aisle.” Rarity said. “I simply must let my fellow fashion designers know I still approve of their work!” She sped off down the aisles. “Oh, good.” Twilight dryly mumbled. “Anyways, I'll go down the paper aisle and see if there's anything we need. Applejack, you're on produce.” Applejack saluted and hurried off. “I'll get the animal feed.” Fluttershy flew away. “Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, you're on soaps and shampoos.” Twilight said. “Rarity complained about being low on her “special moisturizing agent,” so make sure you get that.” “Can do, boss.” Rainbow Dash answered, strutting towards the aisle with Pinkie Pie. “Come on, Pinkie Pie.” Dash gestured as they walked down the bath supplies. “We need to stop to get me some deodorant. Fluttershy's been complaining about me stinking up the bunk beds.” “Okay!” Pinkie Pie bounced around, picking up deodorants and handing them to Rainbow Dash. “What about this one? Or maybe this is better? No, wait! I think this is on the best! Rainbow Dash? Wait, wait, maybe this one?” “Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash snapped, swatting the accumulated pile of deodorants from Pinkie's hooves. “Slow down! Let me look at them one at a time.” Rainbow Dash picked up one bottle of deodorant and walked down the aisle with it as she examined it. As a result, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and bumped into somepony, knocking them both down. Rainbow Dash got up. “Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and I … I … I-I-I-I-I ...” Sitting on the floor, rubbing her head, was a light purple mare with cyan hair, a tail with split ends, and a purple neck-tie. And she was the most beautiful mare Rainbow Dash had ever seen. The way she got up from the floor and tilted her head back played in slow motion like an over-dramatic shampoo commercial, allowing allowing Rainbow Dash to lap up every smooth motion of her hair as it flowed back and forth. The pony stopped and stared at Rainbow Dash. “I-I-I-I ...” The beautiful pony regarded Rainbow Dash and her stammering with curiosity, raising an eyebrow. Pinkie Pie popped up next to Rainbow Dash, holding another bottle of deodorant in front of her face. “What about this one, Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie Pie noticed Dash's non-stop stuttering, then noticed the pony in front of her. “Hi!” Pinkie Pie waved to her. “What's your name?” “Tresemme.” The pony answered. Her voice was soft, like the sweet chime of a gentle dinner bell. “Oooh, that's a funny name! I'm Pinkie Pie, and this is Rainbow Dash! Say hello, Rainbow Dash.” “I-I-I-I-I ...” “Hmm. That's funny.” Pinkie Pie observed. She leaned over to Tresemme and whispered in a scratchy voice while pointing at Rainbow Dash's bouncing chin. “She doesn't normally do that.” “I see.” Tresemme giggled – a sound Rainbow Dash thought sounded like Celestia's celestial kin had descended to grace the world with their presence. “Your friend was just apologizing for bumping into me.” Tresemme said to Pinkie. “At least, before her tongue fell out of her mouth.” Come on, Rainbow Dash! Rainbow thought as she slapped herself to regain her senses. Play it cool! “Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Uuuh … I have a friend who would like to meet you!” Dash blurted out. Inside the confines of her mind, Dash did a facehoof. Shoot! You moron! You just blew your chances with her! Wait. Wait, I can still make this work. “Oh, really?” Tresemme asked. “When?” “Yeah, Rainbow Dash, when?” Pinkie asked, staring at Rainbow Dash with innocent eyes, oblivious to what was going on inside Rainbow Dash's head and heart. “Maybe tomorrow night?” “Yes!” Rainbow Dash nodded. “No, no, wait, what about next week? What about next month?” Rainbow Dash's breathing became labored. “Next year? Next decade? NEXT CENTURY!” Tresemme chuckled, amused by Rainbow Dash's verbal fumbling. She had a pretty good idea about what was causing Rainbow Dash to stutter, and what “friend” Rainbow Dash was referring. “I have a simple solution. How about tonight?” “Tonight?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yes, tonight.” Tresemme nodded. “I'm available tonight. I have a clear schedule. Does your … “friend” have time off tonight?” Rainbow Dash shook her head hard. “Yeah, yeah, she does.” “YAY! It's tonight!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “Well, I'll see your … friend tonight. Say, at the restaurant just down the street from here?” Rainbow Dash nodded again. Tresemme gave her a wink and walked past her. “Oooh my goodness ...” Rainbow Dash groaned. She stumbled back and forth before collapsing into a shelf, knocking all of the bath products off it. She didn't feel she had been struck by an arrow from Cupid. She felt someone had emptied the whole quiver of arrows and stabbed her with every arrow from it, like a pincushion. “Clean-up on aisle eight.” An employee said over a P.A. “So, who's friend of yours?” Pinkie Pie asked Rainbow Dash. “What? No!” Rainbow Dash got up and grabbed Pinkie Pie by the cheeks. “Don't you get it, Pinkie? The friend is me!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Well, that doesn't make any sense. How can you be your own friend? Oh wait, maybe it makes PERFECT SENSE! OH MY GOSH! Rainbow Dash, you're going to revolution the field of friendship-ology!” Rainbow Dash sighed at Pinkie and her antics. “No, Pinkie Pie, I mean that the friend who shows up for the date is going to be me. Do you follow?” Pinkie Pie gave Rainbow Dash a big, wide grin. “Absolutely …. not! Nope! Not at all. Not a single thing.” “Okay, wait, so run this by me again?” Pinkie Pie asked as Rarity applied make-up to Rainbow Dash's face. “Rainbow Dash is too shy and insecure of herself to go an actual date with Tresemme face-to-face.” Rarity explained as she dabbed Rainbow's eyes with eyeliner. “So she made up a story about a friend wanting to meet Tresemme. But the friend will be Rainbow Dash in disguise, so she can face Tresemme with the security a fake identity affords her.” Rarity said. “Not that I approve.” “Oh, okay. NOW I get it. Isn't that dishonest, though?” “Extremely.” Rarity answered, applying more blush to Rainbow's cheeks. “Rarity, if you disapprove of what Rainbow Dash is doing so much, why are you helping her?” Twilight asked – a reasonable question. “Well, just because I don't approve of the occasion doesn't mean I'm going to pass up the chance to show off my make-up skills.” Rarity said as she brushed up Rainbow Dash's hair. “You don't understand, guys.” Rainbow Dash said. “She's beautiful, so I have to get this perfect to get her to like me. If I went as myself, I'd only one chance. If I messed up, then my chances are gone. But if I show up as somepony else … that gives me an extra chance. You know, like an extra life in a video game.” “Are y'all shore she wouldn't accept y'all for ya are, faults and all?” Applejack asked. “The way you and Pinkie put it, she shore sounds like a nice gal.” “Yeah.” Dash made a dreamy exhale of breath. “Nice and pretty. Prettier than you, Rarity.” Rarity huffed. “Well, excuse me! You DO want my help on this, don't you?” “Prettier than Celestia, even.” Rainbow Dash continued. Discord decided to muscle in on the conversation. He flew over Rainbow Dash's head. “Prettier than moi?” “Yeah ...” Discord scratched at his beard. “Pretty enough to rock my – if I may so, impeccably well-groomed – goatee?” “Absolutely.” Rainbow Dash said with her eyelids fluttering. It was clear she wasn't paying attention to whatever Discord was saying. Discord laughed and slapped his knee. “Ooooh! Oh – ho! Oh … she's got you falling hard, doesn’t she?” Discord reached over his back and pulled out an arrow with a heart-shaped tip. He poked the blunt weapon onto Rainbow Dash's head until Fluttershy got on to him and scolded him for it. “Discord! Stop that! That is not nice!” “Yeesh, okay, teacher.” Discord made the arrow disappear in a puff of smoke and floated away. “Besides,” Rainbow Dash said as Rarity went to work on her wings. “This way, she'll get extra protection from our enemies. A secret identity within the secret identity!” “But managing a double life is hard enough, Rainbow Dash. How are you going to manage a triple life?” Twilight asked. “Relax.” Rainbow Dash dismissed Twilight's worries with her usual arrogance. “I can handle it.” “Okay ...” Twilight shrunk into the couch, her worries far less than calmed. “If you're sure that's what you want do to do.” “It is. Are we done, Rarity? Thanks! I owe you.” Rainbow Dash headed for the door. “I'd say “wish me luck,” but I don't need it. Don't wait up.” Rainbow Dash made her way to the store and the restaurant down the street from it, as Tresemme had said. It was a pretty swanky-looking establishment, with pink and gold and black all over it. There was a line out the door, so Rainbow Dash expected she needed a reservation to get in. Wait. She didn't make a reservation. Darn it all! There goes her plans right down the drain. Or so she thought, until she saw a light-purple hoof in the line waving her over. Spellbound by the thought of seeing Tresemme again, she flew over the line, not even bothering to excuse herself to the waiting patrons she was being disrespectful to with her fly-over. “Hey.” Tresemme greeted. “You must be Rainbow Dash's friend.” “Yup!” Rainbow Dash nodded. “That's me. I'm, uh ...” Rainbow Dash pulled a random name from her memory, having a vague recollection of a Wonderbolt who used the name. “Firefly.” “Firefly. I'm Tresemme. I'll be honest, I thought the friend Rainbow Dash mentioned was just going to be herself in a costume.” Rainbow Dash laughed. Tresemme was much too close to the truth, but she seemed to be fooled by the disguise – Rarity had dressed up Rainbow Dash up with a thick, leather coat, body paint which made her appear to be a much lighter shade of blue, and an orange and yellow slicked-back mane. The end result was – or was at least intended to be - a “punk” look. “Hahahaha, yeeeaaaah. That would be silly, wouldn't it?” Rainbow Dash said. “Shall we go inside?” Tresemme said. “I had the waiters hold my place at the table.” Tresemme moved to the door and gestured her head at it. “Well?” “Well, what?” “Aren't you going to open the door for me?” Tresemme asked. “It's customary for the stallion of the hour to open the door for his date.” Oh man! Rainbow Dash thought. She called me “the stallion of the hour!” This might not seem like much, but it meant a lot. It meant Tresemme was recognizing her as the male presence and not just the male presence, but the authoritative male presence. The yang to Tresemme's yin. Which meant Tresemme was respecting her. And for Rainbow Dash, an ego-boost like that meant all the money in the world. “Of course, my lady.” Rainbow Dash moved and opened the door for her. Tresemme trotted inside, “Firefly” following her in and closing the door behind her. Tresemme led Rainbow Dash to a table which already had one drink and two menus set out. “I didn't order a drink for you because I didn't know what you might like.” Tresemme said, which made Rainbow Dash smile. She was so considerate. “Thanks, but I'm sure whatever you ordered would have been fine.” Rainbow Dash, or rather, Firefly said, trying to lay on the charm. Tresemme giggled. Oh, that sound. That wondrous, sweet sound of her laughter! What Rainbow Dash wouldn't give to have the sound recorded and immortalized for her pleasure. “Waiter!” Tresemme hailed. A garcon was at the ready, speeding towards their table. Tresemme ordered a salad. Firefly was too enamored with watching Tresemme's luscious lips move to realize the waiter was trying to get her attention. “Firefly?” Tresmme asked. “The waiter is trying to take your order.” “Oh.” Firefly said. “Um, I'll have whatever she's having, food and drink.” She handed the waiter the menu. Tresemme raised an eyebrow. “Firefly, are you sure you'll like the salad I ordered?” “Yeah.” Firefly said, admiring Tresemme. “I trust you have good taste.” Tresemme laughed again. “You're such a charmer.” “Yeah ...” “What do you do, Firefly?” “Yeah ...” Wait, no, that was a question! Answer it answer it answer it … “Um … what do you do?” “Oh. I am a hair product salespony.” “Really?” The waiter returned with Firefly's drink. Firefly took it without even paying attention to him. “That's interesting.” “Oh, you think so?” Tresemme cooed. “Not a lot of ponies would find hair care all that interesting.” “Oh, well, yeah!” Firefly went on. She pulled on her own mane to show her support. “I mean, who doesn't love hair, right? We all have hair!” Tresemme squealed, fiddling her front hooves. Firefly made a mental note about how adorable she was when she was excited. “It's so nice to have like-minded company! Not a lot of ponies understand the passion, the culture that involves hair. But as nice as that is, you still haven't answered my question. What do you do?” “Me? Oh, I'm a ...” Firefly's first instinct was to say “weatherpony,” as Rainbow Dash was a weatherpony. She couldn't tell Tresemme Firefly was also a weatherpony. Weatherpony was a common job for pegasi, so both Firefly and Rainbow Dash working at the same job wouldn't be suspicious by itself. But if Tresemme visited the facility where Rainbow Dash worked, hoping to find Firefly, she would catch on to the fact Rainbow Dash and Firefly were never there at the same time (since they were the same person). “I'm, uh, super into … motorcycles.” “Oh, a grease monkey, eh?” Tresemme leaned her hooves on the table as the waiter brought their salads. “Yeah.” Firefly nodded. She made a note Rainbow Dash would have to find a way to study motorcycles. “Love the sound of a good engine running! Can't get enough of it.” “Like you can't get enough of me?” Tresemme fluttered her eyelids. Firefly stammered, even as she felt an arousal heat up inside her from Tresemme's suggestive eyes. “I – I don't know what you mean.” “Oh, Firefly, you don't have to hide it. You haven't taken your eyes off me all night.” Tresemme picked up her fork. “We should eat before our food gets cold.” Firefly, eager to move on from the embarrassing (but true) part of the conversation, swept her silver and began shoving bites of salad into her mouth. Tresemme giggled, eating her own salad at a much more reasonable pace. They finished the salads. Firefly rubbed her chin. “What are you thinking about, Firefly?” “Thinking about getting a slice of cake. I remember reading they had them on the menu.” “Hmm, are you sure?” Tresemme asked. “Well, yeah. I keep track of my calories.” Rainbow Dash was an athlete, and meant making sure her body was in good shape. “I can afford a little treat. Why? What's wrong with that?” Tresemme gave her a smirk. “Oh, nothing. I just thought you might want a parfait … for us to share.” The way she said “share” sent tingles up Firefly's spine. So they got a parfait and finished before leaving. They trotted to just outside the restaurant before Tresemme turned and stopped. “I can get home by myself.” Tresemme said. “But I had fun with you tonight, Firefly. Can I see you again sometime?” Firefly nodded. “Yeah! Just give me a call and we can work something out.” “Excellent. I look forward to it.” “Yeah, me too.” “Hmm.” Tresemme tilted her head and smiled. She leaned forward and gave Firefly a smooch on the cheek before turning and walking down the street. Rainbow Dash stood there for a few minutes as she attempted to process the surge of emotions inside her from Tresemme kissing on the first date. It was as though somepony had fed her an active firework, the burning fuse traveling down to her stomach with its burning spark. “YAHOO!” Rainbow Dash yelled, drawing the attention of passing citizens. She descended to the top of a building and laid down on her back. Rainbow Dash began making a mental checklist. Go on first date with Tresemme? Check. Have the date go off without a hitch? Check. Get a kiss from Tresemme? Check. Rainbow Dash exhaled into the night air. Her plan had worked and she was going to see Tresemme again. See, Rarity? There was nothing to worry about. Everything had gone fine. Surely, there was no way stringing Tresemme along and leading a triple life as not just two, but three different ponies could possibly go horribly, horribly wrong. Right? Author's Note So, with that, I'd like to formally welcome you readers to Mind Over Mane-Iac,an AU romance-smut fic involving Rainbow Dash, Zapp, the Power Ponies, and a lot of hair. This story was an idea by Fimfiction User DarknessRising (he has a different name on Fanfiction, but I forgot what it is) which I was willingly to take up after he Favorited my story, Unto This White Poison, (which also involved tentacles). I did my best to try to make it read like a comic book from the 80's at the beginning, but as the chapter went on, I toned it down because I wasn't sure how to CHEESY DRAMATIC NARRATION in a scene as low-key as the Power Ponies realizing they needed to go the grocery store. In keeping with the comic theme, I will be calling the chapters "issues" and giving little comic-book style solicit boxes at the start of each chapter. I also used bolding in some cases where I might have used italics, and bolded the first word of the actual chapter. I also tried to make the scene where Rainbow Dash first meets Tresemme in the store homage the scene in the Powerpuff Girls episode, "Mommy Fearest" where the Professor first meets Ima Goodlady. Who was actually Sedusa. Who, as we know, had something to do with the creation of the Mane-iac, hmm? Anyways, see you next time! Probably more than two weeks from now, as that's when another My Little Pony annual is due to be released which features the Mane-iac, the Power Ponies, and other villains from the Power Pony universe. I intend to use said other villains in this story.
Issue 2: Zapp's Sensitive Secret! Issue 2 Solicit: SCANDAL! Rainbow Dash has never, ever liked ponies touching her hooves … but is there secretly a reason for that? While Dash struggles with Tresemme learning her embarrassing secret, the Mane-Iac's henchmen launch an attack! RAINBOW DASH remained on the building for a while, relishing in the victorious outcome of her date with the pony she knew was Destiny's chosen soul mate for her. After letting out what must have been her 57th self-satisfied sigh, Rainbow Dash decided it was best she work on getting home now. Descending with the grace and majesty of an immobile boulder, Rainbow Dash touched her hooves to the ground. The entire time, she was overcome with her infatuation with Tresmme. Her hooves on a drunken stagger, her path swaying left and right on the street, and more than once she let out a giggle akin to a schoolfilly who had just said something which left her male peers confused and astounded. She felt as though someone had sucked up a flock of butterflies in a vacuum, then stuck the hose in her mouth and reversed the direction, filling her stomach up with the beautiful insects. Once she arrived at the mansion, Rainbow Dash staggered until she could collapse into the safe, warm grasp of the Couch of Comforting Rest and Relaxation. She let out another sigh, murmuring “Tresemme ...” before resting her head on the back of the couch and closing her eyes. Her leisure within the plush confines of the velvety couch was interrupted by the appearance of Pinkie Pie's shadow over her face, followed by the rest of her fellows. “SO HOW'D IT GO!?” Pinkie Pie screamed into Rainbow Dash's face with such volume Rainbow's manes blew backwards. Rainbow Dash shook her head to regain control of her mane while Rarity was kind enough to move the living stereo system known as Pinkie Pie away from the beleaguered Rainbow Dash. “Pinkie Pie, darling, Rainbow Dash obviously wishes to rest after having been out most of the night.” Rarity told her, pushing Pinkie Pie aside, only to replace Pinkie's enthusiasm with her own, dispensing questions to Rainbow as if they were bullets form a revolver. “But do answer the question, darling. How was the date? Was it good? Fantastic? Romantic?” “Did Tresemme figure out you were Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Did y'all blow it?” Applejack teased. “For your information, Applejack, I did not blow it.” Rainbow Dash told them, quite confident. “And no, Pinkie Pie, she didn't figure out I was Rainbow Dash. As for your question, Rarity, yes, it was romantic.” “Magical, even?” “Magical even.” Rarity nodded, satisfied. “She came kinda close, though.” Rainbow Dash added as an afterthought. “To figuring it out I was me.” Rainbow Dash slapped her forehead. “I mean, close to figuring out Firefly was Rainbow Dash.” At the mention of this, the warm greetings and jovial teasing Rainbow Dash had been greeted with upon her return disappeared. In their place were concerned frowns, disapproving lips bites, and glares from one pony to another. “Guys?” Rainbow Dash noticed the change in the mood. “What's up?” “Rainbow Dash, are you sure you shouldn't tell her?” Twilight asked. “A relationship built on lies … it's not a strong foundation. Once the lies have been exposed, the whole structure tends to collapse.” “Yes, darling.” Rarity said. “There's still time to reveal your true self.” “Now why would I want to do that?” Rainbow Dash questioned, resting her head on her hooves. “Because, darling … imagine if you – or should I say, Firefly – develop a healthy, long-lasting relationship with Tresemme. Say you go steady and get together for years to come. We'll be at a party, a shindig, a hoedown or what have you … some punch will loosen our tongues, and one of us will let slip to Tresemme the pony she's been loving for all those years has been lying to her. Do you realize the impact that has on a relationship? Tresmme will confront you about it, you'll shrug it off with her, as you have with us, and she'll never be able to trust you again. It will cut a deep scar into her that may never heal. She may still love you, but she'll never be able to trust you.” Rarity paused to let the full impact of her words sink in. Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin, mulling it over. “But if you reveal yourself now, while you're both young and beautiful and impetuous, she'll forgive you. You can both laugh it off as a silly joke. That scar of mistrust will instead be a tiny scrape of amusement which will go away and you'll only talk about it again when you're trying to amuse your guests at dinner parties. So please, Rainbow Dash. Think about the consequences to keep lying to somepony you love. Imagine if Fluttershy came and told you she wasn't a different pony than the one we've come to know and love over all these years! Imagine if I told I was different pony than the one you know me as!” Rainbow Dash nodded, appearing to take in the full meaning of Rarity's words and the invisible, immeasurable weight they carried. She nodded to show she understood. “So you'll tell her?” Twilight asked with a note of hope in her voice. “Not yet.” Rainbow Dash answered, producing a round of groans from everypony in the room. “I still don't … gosh, I am just so head over hooves for this girl. I want to know her better before I do anything risky.” “Oh, so dating her under a false identity ISN'T risky?” Twilight asked, pointing her hoof. Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehead. “You don't get it, Twilight. What if … what if she doesn't like me? What if I'm not good enough for her? What if she doesn't like the real me and breaks my heart?” To show her point, Rainbow Dash crossed her legs over her heart with a ginger care. “So what if she doesn't like the real you?” Twilight responded. “Sugarcube, if she doesn't like the real you, well … she's sure missing out on somepony special.” Applejack said. “Believe me when Ah say, Rainbow Dash, if you're not good enough for her, well then … she's not good enough for us.” “We'll always love you and we don't care what she thinks.” Fluttershy said. “Aww ...” Rainbow Dash cooed, a little overwhelmed with her friends' praises. “Thanks, guys!” “GROUP HUG!” Pinkie Pie shouted. The others complied, engaging in Rainbow Dash in a fuzzy, affectionate display of affection. “So, will you tell her?” Twilight asked again. Rainbow Dash's lip quivered, but she remained firm on her stance. “No. Not yet. I'm … I'm still too scared, guys.” The hug separated and everypony nodded, content with Rainbow Dash's answer. As superheroes, they knew better than most how powerful a motive fear was. “Oh, last thing, Twilight.” Rainbow said. “You're a tech geek. Think you can help me learn about motorcycles?” Twilight grimaced, not sure she wanted to give Rainbow Dash more tools to support the deception. “I'll … see what I can do.” “Awesome. Thanks.” They exchanged good nights and headed off to their separate rooms to sleep. Waking up the next morning, Rainbow Dash went to brush her mane and teeth, as any hygienic pony would do. She thought something was odd about the bathroom when she first entered it, but didn't let it bug her again until after she had gargled and rinse. She realized what was odd. There wasn't a line for miles because Rarity wasn't hogging it for her vanity issues. “Hey.” Rainbow called into the hallway. “Where's Rarity?” “Hmm? Oh, I don't know. She said she was going out.” “Okay.” Rainbow Dash went back to focusing on her morning agenda. Her second-favorite part of the day – breakfast. First place went to her favorite afternoon activity – napping in trees or clouds, sometimes to the consternation of Applejack or her fellow weatherponies at the weather factory. Setting herself up a bowl of cereal, Rainbow Dash enjoyed it until she felt a presence loom over her. A menacing, ominous presence, full of trickery and deceit and ... hamminess. Rainbow Dash threw her spoon into the bowl in frustration.“What do you want, Discord?” “Oh, relax, Rainbow Dash. I'm not here to do anything chaotic or disharmonious. I come bringing a message.” “A message?” Rainbow Dash raised her brow, somewhat incredulous. “Yes, it should be arriving in about three … two … one!” Discord curled through the air and stretch himself out next to Rainbow Dash. The wing on his back begin ringing as if it were a phone. Rainbow Dash responded with a blank stare. “Go on.” Discord encouraged. “Answer it.” Not quite trusting of his motives, but knowing he wouldn't leave her alone until she played into his warped sense of humor at least a little bit, Rainbow Dash grabbed his wing. Lifting it up, it curled into the shape of an old rotary telephone. The springy cord customary of phones of the time extended from Discord's back. Rainbow Dash put the phone to her ear. “Hello? Who is this?” “It's Tresemme.” Rainbow Dash froze up, her heart skipping a beat and the blood draining from her cheeks. “O-oh! Tresemme! I didn't expect you would call back so … so soon.” “Well, I had fun last night!” Tresemme said. “I was wondering if you were available today?” “Yes, I'm available.” Rainbow Dash spat out of her mouth with a forceful velocity! So eager she was to lay eyes upon Tresemme again. “Great! I'll see you soon, then? Maybe in an hour or so?” “Yeah, an hour sounds good. Where do you want to meet?” “I was thinking by the spa.” “Done and done!” Rainbow Dash sped off, leaving Discord's wing-phone twirling in the air. Tresemme's confused voice could be heard asking if Rainbow Dash was okay. Discord got up and snatched the whirling phone out of the air. “Hmph. The least you could have done is hang up.” Discord mumbled, plugging the phone into his back and having it resume its normal form. “Rarity – where's Rarity?” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Argh, she's out! Okay … Okay ...” Rainbow Dash passed Fluttershy in the hallway, heading for the make-up cabinet. “Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked. “What are you doing?” “Tresemme called and said she wanted to meet by the spa so now I need to get in my Firefly make-up pronto without Rarity's help!” Rainbow Dash explained as she raided the cabinets, pulling out the face paint, hair dye and brushes. “Or … you know, you could just be honest with her.” Fluttershy muttered. “You say something, Fluttershy?” “Oh, no … nothing.” Fluttershy shook her head, backing out of the room to leave Rainbow Dash to her sham. Having made a successful effort to recreate the Firefly appearance without Rarity's help, Rainbow Dash – er, Firefly cut a path through the streets to meet the pony who had done more than steal her heart. She not only stole it, she locked in a safe and threw away the key. “Tresemme!” Firefly greeted, running up to Tresemme at the entrance of the spa. “Firefly, you came!” Tresemme expressed her glee by giving Firefly a hug. Firefly's eyes turned into beating hearts. “Well, yeah.” Firefly said. “Why wouldn't I?” “You just seemed so masculine I didn't think you would like going to the spa.” Tresemme said. “Oh, yeah, sure. I LOVE going to the spa – wait, did you say going TO the spa?” Firefly asked. “As in, going inside and getting pedicures and manicures and all that other girly stuff?” Tresemme nodded. “Yes. That's not going to be a problem, is it?” “Er, see … the thing is, when you said you wanted to meet BY the spa, I didn't realize you meant you want to go IN it with me!” Firefly explained. “I'm not into that girly stuff.” “Oh?” Tresemme asked. She walked around Firefly, putting her hooves on Firefly's back and stroking her. “The whole masculine act is nice, Firefly, but can't you let your guard down for once and show a softer side?” Firefly was reduced to purring as if she were Rarity's spoiled cat Opalescence instead of a pony. “Okay. Okay.” Tresemme took her hooves off Firefly's back, flashing her a brief, beautiful smile which almost made Rainbow Dash's heart give out. “Let's go inside.” To demonstrate her willingness to the idea, Firefly put a hoof on Tresemme's shoulder. UNKNOWN TO TRESEMME, however, was Rainbow Dash's dread of the spa. To her, it epitomized everything girly and “uncool” and … there was another reason Rainbow Dash disliked going to the spa. A reason she hoped Tresemme and everypony in the world would never, ever find out. It was a deep, dark secret. The kind of secret which can wreck a pony's reputation and follow them forever as a perpetual mark of shame. “'ello.” The accented spa pony greeted them. “Ah, Tresemme! So good to see one of our best customers again. I see you 'ave brought a friend this time.” “Yes, Aloe. This is Firefly.” Tresemme introduced her. “Firefly, say hello to Aloe.” “We've met.” Firefly mumbled, rolling her eyes. “Have we?” Aloe asked as she picked up a menu for them. “I don't remember you.” Firefly realized her mistake and grimaced. Firefly hadn't met Aloe before. Rainbow Dash had met Aloe before. She struggled to come up with a believable and quick lie. “Er, it was a long time ago.” Aloe nodded. “What will you and Tresemme be having today, madam?” “Eh ...” “A simple mani-pedi and rejuvenating mask combo will do, Aloe. Thank you.” Aloe nodded. “Right this way, ladies.” Aloe guided them to the back, presenting them with reclining chairs to rest on. Firefly thought she recognized the mare setting on the next chair over from Tresemme, but she didn't say anything about it. “So what do you have against the spa?” Tresemme asked Firefly. “Nothing.” Firefly said. “It's just not my thing, you know?” “Hmm?” The pony sitting next to them asked. She lifted a cucumber up from her eye, showing a diamond pupil Firefly recognized as belonging to Rarity's. Oh no. Firefly thought as her pupils turned to pinpricks. “My, my.” Rarity said, rising from her recliner. “Isn't this an interesting development?” Tresemme looked at Rarity, confused about what she was talking about. “I'm sorry?” “Rarity.” Rarity offered her hoof. “I'm a friend of Firefly's.” “Ah.” Tresemme shook the offered hoof with good nature. “And Rainbow Dash too, I take it?” Rarity chuckled, glancing over Tresemme's shoulder at Rainbow Dash. “Yes. And Rainbow Dash too. Are you two getting along?” “Oh yes. Just today, I was able to drag her in here even though she didn't want to.” Tresemme said. “That's nice.” Rarity said, leering at Rainbow Dash with the unwelcome gaze of a predatory feline, toying with and tormenting its prey before devouring it. Rainbow Dash put her hooves together and scrunched up her face, a DESPERATE, silent plea for Rarity to keep quiet on the matter she knew Rarity wanted to talk about. She shook her head no. Rarity nodded yes, confusing Tresemme, who was locked out of the loop. Tresemme looked over her shoulder at Firefly, who used her lightning-fast reflexes to hide the fact she was begging a moment ago. Tresemme ignored the oddity and moved on. “So, are you and Firefly good friends?” “Oh, yes.” Rarity said. “Rainbow Dash introduced me to her just recently, in fact!” The high notes in Rarity's voice was an indicator of how much she was enjoying Firefly squirm and sweat. Tresemme nodded. “You know, when Rainbow Dash first met me at the store and talked about meeting a friend of her's, I really thought she just meant herself in disguise.” Tresemme and Rarity shared a good, healthy laugh though for different reasons. “Oh, yes.” Rarity growled, letting Rainbow Dash see the mischievous glint in her eye. “Wouldn't that be something?” “Ah-ah! Yes, it would.” Do you come to the spa often?” “Plenty. In fact, Aloe tells me I'm one of their best customers.” “Oh, I bet she says that to everyone. She also tells me I'm on her best customers. You'd think we'd have bumped into each other before now.” Rarity laughed. “Perhaps we should form a club.” Tresemme laughed. “Oh, goodness! I just realized I've been asking you so many questions, you can't get a word in edgewise! Please, ask me a few things.” “Oh, no, I couldn't.” Rarity said. “But if you insist. Do me a favor first, would you? Ask Firefly if she's got a secret she might like to tell you.” Rarity was smiling as if she was a super villain, tapping her hooves together, enjoying the predicament Rainbow Dash was now in. She'd need to choose her words with extreme carefulness if she didn't want to reveal her secret to Tresemme. “Okay.” Tresemme said. “Firefly, do you have a secret?” “Uh, yeah.” Firefly said. “It's … not really something I want to share. You understand, right?” Rarity pumped her hoof, still wearing her villainous smirk. Any moment now would be the “ah-ha” moment and Rainbow Dash would stand exposed and they'd could end this silly charade while there was still a chance of leaving Rainbow Dash's chances of a serious relationship with Tresemme intact. “I do.” Tresemme nodded. She placed a hoof on her chest. “I have a few secrets of my own I wouldn't want to share with anypony. Some things just aren't meant to be shared, you know?” Rarity's jaw dropped as the possibility of the moment of truth slipped away, as if it was a snake made to slither on ice. “Yeah.” Firefly nodded, paying back Rarity with a maligned smirk of her own. “Some things you just gotta keep quiet until it's time, you know? And nopony can make you rush it.” “I don't know about that.” Tresemme said. “I don't think I would want to share my secrets … ever.” “Eh.” Firefly shrugged. “There are some things you let others know, some things you don't, I guess.” She relaxed a little, having escaped the worst of Rarity's attempts at sabotage. She tensed up again when she saw the masseuse approach the two of them. “What's wrong, Firefly?” Tresemme asked. “Okay.” Firefly said. “I'll share a secret with you right now. I don't like ponies touching my hooves.” Rarity scoffed. “It's not that bad, is it, darling?” “Now, now, Rarity.” Tresemme said, waving her hoof. “We should all be allowed our own quirks. To each her own. But … it would mean ever so much to me if you would at least give it a try, Firefly.” Tresemme put her hooves together, working the charm. She batted her eyelids at Firefly, which was persuasive enough to her. “Yeah, okay.” Firefly gulped. She let down her hind legs for the masseuse to rub. “Have at it ...” The masseuses went about their routine. Firefly did her best to stomach the experience. It wasn't as bad as she was expecting, but she was still moving her hooves away from the touch of the masseuse. It never got to the point where the masseuse couldn't do their job, though, they just had to readjust. Tresemme took particular interest in Firefly's face during the ordeal. She was blushing, a thick line of red on her otherwise blue cheeks. “Okay … not as bad as I thought it would be.” Firefly said after they were done. The three of them got out from their chairs together and waved goodbye to Aloe as they left. “Tresmme, could I talk to Rarity alone for a sec?” Firefly asked. Tresemme nodded and left them. Rainbow Dash turned to Rarity and let out her pent-up anger with her. “Rarity, what was with you back there? I TOLD you I wasn't ready to tell her yet!” “I'm sorry, did I not make my point clear last night?” Rarity asked. “Forgive me for trying to force a light nick where there could easily be a deep scar. Although I admit I perhaps may have gotten carried away ...” “You can take your forcing and keep it, because I don't need it.” Rainbow Dash snarled. Rarity huffed. “Well, pardon for me for trying to be a good friend to you and a good pony to Tresemme. But if you want yourselves to go through the kind of heartbreak and loss of trust which goes with a relationship built on lies, who am I to try to stop you?” Rarity turned and trotted off, leaving Rainbow Dash to lick the wounds her words would inflict. “Everything okay?” Tresemme asked, re-approaching them. “I saw Rarity get kind of huffy.” “She's always kind of huffy.” Firefly remarked. “C'mon. Is there anything else you want to do?” “Actually, yes.” Tresemme said. “I know this is a bit forward, but do you want to go to my place?” This aroused Firefly's intrigue. “Yes.” Firefly said with a smile. “Yes, I would.” “Great.” Tresemme grabbed Firefly's hoof and steered down the street and around a few corners until they arrived at a tan apartment building. Tresemme steered Rainbow Dash inside through a red door. “It's not much.” Tresemme said, as the inside of the building was messy and unfurnished. “But it's home. Sorry for the mess. I haven't really thought about cleaning it lately ...” “Yeah.” Firefly nodded, admiring the untidiness of the place. “I kinda like it, actually. It's cute.” A stray candy wrapper there, an out of place utility there … it was quite like Rainbow Dash's room back at the mansion. It was cluttered, but without being a health hazard. It almost made her feel at home. Minus the part where Tresemme tackled her from behind and pinned her to the bed. “Tresemme? What are you doing?” Firefly asked, going into a panic. What if Tresemme had some sort of dark secret? What if she was a criminal or something? “Relax.” Tresemme said in her soothing, bell-like voice. She rolled Firefly over onto the back, nestling herself on top of her. “I'm just being forward.” She moved her head around until she reached Firefly's hind hoof. “W-what are you doing?” Firefly asked. “Isn't not until after the third date we get to start with the foreplay?” “Ah, but life is so short, Firefly.” Tresemme said. She raised her hooves in the air. “It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, isn't it? Besides, I couldn't help myself after seeing how cute and bashful you were at the spa.” “Eh, come again?” “I know your secret, Firefly.” Tresemme said, sliding down Firefly's body. Rainbow Dash's heartbeat quickened, though not for the right reasons. “You do?” “Yes.” Tresemme grabbed Rainbow Dash's hoof. “You don't like having your hooves touched … because deep down, you actually like having your hooves touched. And you think that's embarrassing, so you keep it a secret. But you can't fool me.” “I-I don't know what you're talking about.” Firefly fibbed. She should have been relaxed because Tresemme didn't know the big secret, the secret of her identity, but in Rainbow Dash's opinion, Tresemme discovering her secret kink for having her hooves touched was not much better. “You don't have to hide it. I saw the blush on your face in the spa.” Tresemme said. “I-I still don't know what you're talking about ...” Tresemme attempted to put the lie to Firefly's words, and her method of accomplishing such a feat was to stick out her tongue and drag it along the circumference of Firefly's hoof. Firefly bit her lip, attempting to suppress the feeling of pleasure it gave her. “Let go.” Tresemme encouraged her. “There's nopony here. It's just us. Anything that happens in here tonight will never leave these walls.” Firefly continued to dig her teeth into her lip. “You promise?” “I promise.” A silence followed, as Firefly got a good look at Tresemme's face to gauge how honest Tresemme was being in her promise. Seeing Tresemme's comforting smile, while also remembering she was operating under a false identity, Firefly decided to let go to enjoy her kink. For once, without feeling ashamed of it. “Lick my hoof again, Tresemme.” “As you command, Master.” Tresemme gave a long, slow slurp. “Master?” Firefly questioned as her wings rose up. “Wow, Tresemme. You sure how know how to get a mare's motor running ...” Meanwhile at the Power Ponies' mansion … Rarity stepped into living room, slamming the shut door behind her. “Hey.” Twilight said, loafing around on the couch. “Rainbow Dash was looking for you earlier.” “Well, she found me.” Rarity spat as she went to the kitchen. She got into the fridge, levitating out a carton and pouring into a glass. “We bumped into each other at the spa with Tresemme. I tried to press her into revealing herself, but she managed to weasel her way out of it.” “Rarity, you know Rainbow Dash doesn't like it when you back her into a corner ...” Twilight said. Rarity sighed. “Yes, I know, I know. I just – I just want for everything to turn out well for them. And that can't happen if Rainbow Dash keeps on lying the way she is ...” She took a sip from her glass. “Though perhaps I did come on too strong ...” “I know.” Twilight assured her. “I want them to be happy, too. But we shouldn't try to ambush Rainbow Dash like that. It won't get anypony anywhere and it'll just make her mad at us.” Rarity sighed. “You may be right, darling.” “I know I am.” Twilight offered Rarity a small smile before her assistant Spike came running into the room, arms flailing around in a blind, sheer panic. “Girls! Girls!” Spike shouted before noticing Rarity. He attempted to collect himself to seem cool to her. “Rarity.” He said in a suave, husky voice. He bowed. “How may I serve you on this fine day?” Rarity gave him a roll of her eyes in return. “Spike, quit trying and failing to woo Rarity and tell us what's wrong!” Twilight snapped. Spike scratched his head. “What's wrong?” “Yes! You came in here screaming and waving your arms around! What's the problem?” “Oh, yeah!” Spike snapped his fingers as he recollected what had distressed him. “I saw a bunch of mummies going down the street into the north district! I'm not sure, but it seemed like they were headed to the shampoo factory!” “Mummies?” Rarity asked. “A shampoo factory?” “Rarity, didn't the Mane-iac try to raid a shampoo factory the other night?” Twilight said. “And do mummies make you think of anything?” “Why, yes, darling., it does.” Rarity said, causing Twilight to smile. “How many shampoo factories ARE THERE in Maretropolis?” Twilight facehooved. “No! I mean, those are probably Pharaoh Phetlock's minions working with the Mane-iac to raid another factory! Round up the girls. It's time to Power Pony Up!” Spike chuckled. “Ha-ha. Still a great catchphrase.” Gathering up the rest of the team in their Power Pony identities, The Masked Matter-horn, Filli-Second, Mistress Mare-velous, Radiance, and Saddle Rager arrived to the scene of the crime in record speed, even without Zapp to ferry them on the back of a thundercloud. “Where in the hay is Zapp?” Mare-velous asked, displeased to see their friend slacking off when there was crime fighting to be done and roughnecks to rough up. “Probably hanging off somewhere with Tresemme.” Matter-horn said with a roll of her eyes. “Come on. We can't worry about that now.” Directing the group to carry onward with their mission, Matter-horn directed them to hide by a nearby dumpster. Ignoring Radiance's complaints about the smell of the trash, Matter-horn focused her gaze on the factory. Just as she suspected, they were the mummies Spike spoke of – the minions of the phony pharaoh known as the cunning and egotistical Pharaoh Phetlock! “Well, that confirms it. Phetlock's minions are working for the Mane-iac.” Matter-horn said. “But why, though?” “And to what end?” Radiance asked as she used her power to create a clothespin and clamp it around her nose. Matter-horn noticed this and gave Radiance a disapproving look. “What?” Radiance asked. “You don't honestly expect me to sit here next to this dumpster without some form of protection, do you?” Matter-horn shook her head, deciding the issue wasn't worth making a mountain out of a molehill over. “Fili-Second, you go in first. Scout ahead and see what you can see.” Fili-Second saluted. “Can do, boss!” Pacing in place to warm herself up, Fili-Second launched off like a rocket shooting through the stars. The blurry afterimage of pink and white which followed zoomed around the outdoor machinery of the building and sped past the mummy minions before disappearing. “Something's wrong.” Mare-velous said when Fili-Second didn't make an instantaneous return. “As fast as she is, she should have in and out like that. If she's not back by now, then ...” “Oh, goodness!” Saddle Rager exclaimed. “You don't think she was captured, do you?” “Maybe. Simple as they are, Ah wouldn't put it past Phetlock's goons to have a trap waiting fer her.” “Look! Here she come!” Radiance pointed as Fili-Second lumbered back to him, lacking her usual energy and walking at a lifeless, robotic pace. “Fili-Second!” Radiance exclaimed. “Are you okay?” “I'm fine, I guess.” Fili-Second mumbled. Her eyes half-lidded and her hooves were dragging behind her. “Not that it matters anyway. We're all just dust in the end.” “What?” Radiance asked. “Pink- I mean, Fili-Second, this kind of talk is so unlike you! What's gotten into you?” “Yeah!” Mare-velous. “We still need y'all to kick this minions backsides to the curb, so show us some of that super-energy you're famous for!” “What's the point?” Fili-Second asked, collapsing to the ground. “We're never gonna beat them. And even if we did, we're all just specks of dust in the cosmos anyway.” “Wait a minute.” Matter-horn placed a hoof on her chin. “Normally happy pony acting depressed … having existential angst about the universe … I've seen this condition before! It's -” The Masked Matter-horn was prevented from completing her sentence, as in the moment, she had to duck to avoid being sliced in two by a flung razor-sharp shoe which embedded itself in the wall behind her. “Ah, Power Ponies!” A classy voice greeted them as the Power Ponies' eyes came to rest on their foes. “So good of you to come!” High Heel said, accompanied by Long Face. High Heel was a shoe-sporting super villainess who wore a red suit with black boots and blue tiara with a red jewel embedded in it. Long Face was a white pegasus dressed like a mime wearing goggles which made his eyes appear red. He also possessed a snout much longer than most ponies, as well as a terrible, terrible super villain name. Both were members of the Mane-iac's villainous club, the League of Villainy! Or maybe the Sinful Six. They were still working on the name. “Oh, accursed Power Ponies.” Long Face said, bouncing a vial in his hoof. “Why would you seek to undo such delicious despair? Let her bask in her misery. Let it grow. Let it spread and fester.” “After we're through with you, the only despair festering will be your own while in jail!” The Masked Matter-horn boasted. She shot a heat ray at Long Face, but Long Face dodged it by jumping in the air. Long Face retaliated by throwing the vial in his hoof, covering the battlefield in black smoke. “Ugh!” Matter-horn covered her snout as she coughed. “Whatever you do, don't inhale it!” She ordered the rest of her team. “Sure would be nice of Zapp to be here.” Mare-velous commented. “She could summon up a gust of wind and blow this smoke away.” “I did notice you seem to be down a Power Brat.” High Heel said she threw another shoe-weapon, this one striking Mare-velous in the head with acute precision, knocking her to the ground. “I'll show you a Power Brat, you spoiled shoe saleswoman!” Radiance boasted. She made a construct of a motorized fan and worked on using it to blow the smoke away in Zapp's place. “Radiance, look out!” Matter-horn shouted. “What?” Radiance was too focused on her task of clearing away the smokescreen to notice Long Face sneaking up on her, holding a vial full of green fluid. Radiance looked around just in time to see him, but not soon enough to prevent him from waving the vial around her face. “One whiff of this, and you'll be destabilized!” Long Face boasted. “AAAH!” Radiance screamed, covering her nose. “Dear Celestia, that's noxious! I'd rather go hide in the dumpster again!” She joined action to words as she ran blind out of the smoke and jumped headfirst into the open dumpster. “Um … perhaps this wasn't the brightest idea.” Radiance muttered. She put her hooves on the lip of the dumpster and attempted to push herself out. But the mummy minions saw an opportunity and took her, climbing on top of the dumpster and slamming the lid down on her. “Aah! Curse you! You are all RUINING my coiffure!” “Ugh!” Matter-horn groaned. “Well, Saddle Rager, it looks like it's up to us!” “Oh my.” Saddle Rager mumbled. She let out a squeak of fear when High Heel appeared in front of her. “Don't just stand there, smash her!” Matter-horn said. “Get angry!” “Oh, I don't know that I can ...” Saddle Rager mumbled. “I saw her kick a bunny on her way over her.” Matter-horn lied, trying to get Saddle Rager to rage out just to get any advantage in this fight they were losing. Two-thirds of their team were already down, but if Saddle Rager could just get angry and buff out, they could salvage the whole mission! “What!?” Saddle Rager bellowed, stomping her hoof towards High Heel as a vein began to bulge in her forehead. “Do you really?” Saddle Rager roared at High Heel, her voice becoming deeper. “Oh, come on!” High Heel whined. She pouted her lips at Saddle Rager. “Does this look like the face of somepony who would kick bunnies for no good reason?” Saddle Rager fell for the act and calmed down. “Oh, well, I guess not.” “AAARG, NO! Saddle Rager! Don't fall for her vixen ways!” Matter-horn complained, just before being dogpiled by a herd of mummies. “Say,” High Heel put her hoof on Saddle Rager's chin, “I've always admired the muscles you get in your super-powered form. Why don't we go back to my place and we can do a few crunches with each other? Or maybe on each other, hmm-hmm!” High Heel giggled. Saddle Rager blushed while her wings rose up. “Oh, I- I don't know, that sounds awfully, um … well, it sounds awfully naughty!” In spite of her reservations, Saddle Rager fell for High Heel's act, leaning forward with a dopey grin as High Heel continued to caress and rub her chin. “High Heel!” Long Face shouted, taking to the air. “We have we came for. Let's get out of here.” “Oh, phoo.” High Heel complained. She whipped out another of her shoe-devices and smacked Saddle Rager over the head with it, knocking her down. High Heel gloated as Saddle Rager rubbed her sore head. “But I wasn't kidding when I said I admired your muscles. Maybe next time, sweet-heart.” High Heel jumped and bounded off the walls and rooftops while Long Face flew overhead. “AAAAAAAAARGH!” With a mighty shout that could pierce the thunder and shake the north mountains, The Masked Matter-horn blew a stream of fire from her horn as if she were a volcano, blasting the pile of mummies off her and scorching them in the process. Fed up and frustrated with her team losing, she wasn't content to let the burnt minions crawl away, instead using her magic to drag them back towards her so she could vent her frustration on them by burning them more before she encased them in blocks of ice. After purging her urge to commit violence out on the mummies, The Masked Matter-horn went to the task of regrouping her team. Having spent most of the day with Tresemme and thwarted Rarity's efforts to make her unmask herself, Rainbow Dash was feeling pretty good about herself when she returned to the mansion from Tresemme's. She had just returned after a long period of letting Tresemme lick her hooves. She was such a good sport about it, too. Rainbow Dash's good mood was soured by none other than Spike, who was giving her the glare parents give their children after they've been out too long at night. “Uh, Spike?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What's with the look of guilt-shaming? Did I do something wrong?” Spike nodded his head and turned away, refusing to answer any more questions Rainbow might have. Questions along the lines of just what she had done wrong. “My, my!” Discord floating over her head, resting on a cotton candy cloud. “You seem awfully chipper for somepony in an imminent danger!” “Imminent danger?” Rainbow questioned. “What are you talking about?” “Oh, that's right. You little ponies aren't gifted with the power of foresight I have. Well, let's just say danger for you will be arriving right ... about ... now.” “RAINBOW DASH!” Twilight screamed. Discord's prediction was on the mark. The mansion doors swung open with palpable force, with the rest of the girls battered and furious. Rarity was sneering, Applejack was scowling, Pinkie Pie was frowning, and both Twilight and even Fluttershy were blowing enraged snorts from their noses. “Where were y'all!?” Applejack demanded, marching up to Rainbow Dash. “Uh, hanging out with Tresemme?” Rainbow answered. “Tresemme.” Twilight repeated. “Tresemme, Tresemme, TRESEMME!” Twilight mocked in a whiny, high-pitched voice. “Ever since you went on that date, all we've been hearing about is TRESEMME! Well, guess what, Rainbow Dash, because of TRESEMME, Long Face and High Heel were able to raid a shampoo factory! You know why? Because you weren't there to help us fight them! Now the Mane-iac''s one step closer to completing whatever her evil plan is, and we still have NO IDEA what it is, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!” “Oh.” Rainbow Dash nodded. She put a hoof on her head, reeling from the blow as the realization she had let down her friends struck with the force of a hammer. “Oh, wow. I'm sorry, guys. I didn't know you needed me on the field so bad. It won't happen again.” Twilight snorted again. She thrust a hoof into Rainbow Dash's chest. “It better not.” Author's Note I gotta say, writing High Heel was really fun. I always have a thing for the femme fatale character. Which High Heel may not necessarily be, but according to my sources, the comic book itself calls her one, even if it doesn't show her acting like it. Not sure the 80's-style comic narration came out as well in this chapter as it did in the last one. Both DarknessRising and I agreed that "League of Villainy" is a boring, generic name. Though I felt the need to use it, as I didn't think it would be super-clear who I was talking about if I didn't use their canon name at least once.
Issue 3: Enter The Dark Pony Issue 3 Solicit: AFRAID OF THE DARK? You will be after the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well makes her mystifying entrance! With Dash constantly sidetracked by Tresemme, the Power Ponies call in for help! But is the “Dark Pony” really all she seems to be? “Aw, geez.” Rainbow Dash muttered, scraping her hoof against the polish of the mansion floor. “I'm really sorry, guys.” She repeated like a broken record, withering under the disapproving glares of her friends – like a judgmental parliament of owls. The other girls did not receive her apology with any hint of fondness. All of them, all of them, one by one, turned their nose up at her and trotted off. Rainbow Dash knew not to blame them. If the horseshoe was on the other hoof, she'd be angry too. But it still hurt to see all of them blow her off and walk away to put some distance between them and her. “You know, Rainbow Dash, there's a difference between fashionably late and fashionably NEVER!” Rarity scowled as she trudged to the other hall. “If I had a quarter for every time you let me down, Rainbow Dash, you'd know what I have?” Pinkie Pie asked, pushing her snout into Rainbow Dash's nose. She paused, needing to execute the mental calculations to arrive at her conclusion. “I'd have … A QUARTER!” she shouted before leaving. Fluttershy placed a hoof on Rainbow Dash, offering an apologetic smile. After watching Rarity snub her and Pinkie Pie shout, Fluttershy was feeling much too sympathetic to further Rainbow's guilt with her own frustrations. “Um … at least it's only a quarter, right? I mean, that's good, isn't it?” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Yeah, I guess.” "Oh no." Discord slithered over to rub it. "Did little Zappy let her friends down? And it wasn't even because of me, this time!" "Discord. Not. Helpful." Fluttershy glared at Discord, causing him to slink away. "No, no. It's okay." Far too dejected by the disappointment her friends had expressed to reply to Discord, Rainbow Dash pushed Fluttershy's comforting wing off herself and trotted out the door. Rainbow Dash walked through the city streets. Her alter ego was one of the most respected masked heroes in Maretropolis. But for the time being, as far as the world at large was concerned, she was an aimless drifter, alone and wrapped up in her own little world. A world of self-blame and hatred and despair. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh before lifting her head up, her eyes long getting bored of staring at the same slate concrete for five blocks. Perhaps even ten or fifteen. The attention of her tired eye was caught by a neon sign. Glowing pink letters trumpeted the name and location of a nearby pub. The idea held some appeal to Rainbow Dash. Given she had failed her friends once already, why not give in to a defeatist point of view, fall off the wagon and become a drunkard? At least this way, she could preempt any future failings as a hero with her failings as a plastered, useless drunk, good only for decorating the streets with her semi-conscious drunk form. Rainbow Dash was about to go in and get herself wasted on purpose, so as to escape from the ineffable reality of her friends being disappointed with her. A voice from behind her stopped her and changed that plan. “Firefly?” “Tresemme?” Rainbow Dash was utterly surprised to see Tresemme on the corner, a scant few blocks from her. “What are you doing here?” Dash barely managed to stop herself from asking “and why are you calling me Firefly?” before she looked down at her pale-blue hoof. She made the deduction she had walked into the mansion, been berated by her friends, and walked back out without stopping at any point to shake off her disguise. “I was on my home from the spa.” Tresemme said. “My house is down another few blocks. What are you doing out here?” “Eh-heh.” Dash turned away. “I, uh, well, I was about to go into that tavern over there and get myself hammered and possibly turn into a drunk to avoid dealing with my problems.” Firefly said, hoping Tresemme wouldn't be too judging. “It's perfectly normal for any mare going through a mid-life crisis!” Tresemme gave a concerned frown. “Is that really necessary, Firefly? I'm sure there has to a better way for you to cope ...” “Everything's fine, really! I've been planning this for weeks!” Tresemme made a face which showed to anypony with half a brain cell to spare she was disbelieving of Firefly ill-advised words. “You're a terrible liar, Firefly. Why don't you tell me what's really going on?” “Nothing! It's just ...” Firefly was caught between a rock and hard a place. The rock was ignoring Tresemme and going into the pub, which would both hurt her feelings and ruin any chance of a successful relation while while not really getting herself anywhere but nowhere fast. The hard place was to admit to Tresemme what was going on, which Firefly did not want to admit to under any circumstances. Given the choice between the two, she ultimately made the right one. Placing a hoof on her head. Firefly sighed and told her story. While leaving out as many superhero-related details, of course. Oh, and the tiny detail she was actually Firefly. “I had … somewhere to be today. While I was there, something happened with my friends … something they really could have stood to have me around for. They blame me for it, and I don't blame them. Heck, I blame me. I … I failed them.” Now having confessed her sins, Firefly turned away. “Oh, Firefly. Could you have known that … whatever happened with your friends was going to happen?” “Maybe. Sort of. No.” Firefly changed her answer. “Then you can't really say it's your fault, can you?” Tresemme said. “I guess not ...” “And neither can your friends.” Tresemme said. “It's not fair for them to blame you for something you had no control over. Hey, I know. Why don't you come back over to my house and stay for a bit while all this blow overs? That way, your friends can take the time to figure something out and you don't have to become a drunk wandering the streets.” “R-really?” Firefly perked up, her heart drowning in a sea of hope. “You would do that for me? Aren't we moving kinda fast? We've only known each a day or two ...” “Of course! What are we friends for?” “Well, what are we waiting for?” Tresemme grabbed Firefly by the hoof. Firefly blushed at the close contact, which set off a chemical reaction of Tresemme smiling comfortingly. “Come on. My house is just this way.” “Heehee, hee, hee.” Firefly couldn't help but notice Tresemme was bounding with energy. Clear on her lip for anypony to see her struggling to hold a wave of squees which threatened to burst forth. Firefly figured Tresemme was overexcited about something, and almost got suspicious – accusing, even. But she calmed herself down. Chill, Rainbow. She's probably just like Rarity, and she gets excited about the whole “love” thing. The idea calmed Firefly down at first, but it grew and featured in her mind like an infectious wound full of blood and pus. Rarity moved from one crush of the week to the next the minute something appeared wrong with the first. Would Tresemme treat her the way Rarity treated her crushes? Would Tresemme dump her and move onto the next short-lived, dissatisfying and not fulfilling relationship as soon as she glimpsed so much as one of Firefly's warts? Firefly worried less and less as Tresemme took them to her house for the second time today. She was giggling as if she were a schoolfilly, bounding with childish energy and excited about something. Firefly would have never thought a pony with Tresemme's cool, soothing voice could ever be compared with Pinkie Pie's level of enthusiasm, yet here they were, with Firefly drawing exact parallels in her mind. Still giggling like she was hiding a naughty secret, Tresemme swung Firefly into her house and locked the door behind them. “Boy.” Firefly said. “You sure seem really excited about something, Tresemme.” “Huh? Oh, yes. Oh yes, I AM.” Tresemme turned and pushed herself up against the door. From the way Tresemme, Firefly got the feeling they were involved in a sort of secret conspiracy, of clandestine, nebulous groups meeting and whispering in the shadows. When Tresemme refused to elaborate, Firefly pressed the issue. “May I ask why?” “I want you to take a shower with me.” “Whoa!” Firefly stumbled backwards. A shower? Already? Taking a shower together was something done only by the closest of couples and the happiest of newlyweds. A private romance expressed in steamy water. For Tresemme to want Firefly and herself bathing together after going on two dates and light foreplay … well, it was a bold move indeed! “R-really?” Firefly asked. “A shower? Are you sure we're not taking things kinda ... you know, fast? Like, way too fast?” Tresemme giggled. “Oh no, not at all! Why do you ask? Oh, I know. I think I forgot to mention this ...” Tresemme produced a bottle from her person, despite a lack of pockets on her form. “The company I work for sent me a new product. They want me to test it out before it goes to mass market. And I was just so hoping you'd volunteer to be a test subject, Firefly.” Tresemme blushed and ran a hoof against her well-combed mane, a sign of nervousness if Firefly ever saw one. “But if you don't, it's okay. I guess I'll just test it by myself ...” “No, no.” Firefly shook her head. “If just testing your new product is all you want, I'd be happy to do that! Just not, you know, anything BEYOND that, if you get my meaning.” To be sure she did get her meaning, Firefly gave a wink. Tresemme appeared shocked. “Oh, no, of course not! I would never want to make you uncomfortable by rushing too fast.” Tresemme balanced the bottle in her hoof and tossed it in the air, catching it again in a way which made Firefly suspect Tresemme used to be a juggler in a past life. “Yeah … yeah, okay. I'll help with your product, Tresemme.” Firefly had been worried at first, but two things cleared up to her over the last few minutes. First, Tresemme wanted a subject to run a test for her company's product, nothing more. There was nothing wrong or suspicious about wanting to test something before it hits the market. And it went a long way towards explaining why Tresemme acted like they in some kind of conspiracy together; she'd want to keep it secret in case any spies from rival companies spotted through the window. Firefly didn't think hair care companies would even have spies, but you never know. Second, she was worried about them going too fast for a healthy relationship to form. From the deep recesses of her mind, Firefly recalled a single, important thought; she liked fast. Relishing in such a glorious and easy opportunity to endear herself to Tresemme, Firefly found the shower and let herself, dropping her jacket on the floor. She put one hoof on the edge of the tub before climbing the rest of the way when it hit her. Oh, hay bales. Firefly looked at her hooves. Is this body paint water soluble? “Firefly?” Tresemme called out, entering the bathroom. “Oh, you're in here already. Are you sure you don't want to eat something first? Maybe a light snack?” Firefly scoffed. “Pfft, no. Why would I do that?” Everypony knew not to go swimming until an hour after eating. (Note: actual times may vary depending on who is asked). Why would she want to eat before taking a shower? If she had just woken up and needed breakfast, sure, but it was in the middle of the day and they were conducting an experiment for some nameless company's marketing division. So why was Tresemme concerned about food? “Well, since you're already in the tub, I'm going to guess you're ready.” Tresemme cantered over to the tub and put a hoof on the knobs for controlling the ebb and flow of the cleaning water. “You are ready, aren't you?” “Miss, I was born ready.” “Somehow I doubt that ...” Tresemme whispered under her breath, her ominous words unnoticed as a brown butterfly fluttering in a sea of dusty, dirty moths. Tresemme spun the wheel of the knob and aimed the shower at Firefly. A spray of water blew out from the many spouts inside the symbol of modern life. What was probably the grandest advancement of all since the cave-pony days, the use of indoor plumbing. The water hit Firefly like a spread of needles. Each stream of water seemed to hit her body with the same weight of the realization her deception wasn't going to survive against this onslaught of H20. Already, Firefly could see trails on her hooves and chest as the body paint began to peel and wear off, going down the drains in both flecks and specks. If Tresemme noticed Firefly's chattering teeth, she made no move to acknowledge it. Tresemme lifted the bottle up, opened it, and squirted some of the contents into her hoof. It was a creamy, pink liquid, bubbly and foamy as a good shampoo should be. Firefly's eyes darted towards the shampoo as Tresemme slowly, rather sensuously, lathered it in her hooves. Oh well. Firefly said. At least if she finds out I've been lying to her, I'll have enjoyed some premium-quality shampoo … yeah, that's the best positive I can find about this. I'm grasping at straws, here … Firefly pulled a mental facehoof. Humming a merry, cheery tone, Tresemme applied the shampoo to Firefly's scalp. The effect was instantaneous and unexpected. Everything went blank in Firefly's mind. Her eyes shrinking to pinpricks, Firefly's head cranked itself towards the ceiling, staring up at nothing with a vast, empty expression on face. The shampoo seemed to not only clear her head of dandruff and dust … it cleared her head of thoughts, memories, and basic identity. Behind her, a shadow of dark danger creeped up behind Dash. A curvy, wicked shadow which would make any viewer want to scream through the comic panel and yell “Run, Rainbow Dash, run!” only for their warning to be tragically ignored as Dash was under a complete and total spell, deaf to all and eyewitness to nothing. The water from the shower continued to accumulate in temperate, building up the hot water and creating a cloud of steam which masked the shadow as Tresemme, hidden behind the water vapors, underwent a startling metamorphosis. Her coat changed color from pink to purple. Her blue hair turned green and grew in length and size. Her body itself grew by a few inches. When the transformation was complete, the dark countenance of the Mane-iac was standing where Tresemme was not but a few moments ago. “Ah-ha-ha-haha! Oh-hoo, oh-hoo ...” The Mane-iac laughed, using her hair tentacles to elevate herself above the ground, putting her in a literal position where she figuratively saw herself; above the populace. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, you really are a terrible liar.” The Mane-iac took a tentacle and swiped Rainbow Dash's cheek, removing streaks of the bodily paint. The Mane-iac shook the tentacle to free of the paint, sending into the water and down the drain – the same location as Dash's disguise. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, you didn't really think this disguise would fool me for long?” The Mane-iac asked. “It is transparent to anypony who knows you that Firefly is actually you. You made it up, didn't you? I just want to know … why?” “Uuuh ...” Dash stammered, her eyes turning into pink swirls of thin-lined hypnotism. The poor, pale pegasus was already taken in by the Mane-iac's maniacal mental manipulation. “I … made her up as a barrier between Tresemme and I. So if I messed things up as Firefly, I could come back as Rainbow Dash.” “Ooh.” The Mane-iac cooed. “So you made her up to cover up your insecurities about your ability to maintain relationship. Aww … I can't decide whether that's pathetic or adorable. Perhaps they'll make a new word for it. The new edition of the dictionary introduces the word “Pathe-dorable” to the public for the very first time!” The Mane-iac burst into self-lauding laughter at her ludicrous hypothetical scenario. “How do you like the shampoo, Rainbow Dash?” The Mane-iac asked. “I … love it.” “Of course you do.” The Mane-iac stroked Rainbow Dash's mane, running her hoof through the wide spectrum of hair colors. “It's part of my newest scheme. Brainwashing shampoo. It gives a new meaning to the term, doesn't it? I would have had it finished earlier if weren't for those ...” The Mane-iac halted in speech and drew in a deep amount so she could blow an angry, forceful snort of utter contempt for the names about to leave her tongue with a nasty taste. “Accursed Power Ponies! But thankfully, my dear friends High Heel and Long Face were able to procure the shipments I needed to make my prototype batch. And I'm comfortable telling you all about my evil scheme because I'm going to brainwash you into forgetting it later, okay?” Dash's head tilted slightly to the right, as limp as the neck of a scarecrow planted in the garden to ward off avians. “Okay.” “Oh, and sorry about the whole, you know, brainwashing thing.” The Mane-iac said as if this were no big deal and everypony eventually tricked their girlfriends into a shower for brainwashing at an early point in their relationship. “But I needed somepony to test my shampoo on, and … well, something tells me trying to test a brainwashing shampoo on myself wouldn't end well, and I doubt my Sinful Six friends would be comfortable with it. You know, the whole “villains betraying each other” thing.” The Mane-iac stroked Dash's back with one of her tentacles. “I do like you, Rainbow Dash. After all, it's not like you're one of those … POWER PONIES!” The Mane-iac looked up and let out a wistful sigh, thinking of times gone by and possibilities closed to her which would now never come. “While I'm Tresemme, I make everything go fast so I can live to the fullest. It's not easy being a secret supervillain. As a civilian, you're constantly worrying if somepony is going to find out your secret identity and rat you out to the fuzz. Hmm. I know I'm going to make you forget this entire conversation, but thanks for listening, Rainbow Dash. It's nice to have someone to talk to. Now, who wants some POST-HYPNOTIC TRIGGERS!?” The Mane-iac screamed like a gaudy game show host, offering some slim chance of a double-or-nothing deal in the final stretch of a round where contests would either win big or lose at all. The Mane-iac lifted one tentacle and wrapped it around Rainbow Dash's exposed belly. The tentacle curled and looped around, wrapping itself around Rainbow Dash and going down further and further with each loop. It eventually reached down to Rainbow's legs and … plugged in, giving Rainbow Dash that most deadly of desire, that most carnal of satisfactions. “Oooh!” Rainbow Dash moaned. “Mane-iac … your hair-tentacles are so … thick and spongy.” The Mane-iac let out a dark chuckled, content in the knowledge her victim was hopelessly entranced! “Yes, aren't they, though?” The Mane-iac wrapped more tentacles around Rainbow Dash's legs, constricting her in a tight grip so Rainbow Dash could do nothing to struggle against the pleasure the Mane-iac was giving her. Not that Dash would with the shampoo soaking her into head and into her mind. The Mane-iac pushed in and pulled out, making her tentacle pound against Rainbow Dash's internal walls. Dash let out a symphony of enraptured moans. “Do you like that, Rainbow Dash?” The Mane-iac asked. “Y-yes.” Dash whimpered, her hypnotized eyes half-closed in an overwhelming pressure which might have made lesser ponies crumble by now. Well, crumble far worse than she was already. “Hmm. Excellent.” The Mane-iac increased the speed on her tentacle, going after Rainbow Dash's pleasure centers with a villainous fury, the kind only villains can do. “Now listen, Rainbow Dash, repeat after me … “I like tentacles.”” “I like tenta-tenta-tenta-CLES!” The poor, poor trapped Dash struggled to finish her new mistress's sentence, pleasured as she was by one such tentacle. “When Tresemme offers you a chance to shower with her, you will become aroused and say “yes” every time.” “When Tresemme offers me a chance to shower with her, I will become aroused and say “yes” every time.” Dash repeated. “And if she mentions tentacles, you'll become very excited without really knowing why.” “And if she mentions tentacles, I'll become very excited without really knowing why.” “Well done, Rainbow Dash, well done.” The Mane-iac stroked Rainbow Dash on the chin. “Who's my obedient little thrall? Who is? Who is? You are. Yes, you are!” It was hard for this narrator to watch as the Mane-iac treated Rainbow Dash as little less than a pitiful dog too eager to please its owner. “Shut up, narrator.” Mane-iac said. “Dash and I are enjoying some private time. Now, let's send you home before somepony starts to suspect something, shall we?” The Mane-iac increased her furious pumping of Dash's privates, going so fast she might break something if she wasn't careful with the fragile pony in her tentacle-y trap. “Aaaah – AAAH!” Dash shrieked as she felt an orgasm beginning to happen. The Mane-iac retreated just before it did, leaving Dash tired and drained on the bathtub's porcelain. The only thing keeping her from falling onto the tub's floor in a half-conscious, mindwiped daze was the Mane-iac holding her up with her hooves like a doll. “Now, to clean you up and get you home.” The Mane-iac held Rainbow Dash to where the shower could wash away the, ah, evidence of their most-decidedly not family-friendly activities. The Comics Code would certainly never approve of any of this. They'd say the sexual nature and claiming the one single exposure to a non-mainstream sexual act would turn little kids into sexual deviants. Because that makes perfect sense. “I don't understand why you dyed your hair to become “Firefly,” Rainbow Dash.” The Mane-iac ran her hoof through Dash's hairs while she scrubbed away the brainwashing shampoo. “Your natural hair color is beautiful … Why would you taint it with unnatural dyes? Look at this rainbow you have here. Oh, what I wouldn't give to see everypony with natural hair that looked like this.” The Mane-iac sighed. “Oh well. We must play with the cards we're dealt, I suppose. Time for the rinse.” The Mane-iac lifted her snout in the air and winced as she forced herself to shrink down, her hair retracting and changing shades as she returned to the form of Dash's crush, Tresemme. Tresemme cradled Dash's form, admiring how cute she was when she was coming out of a trance. “T-Tresemme?” Dash asked. “What happened?” Dash rubbed her head. “You fell and hit your head on the tub, “Firefly.”” Tresemme said with a smile. “You were out for quite a while.” “Was I?” Dash asked. “Aw, I probably ought to head home. I'm sure my friends will be worrying about me by now. Gonna have to take a rain-check on helping you test that product.” “Oh, that's fine.” Tresemme said as Dash crawled out of the tub. Tresemme put upon a malacious smirk as Dash faded out of the room. “I'd say you did your part.” “Bye!” Tresemme waved Dash off from the footsteps of her home before going inside. Rainbow Dash waved back and went on her way. The sky was darkening now, and soon the night would fall, casting its shadowy embrace over the land. The Power Ponies were going to be needed, as it's known fact crime increased under the cover of darkness. Man, I feel really good for some reason ... Dash thought to herself as she made her way back to the mansion. The dark of night being close, it made sense the lights of the city buildings would go up. The lights seemed to lay a path out for Rainbow Dash towards her home, as if she walking the hall of fame ready to get her distinct hoofprint immortalized in a concrete square. Rainbow Dash returned to the mansion, drawing the eyes of all therein on her. “Well, look who finally decided to show her face again.” Discord remarked, earning himself a good glare from Fluttershy. “Yeah, mock me all you want, Discord.” Dash said. “I'm in a good mood, and there's no way I'm gonna let you ruin it.” “I will say, you do seem to have a certain … glow about you.” Rarity said, tapping her chin as her mind worked its wheels hard to puzzle together what exactly the glow was. She knew she recognized it from somewhere. “What can I say? I feel happy.” “No.” Rarity walked up to Rainbow Dash, narrowing her eyes. “No. It's something more than that.” Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash for the right amount of time to make Rainbow Dash uncomfortable. “I've got it. You and Tresemme did the dirty dance.” “The what now?” "The beast with two backs?" "Sounds freaky." "You know ...” Rarity said. “The tango for two?” “Actually, Rarity, I don't know. Enlighten me.” Rarity facepalmed and took in a deep breath. Her eye wandered over to Spike. “Spiky, dear, could you leave the room?” “Fine, fine.” Spike threw his hands up in the air, frustrated at having his console video game interrupted. “I know when I'm not wanted. Oh, before I go, the Cutie Mark Crusaders called. Said they wanted to come over.” “Yes, that's nice.” Rarity shooed Spike away, impatient to get to the point with Rainbow Dash. If Spike was frustrated with having to give up his game, he was incensed at Rarity's dismissal of him “Come on, Discord. Let's go hang out, you and me, drake-to-wyrm.” Discord took Spike up on his offer and turned into a balloon for Spike to hold. Twilight let them go, but she watched them with gritted teeth and bated breath. “I'm not sure I'm comfortable letting those two hang out together.” “All well and good, but there's something more pressing at the moment, Twilight, darling.” Rarity said, about to give a demonstration of her skewed priorities as clear as water. “Rainbow Dash, I'm saying you and Tresemme had sex.” Rainbow Dash stared blankly at Rarity for several minutes. Dash blinked, her mind attempting to process Rarity's absurd, forward comment. Dash dropped to the floor and burst out into laughter. “AH – HA – HA! Oh, that's rich. Rarity, I did not have sex with Tresemme. Not today and not in any way.” “Are you sure, darling?” Rarity asked, sounding concerned for Dash. But really, she more worried about whether or not her social senses were dulling. “It's the only reason I can think of for your glow.” “Puh-lease.” Dash said. “I think I would remember pretty clearly if I had sex with Tresemme.” “Science shows us that sex triggers the release of certain endorphins.” Twilight said. “So it's possible the “glow” Rainbow Dash is exhibiting is merely a result of Tresemme finding some way to activate those endorphins … even if it wasn't sex.” Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash scoffed, but for different reasons than the other. “Darling, please.” Rarity said. “She and Tresemme had sex and I know it. Trust me. I know about these sorts of things.” “Yeah.” Dash stifled a snort of derisive derision. “You know sex the way Twilight knows hoofball.” “I know plenty about hoofball.” Twilight said. She was about to launch into a lecture about the origins and history of the sport. “Besides just origins and history.” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, have you actually played it?” Twilight bit her lip and blushed. Applejack ran into the room, carrying a phone to her ear. “I'm afraid whatever is yer talking about is gonna have ta wait, y'all. Got a call coming in. The Mane-iac and her goons are raiding a salon.” Rarity gasped and whined. “Not the salon! That's one of my favorite types of buildings! Right next to the spa and clothing stores on my list.” Rarity was on the receiving end of questioning stares from her fellows. “What? A girl can't have hobbies?” The salon was a mess indeed. Soap and shampoo bottles were open and spilled on the floor, much to the ruing of the Mane-iac. The door hinges were busted and the shelves were toppled over as the Mane-iac's goons ransacked the place, looking for a key. The Mane-iac had a salon employee by the throat, holding her with a tentacle. The employee so far had whimpered, pleaded, and begged for her life, but she had yet to give the nefarious villain what she came here for. “Where is the key?” The Mane-iac snarled into the employee's face, threatening her with other tentacles. “I-I don't know what you're talking about.” The employee stuttered. “You know! The key to the storage room?” The Mane-iac explained. “Where you keep all your extra supplies before moving it to the shelves? I need that shampoo so I can make my formula!” “Let her go, Mane-iac.” The Mane-iac turned to see the Power Ponies standing tall in the remnants of the entrance. They were ready for a fight. “And if I refuse?” The Mane-iac asked, lifting her hostage up in the air as an ambiguous threat to the heroes. Her hired henchmen got into position to fight. The Masked Matter-horn snorted and huffed. After the humiliation she endured during today's last attempts at stopping a villainous scheme, Matter-horn was determined she and the Power Ponies would not be embarrassed again, even if it meant taking some drastic measures. “Power Ponies, power up.” And with those simple (and admittedly hamfisted) words, the fight was to be begun! Matter-horn charged up a beam from her horn and fired it, knocking henchmen flat on their backs. Radiance created walls of force and placed them in front of the henchmen, boxing them in place so Fili-Second could run delivering punches as if she was a punchy Easter bunny on the first week of April. “Ha!” Fili-Second laughed. “It's like giving candy to a baby! A bunch of generic babies who share the same design the animators can copy and paste to fill out a scene!” “Fili-Second, quit ambiguously leaning on the fourth wall and rescue the Mane-iac's hostage!” Matter-horn barked. “Right!” In the blink of an eye or even less time, the blur of Fili-Second's super-speed jumped over the hapless henchmen and snatched the hostage from the Mane-iac's hairy grasp. “Grrr!” The Mane-iac snarled and bared her teeth. While the other Power Ponies were kept busy by her henchmen, Mane-iac found herself facing an unexpected surprise in the form of Zap. “Huh? Ah.” The Mane-smiled. “All right, Mane-iac.” Zap said. “This time, you're going down for good – what? What are you smiling about?” The Mane-iac chuckled, creating a bed out of her tentacles and resting on it. Her affluence to the situation irked Zap with no end in sight. “No, seriously, why are you smiling – OOP!” The Mane-iac's carefree attitude tricked Zapp into lowering her guard down – which was no doubt part of the evil Mane-iac's plan all along – and The Mane-iac snapped Zapp in a tentacle and pulled her close, giving Zapp on a kiss on the lips. Zapp's blush was so hot it might could reach Planck temperature. “Mmmmmmwah!” The Mane-iac separated herself from Zapp with a loud pop and let the dumbstruck pegasus here floating in the air, confused about what happened just now. She was so confused, it gave the Mane-iac the time to maneuver around Zapp and smash her way out the salon, whipping the other Power Ponies aside with her tentacles and, out of pure hateful spite, she smashed up any glass she missed when she and her henchmen first came in. Wha … Zapp thought. Why did she do that? Running a hoof over her lips to see if there were any physical signs of something evil had been transferred by the kiss, like a metal bug or poison, Zap's was struck further by a thought. And those lips … those lips felt familiar, but where would I have felt them before? “Zapp!” Matter-horn teleported next to Zapp, breaking Zapp out of her daze. “What happened? You had her!” “Yeah, yeah, I know.” Zapp blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. Funny, isn't it. Pitiful, even, how after the wonderful feeling she had after she left Tresemme's place, Zapp's day was about to go downhill all over again. Unless … yes, she could see a light at the end of this tunnel. She could still fix this – she could salvage this and not let her friends down again. “It won't happen again, guys. I promise. Let me go after her. I'll catch her. It's the least I can do to make it up to you guys after what happened earlier.” “Hmm.” Matter-horn's face scrunched in a judgmental contemplation of this idea. “All right.” “Thanks, guys.” “What are you waiting for?” Matter-horn snapped. Despite Zapp's assumptions, she was still sore as a camel with the straw that broke its back. “Go!” Zapp saluted and went racing out the door. Her heart was heavy with the knowledge she was fighting to not let her friends and beating fast from the dangerous speeds of flight she was moving, faster than most ponies could ever be prepared for. But she wasn't most ponies, she was Zapp; a Power Pony and one of the fastest pegasi around. “Now ...” Mare-velous said. “What the odds y'all want ta bet she didn't catch Mane-iac 'cause she was thinkin' 'bout Tresemme again?” “I'd say two-hundred to one.” Radiance said with a hint of irritation. “Matter-horn.” Mare-velous turned to her. “Are we sure we can trust Zapp to do what she says and catch the Mane-iac?” Matter-horn sighed. “I don't know. I've never known Rainbow Dash to let us down on purpose … but at the same time, facts are facts and she's not setting a good precedent for herself.” “So, what are we gonna do?” asked Mare-velous. Matter-horn stroked her chin. “Hmm ...” Zapp came whooshing out of the salon like a falcon diving after hopeless prey. She saw the Mane-iac fleeing, wriggling on a bed of tentacles for her getaway. The sight made Zapp think of a paniking squid. She watched the Mane-iac slip into a dark alleyway. Of course. Zapp thought. It's ALWAYS a dark alleyway … Not scared in the very least by the prospect of going headfirst into a place where a large majority of crimes, both civilian and super-powered, occurred, Zapp flew into the alleyway and descended onto her hooves. She scanned the alleyway for the Mane-iac, who seemed to have disappeared. She couldn't have fit all that hair into a dumpster, so she was either hiding elsewhere or escaped by using her tentacles to scale the walls. “Mane-iac ...” Zapp said with a singsong voice. “Come out if you're here ...” “I'm here, sweetheart.” The Mane-iac was holding herself in the air on a web of tentacles like a spider, spread against the walls of the alleyway to prop her up. With a psychotic grin, Mane-iac smacked the surprised Zapp with a tentacle to the face, sending Zapp tumbling. Zapp regained control of her momentum and placed herself on her hooves. Snorting and huffing air, she rose to meet the Mane-iac. “All right, you!” Zapp picked up her magical amulet in her teeth. “You have a lot of explaining to do, or I'll get messy.” “Messy?” Mane-iac said, climbing down from her perch. “I'd love to see you try.” “What's all the shampoo for?” Zapp demanded. “And why did you kiss me at the salon?” Mane-iac raised an eyebrow at her, chuckling a mocking chuckle which set Zapp's nerves burning with rightful frustration. “Isn't is obvious?” “Uh, no. No it's not!” “Oh, poor Zapp.” The Mane-iac was mocking her at this point, nothing more and nothing less. “Do I really need to spell it out for you?” “What?” Zapp bit down harder on her amulet. It was getting more difficult to resist the urge to use it. “Quit talking in riddles and tell me why you kissed me! I'm warning you! This amulet gives me weather magic WAY beyond what most ordinary pegasus can do, and I'll use it on you. I could make a thunderstorm, or a hurricane, or a hailstorm.” “But you won't.” Mane-iac said. “Too much collateral damage.” Zapp's eye twitched, for she knew the Mane-iac was right, as much as she hated to let such a thought pass through her mind. If a random civilian got hurt or a building destroyed, her friends would never forgive her and she might lose her license to practice vigilantism. A cracking noise like the sound of a bomb going off pierced both their eyes. Purple smoke began to fill the alleyway, obstructing both Zapp and Mane-iac from the other's eyesight. “What?” Mane-iac whipped her head in all direction, trying to discover who or what would be so bold, so daring and stupid as to come between her and her Power Pony nemesis. “Who's there? What is this?” Zapp observed the smoke. Thrusting a hoof out into it, Zapp realized she recognized it. “I know who this is.” She looked up at the rooftops, expecting to see her there. There was only one vigilante not associated with Power Ponies she knew of who used smoke bombs in this manner.0 Only one pony who went out at night and preyed on criminals, decrying all criminals as a superstitious and cowardly lot. “Who am I? I am the terror that FLAPS in the NIGHT … I am the slacker in a school group project who coasts on the others' work … I am … the MYSTERIOUS MARE-DO-WELL!” “And her sidekick, the Filly Wonder, Daring Do!” “Yes, yes, yes. You're here too, Daring. Now let me do my thing.” The Mare-Do-Well, showing absolutely no fear or hesitance of any kind, leaps from the rooftops and spreads her cloak, using it to slow her fall as she descended upon the Mane-iac and engaged her in a fistfight. Her purple and blue outfit hid her inside the cloud of color-matching smoke. “I ...” Zapp stammered. “I have no idea what is going on anymore.” Daring Do fired a grappling line down the side of the wall and proceeded to climb down on it. But before she could answer Zapp's question, she ended up smacking her nose into a wall and falling. Zapp flew up to catch her and put her on the ground. “What?” Daring Do shook her head to shake off the blow. “Oh, hi, Zapp! Could you let me down so I could go help Mare-Do-Well beat up Mane-iac?” “No.” Zapp said. “Not until you tell me what is going on here.” Daring Do shifted uncomfortably in Zapp's grasp, almost as if she couldn't tell Zapp what was going on. Deciding Daring Do needed a firm reminder of the fact Zapp was keeping her from falling, Zapp dumped Daring out from her hooves and let her hit the ground. “Ow.” Daring rubbed her head. “That wasn't nice.” “Yeah, well -” Zapp's sarcastic scolding would have to wait, as she heard The Mane-iac scream in pain. Zapp turned to see The Mane-iac lying flat on her back, wincing and groaning. “I'll ...” The Mane-iac pushed herself up. “Make you pay for that.” Despite Mane-iac's confident words, she was on the losing end of this match-up. Blood was leaking from her lip and her legs refused to stay in one place. Meanwhile, Mare-Do-Well struck with the underhanded, but effective tactics of a viper. She appeared from the clouds of purple smoke, struck at the Mane-iac, and retreated back into her camouflage. Mare-Do-Well followed this pattern of attack once more, leaping onto the Mane-iac from behind and pulling on her hair. The Mane-iac staggered and attempted to buck Mare-Do-Well off. “Ow ow ow! Get off! Let go my hair, you jerk!” Mare-Do-Well complied to Mane-iac's commands, release the Mane-iac's terrible tendrils from the grip of her hooves. Mare-Do-Well wrapped her hooves around the Mane-iac's midsection and took the Mane-iac for a tumble, tilting her to the side and slamming into the concrete. “No!” Zapp screamed and reached as if to touch the Mane-iac, to grab her and drag her out of harm's way and tell her everything was going to be all right. “Quit hurting her! You're going to break her or even kill her!” Mare-Do-Well turned to Zapp with her masked eyes betraying no hint of any emotion. Like a cold, unfeeling machine, she turned back to the Mane-iac and resumed her brutal treatment of her. “No. No.” Adjusting the amulet in her teeth, Zapp pointed it to the sky. “I'm sorry, Mare-Do-Well, but Mane-iac still some has answers I need.” A gold light shined from the amulet. The wind picked up … and up and up and up until it blew Mare-Do-Well's smoke out from the alleyway, removing her camouflage and her combat advantage. “What are you doing?” Daring Do shrieked. “You can't just rescue the Mane-iac! She's a villain and a criminal!” “Sorry, kid.” Zapp said through muffled teeth. “But I have questions I need to ask her, and I can't do that if Mare-Do-Well chops her in two!” After the wind sufficiently blew enough of the smoke, Zapp descended onto the ground to begin her line of questioning anew. “Now, Mane-iac, since I just saved from Mare-Do-Not-Well …” Zapp said before she looked around and saw the Mane-iac was gone. “What the? She was just here!” “Yes.” Daring Do walked up to Zapp. “And thanks to you blowing Mare-Do-Well's smoke away, she escaped. If something disrupts Mare-Do-Well's smoke, she finds a place to hide so she can still get in one last sneak attack. The Mane-iac probably climbed one of the buildings and escaped while Mare-Do-Well was looking for a hiding place.” Daring Do huffed. “No thanks to you. If it weren't for you, Zapp, we probably would have caught the Mane-iac and been able to put her away for good!” “If it weren't me for, Mare-Do-Well probably would have killed her.” Zapp shot back. “She would never go that far.” Daring Do said. “I might, maybe ...” “What?” “Nothing. The point is, thanks to you being obsessed with – with – with whatever it is you're obsessed about regarding the Mane-iac, another chance to apprehend has slipped away. And furthermore -” “Uh, no offense, kid.” Zapp pointed. “But Mare-Do-Well is gone, too. Think maybe you should try to follow her back to your base?” “Oh, is she!?” Daring Do looked around saw Zap was right. “Aw, man! I gotta get back to her pronto!” Daring Do galloped out of the alleyway and into the street. Zapp was thankful to be left alone. Everything which had been happening in the last few minutes was incredibly hectic, so for her to get a chance to sit down and do nothing was a welcome relief while she thought, she wondered, she pondered about when and where everything started going wrong. The thankfulness she felt disappeared when the rest of the Power Ponies appeared, approaching from the northeast street and walking up to the alley where they'd seen Daring Do leave from. “Guys!” Zapp rose up to meet them. “I am so thankful you're here. First, I chased the Mane-iac, then Mare-Do-Well showed up and then – I don't even know what's going on anymore!” “Perhaps we can explain.” Radiance said, and only now did Zapp notice the disappointed and irritated expressions on their faces. “Truth be told, we called in Mare-Do-Well as backup because … well, we weren't quite sure you were going to get the job done, darling.” “Uh, what? Why would you think that? Guys?” Zapp backed away, fearful of the answer to the question she was about to ask. “What's going on?” “We'll tell you what's going on.” Matter-horn said. “Ever since you've begun meeting with Tresemme, your performance as a Power Pony has gone way down. You weren't there to help with High Heel and Long Face. You were clearly distracted in the salon by thoughts of Tresemme -” “No I wasn't! I was distracted by the Mane-iac kissing me!” The Power Ponies' eyes raised up in shock and confusion at this. “Still.” Matter-horn said. “That doesn't change the fact we're beginning to lose faith in your ability to be an effective superhero for this city. We're beginning to lose faith in your reliability. We're beginning to lose faith in you. I'm going to give you an ultimatum, Zapp … Either figure how to properly balance your relationship, get your act together and start focusing on missions again without getting distracted by – by surprise kisses by the bad guy or whatever … OR break up with Tresemme.” Leaving the slack-jawed, stunned Zapp to deal with this bombshell by her lonesome, the other Power Ponies turned away from and marched off to the mansion. Author's Note I know the hammy comic-book narration still isn't quite up to snuff this chapter, but I tried to still leave it in there in certain sentences and word choices. It's just become painfully clear to me I keep that up 100% of the time and still write the story. And I wasn't sure how to put it in smoothly, but the original idea was Tresemme was concerned with Dash eating something is because intercourse is a very intensive experience. And some might see the Power Ponies as being a bit unreasonable near the end, but it's for the story.
Issue 4: Divided Loyalties! Issue 4 Solicit: THE TEST! When another encounter with the Mane-Iac leaves Zapp flustered, the Power Ponies are forced to take corrective measures. But Discord might have stumbled onto a startling secret that will make Dash's dating life more than a just matter of disciplinary action! THE NEXT DAY … Twilight Sparkle woke up, as so many do, cursing the sunlight coursing through the window. She pondered the possibility of using her connection with Celestia to introduce a bill decreeing “morning” was considered not to take place until at least 11: 30 AM, and anything before then was to be considered part of “last night.” Getting up from her bed, her mind was coherent enough to think about and realize the potential problems such a legislation would not doubt induce. Getting out from her bed, Twilight went to the dining hall where breakfast was already underway without her – or Rainbow Dash. Thought bowls and plates for both were already set up. “Good morning, darling.” Rarity said. “Did you get a good night's sleep?” Twilight surveyed the room. Everypony was eating, sure, but their gazes were all averted from each other and the motions they made to eat their food were tired and mechanical, as if they were doing it simply because they knew it needed to be done, rather than taking the time to sit down and enjoy their meal. “As well as of any of us.” Twilight said. The reaction to this by the other ponies was to widened their eyes and drop their silverware. Had they been so obvious in their discontent with the previous night's situation? “What do we have for breakfast today, girls?” “Oatmeal and muffins.” Fluttershy said. “Yum. I love oatmeal.” Twilight picked up a spoon and scooped out a bite. “Courtesy of Discord. He conjured them up for us. Isn't he sweet?” Fluttershy said. Everypony at the table stopped eating and looked at Fluttershy, contemplating whether she was wearing rose-colored glasses or needed to be sent to the mental ward. Twilight dropped her spoon back into the oatmeal. A good choice, as the oatmeal rose up and crawled out of its bowl, taking on the likeness of a miniature Smooze. It frowned and grumbled before scooting away from Twilight, as if offended she wouldn't eat from its body, and went off to find somepony who would. Perhaps Pinkie Pie would be willing. Fluttershy noticed the omnipresent loss of appetite which seized the room like a plague. “Um, I'll go start another pot, if that's okay with everypony.” Enthusiastic nods and agreements were shared. “Fluttershy, wait.” Twilight reached out. “Before you do that, I think it's time one of us said what everpony is thinking; were we too harsh on Rainbow Dash last night?” Fluttershy fiddled with her hooves while Rarity became curiously interested in the drapes and Applejack took on a guilty expression. Rarity was the first to break the silence. “Perhaps calling in the Mare-Do-Well was a bit hasty.” “She said Mane-iac went and gave her a kiss. Now, Ah don't know 'bout y'all, but Ah would find that pretty distracting myself.” “And she did seem awfully hurt we didn't believe in her.” Fluttershy said. Twilight pounded her hooves on the table. “Well, that settles it. I'm going to apologize. You go make the oatmeal, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy nodded as Twilight left and headed for Rainbow Dash's room. “Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, going THWOK-THWOK-THWOK on the door to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's shared room. “Rainbow Dash, would you join us for breakfast, please?” Twilight's request was enough to get the door to creak open and a wary Rainbow Dash stepped out. “Hey.” “Hey.” Twilight said. The awkwardness surrounding the two ponies threatened to smother and suffocate them. Neither of them sure what to say, they mirrored and mimicked each other by scratching at their heads. “So, listen, about last night ...” “You don't need to say anything, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash said. “I know I messed up yesterday, and you and the girls aren't going to forgive me for awhile. But I promise I will work my flank off until -” “No, no.” Twilight shook her head. “That wasn't what I was going to say. I'm not here to lecture you.” “It wasn't? You're not?” “No! I'm here to apologize.” Twilight bowed her head, making Rainbow Dash feel awkward. What was the social convention for when a Princess, without any social cue or prompt, unexpectedly bows their head to a commoner? “We should have trusted you when you said you would handle the Mane-iac and we should have listened to you when you tried to tell us about Mane-iac distracting you with a kiss. We're sorry, Rainbow Dash.” “No.” Dash put a hoof on Twilight. “I should be the one who's sorry. If I was there for you to stop whatever Long Face was doing-” “How?” Twilight said. “You can't be in two places at once, Rainbow Dash. Yes, we were upset about you not being there, but that doesn't give us the right to call in another superhero on a whim. We should have believed in you.” “Heh.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “I guess we all sort of screwed up a little bit. How about we just admit that and we can move on?” Twilight gave Rainbow a great big hug. “Okay.” “Hey … does this mean I don't have to breakup with Tresemme anymore?” Twilight giggled. “No. As you long as you promise to properly balance your relationship with your responsibility as Power Pony.” “Don't worry, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash saluted. “I'll make sure to keep my love life in line, and that's a one-hundred percent guaranteed Rainbow Dash-certified promise.” “Hey, guys!” Spike strolled into the room. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders are here.” “Oh!” Twilight and Rainbow exchanged surprised looks. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” “I totally forgot they wanted to come over!” “You might want to hurry up.” Spike rested his claw on the doorframe. “I'm not sure how much more the front entrance door can take.” With this uncertainty of Spike's in mind, Rainbow Dash and Twilight took in blurs of light to the entrance – Rainbow Dash moving a little faster than Twilight, of course. Meanwhile, at the headquarters (the SINFUL headquarters!) of our villains, the Sinful Six, their leader, Mane-iac, entered through the door and punched in her time-card. The mere fact everypony who worked in the building was either a supervillain or working for a supervillain did not entitle them to ignore labor union rules, which were stringent about employees not being made to work more than a select number of hours a day. Granted, the supervillains had no compunctions about excessive overtime or poor pay if they met their needs, but half their minions were just thugs-for-hire, so they needed some way to keep things organized. The rest of the Sinful Six gathered around to greet their leader. Long Face, High Heel, the most phony of phony pony pharaohs, Pharaoh Phetlocke, the beady-eyed hooded thief in the shadows, Shadowmane, and the silent, sticky pile of goo known as Smudge (any relationship to the Smooze was at this time, speculative, but rumors persisted.) “Mane-iac?” Phetlocke was the first to notice the Mane-iac's tired, unfocused expression, as if she had a headache, took a headache relief pill, and yet still was possessed of a headache. “Are you all right?” “Hmm?” The Mane-iac turned an eyebrow at him. “Oh, it's nothing, dears. Just thinking about some things … and wondering about lives that could and couldn't be. I'm fine. We need to get to work if my shampoo plan is to succeed.” Hearing this, the rest of the Six gathered amongst themselves and whispered in hushed tones, lest their boss should overhear them expressing their doubts. “I don't like it.” Shadowmane said. “She's not usually like this.” “”Lives that could and couldn't be?”” High Heel said. “And I thought Smudge had a lockdown on the whole “existential crisis” thing.” This earned a displeased glare from Smudge. “What do we do?” “I'm not sure.” Phetlocke said. “She may not say as much, but something is bothering her. Try to ask her about it again later. Prod her until she spills the beans. But be gentle about it. This requires a delicate approach.” “Dears?” Mane-iac asked. “Are you going to help with my grand plot or not?” Phetlocke and the others felt like schoolchildren getting ready for the bus, their mother berating and nagging them to ensure they went to school on time. “Coming!” At the mansion, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the rambunctious bunch of racketeers, the Musketeers of Marks, were brought inside and guided through the halls by the bigger ponies. “Eeeeh!” Sweetie Belle squealed, a noise which was well-familiar to Rarity, but no less stinging to her poor, poor ears. “I can't wait. This is gonna be the best sleepover ever.” “Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that, darling.” Rarity said. “While there's nothing I love more than spending time with my dear little sister, we are adults. We have certain responsibilities which will have to take precedence over hanging out with you. Isn't that right, Rainbow Dash?” “Huh? Oh yeah, right. Sorry, squirt.” Rainbow Dash patted Scootaloo on the back. “Sometimes being a grown-up stinks like Discord's body odor.” “What are y'all doin' at night?” Apple Bloom asked. The ponies froze up. They hadn't told the Cutie Mark Crusaders about them being the masked Power Ponies – they couldn't. The smaller the circle of ponies knew, the better and safer they were. Spike, Discord, and the Princesses – and that was it. It might rude to their families and to their siblings, but if they told loud, sometimes thoughtless ponies like the Cutie Mark Crusaders, there was no doubt in their own minds the Crusaders would get frustrated with a pony's teasing and blurt out something about their siblings being superheroes. Heck, Pinkie Pie struggled to keep it a secret enough as it is. “Uuh … big pony things.” Rarity said. “Very, very big pony things which we will tell you about when you're older.” “Aw, come on!” Scootaloo complained. “I mean, it's not like we don't already hang out with you when we're -” Apple Bloom stuffed a hoof into Scootaloo's mouth. Rarity grew curious. “When you're what, darlings?” “Eh, what Scootaloo means to say is that she perfectly understands y'all have necessities y'all need to attend to.” Apple Bloom affixed Scootaloo with the dirtiest of dirty glares. “Isn't that right?” Apple Bloom nodded for Scootaloo to nod, who complied. “Are you sure?” Rarity asked. “That doesn't sound like what she was saying to me.” She leered at Sweetie Belle, expecting if they were hiding a collaborative secret, she could get her own sister to crack first. Sweetie Belle could tell what Rarity was doing and broke into a sweat, but kept her composure. “Well now.” Discord floated backwards into the room, his serpentine form looping in the air. “Pardon me for overhearing, but it sounds like you're trying to get these delightful fillies to admit a little secret.” “Well … yes!” Rarity said. “What of it?” “Oh, I'm it's fine.” Discord waved his paw. “After all, it's not like there's something you and your friends have been collaborating in keeping from them, is there?” Rarity blushed as Discord made her realize the extent of her hypocrisy. She quickly turned away from the fillies. “Hey.” Rainbow Dash grabbed Scootaloo, pulling her close. “We may not always have time to hang out with you while we're here, but I promise one night, we'll sit down together and make some smores. What do you say?” Scootaloo's eyes turned starry at the prospect of marshallowy, chocolatey, cracker goodness. “You mean it?” “Oh no, she doesn't mean it. She'll be much too busy hanging out with Tresemme.” Discord rudely remarked, raining on their parade. “Discord!” Fluttershy said. “That was rude.” “Hey, somepony needs to break the awful truth about love to these poor, poor fillies.” Discord picked Apple Bloom up in his claws and held her like a stuffed animal, with Apple Bloom scrunching up her lips in the most adorable, confused way. “Who's Tresemme?” Scootaloo asked. “She's – she's no one.” Rainbow Dash said, ushering Scootaloo towards the guest room. “At least, not compared to you, Scootaloo.” “Aaawww. Do you really mean that, Rainbow Dash?” “I do. One-hundred and twenty percent.” Rainbow Dash pulled Scootaloo into a hug and snuggled her. The urge for the other ponies watching to giggle and go “aww” was irresistible, which embarrassed Rainbow Dash, so she pushed Scootaloo away and whistled. The phone rang. “I'll get it!” Pinkie Pie announced, rearing up to use her super-speed to fetch the phone. But at the last second, she realized the Crusaders were watching her and she backed down, skipping and prancing at normal Pinkie Pie pace. Whatever “normal” was in regards to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie returned, dragging the phone and table with her, the phone's electric wiring tangled around the table's legs. She presented the phone to Rainbow Dash. “It's for you.” “Wha-? Lame.” Scootaloo said at sight of the phone. “Who even has a rotary phone anymore?” “Hello?” Dash ignored Scootaloo and took the phone. “Hello, Rainbow Dash.” Tresemme's silky voice came oozing through, making Rainbow Dash blush. “I was wondering if maybe we could hang out together sometime today? Maybe bring Firefly along too?” “Oh, uh … that would be lovely.” Dash said, to the confusion of the others. Dash pulled the phone away and whispered to them. “It's Tresemme.” Dash returned to the phone. “But I can't. Not today. There's a chance my friends will need my help before the day is over.” “Oh … okay. I understand. Maybe tomorrow.” Tresemme's voice sounded disappointed, yet still understanding. Hearing Tresemme's lovely voice speak in such a tone threatened to rip Rainbow Dash's heart clean in two; she almost would have preferred for Tresemme to sound just disappointed, selfish as that would be, instead of disappointed and understanding. Dash hung up the phone and bade Pinkie to take the phone away and return the table to its rightful place. “Rainbow, I'm surprised at you.” Rarity said as she scooted Scootaloo and the other Crusaders into their room and closed the door. “Turning down a chance to spend time with Tresemme? Especially when it was offered so freely.” “Yeah, I know, I know.” Dash said. “But you know what? I figured it was more important for me to be here for you guys in case the Mane-iac or her goons show up.” “Well, I can't say I'm not impressed.” Twilight walked up to Dash and placed a hoof on her. “I know how much you've fallen in love with Tresemme, so saying no to her like that … it couldn't have been easy.” “Yeah. It wasn't. But Scootaloo is more important - you girls are all more important to me. Besides, it's not like I'll never get to see her again, is it?” “No, it's not.” Twilight said. “You'll get more chances to hang out with her. I can almost guarantee it.” “We're proud of ya, R.D.” Applejack said. “Sayin' no to her the way ya did must have taken some guts, especially for the first time.” “It gets easier after the first time.” Rarity said. “Trust me. I know.” “What's that?” Pinkie said. “It's coming to me! It's my Pinkie Sense! What is it? I know! It's sensing A GROUP HUG!” Pinkie sped around the room, picking up ponies and depositing them within arm's length of Rainbow Dash. Per Pinkie's prediction, everypony closed in on and hugged Rainbow Dash, smiles on all their faces. LATER THAT SAME NIGHT … The Mane-iac swung her way from building to building, using her hair to scale the walls and leap from one rooftop to the next until she found her next target – another factory for shampoo and other cosmetics. “Finally.” Mane-iac expressed as she and her minions, using grappling hooks, landed on the rooftop. “It took Long Face and Smudge so very, very long to find a shampoo factory deep enough into town those pesky Power Brats wouldn't make it here in time.” The Mane-iac reached out a tentacle and grabbed a nearby ventilation shaft. A single strand of hair, sufficiently wrapped around, could cut off circulation to a pony's limb. Given this, it should be no surprise the Mane-iac's several strands of woven-together hair could rip the shaft out from the building, lift it up, and bring it swinging down like a hammer into the roof. The impact created a hole in the rooftop wide enough for Mane-iac and her company to climb into. Reaching her tentacles in like an elevator, the Mane-iac descended onto the floor with grace, sliding in on her luxurious locks as though they were a firefighter's pole. “Begin the transfer!” The Mane-iac bade. Her minions ransacked and ravaged the factory, picking up shampoo bottles and pouring them out onto the floor. With this done, the minions pulled out canisters – canisters filled with the Mane-iac's new brand of brainwashing shampoo! The minions opened their canister and poured the Mane-iac's mixture into the shampoo bottles. After they cleaned up after themselves, the employees of the factory would be none the wiser and let the bottles go out to market, thinking everything was fine, never knowing their product been tampered with as a result of the Mane-iac's plotting. The ponies who bought this brand would buy it and use it on themselves, never suspecting the shampoo would turn them into mindless slaves of the Mane-iac! “Hurry!” The Mane-iac hissed. “We need to finish this quickly, before those pesky Power Brats arrive!” “Oh, you mean like right now?” “Yes, I mean like right now!” The Mane-iac snapped, her pupils dilating in seething anger before widening in surprise. “... Wait a minute.” Mistress Mare-velous would not be waiting, thank you very much. She wasted no time in leaping up, up and away and delivering a flying buck to the Mane-iac's face, knocking the Mane-iac off her tentacles and sending her body tumbling along the factory tile. The Mane-iac pushed herself and glared at the Power Ponies before pointing her minions at them. “ATTACK!” “You guys deal with her henchponies.” Zapp said. “I'll deal with the Mane-iac.” Matter-horn and Radiance gave concerned looks. “Zapp, are you sure?” “We're not doubting you, darling. We're just concerned.” “Matter-horn, Radiance … I've never been more sure of anything in my life.” When this response generated an approving nod, Zapp took off to meet her nemesis on the field of battle while the rest of the Power Ponies cut swathes through the minions. “Oh, you want to play this dance again, sweetheart?” The Mane-iac asked with a sultry smile. Extending her tentacles, she lassoed her hair around Zapp's body and pulled the pegasus close, planting a kiss on Zapp's lips. Zapp's eyes widened, but not for the reasons one might expect. So that's where … I knew I recognized how these lips felt! Zapp thought. She wouldn't let this realization or the Mane-iac's coy games distract her this time, though. Adjusting her hooves around, Zapp reached her amulet and tapped it. The amulet activated, sending out an enormous burst of lightning which sent the Mane-iac flying through the air and chucked her through a wall. The explosion of electrical energy shredded through the plaster and the iron of the building, creating a large hole – both in the wall and in the owner's insurance money. The Mane-iac rolled and tumbled onto the street. Cars riding on their way home from work stopped and honked, others swerving to avoid a collision. The Mane-iac rubbed her head and growled at Zapp. Zapp gestured for Mane-iac to bring it. Mane-iac used her tentacles as a springboard and jumped out of the street, launching herself at Zapp with her tendrils poised to strike in the lightning-quick fashion of a scorpion's sting. Zapp was having no part of that, raising her amulet up and summoning a gust of wind which blew the Mane-iac off-course, sending her colliding with a nearby dumpster. Zapp descended onto the ground, flapping her wings. The Mane-iac slid down from the dumpster's lid and landed on her hooves, ready to give Zapp a proper trashing. Whinnying, the Mane-iac charged at Zapp, her tentacles flailing around as if they were live wires. Zapp wasn't too concerned. With a brisk, calm, almost arrogant movement, she lifted her amulet up, summoning a lightning bolt to strike Mane-iac, stopping her in her tracks and leaving her charred and scorched. “Ooh ...” The Mane-iac wobbled and sway on the spot. Zapp came up to her. As an ironic mockery of what the Mane-iac had done to her, Zapp grabbed the Mane-iac and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips … right before clocking the Mane-iac with a punch, knocking her down. “Ready to turn yourself in?” Zapp asked, standing over her fallen nemesis. “NEVER!” The Mane-iac took her tentacle and swept it along it Zapp's underside, knocking Zapp's legs out from under her. The Mane-iac stood up and was readying to strike when a black discus flew from the rooftops and smacked her on the head. “Huh?” Zapp wondered as she got up. Mare-Do-Well appeared next to her, as if manifesting from the darkness itself. “Oh, not you again. Did the girls call you?” “Oh, no no!” Mare-Do-Well said. “I came here of my own accord. You looked like you could use a helping hoof.” “I had her just fine by myself, thank you.” Zapp turned back to the Mane-iac. “But since you're here, you might as well help. But no killing her, got it?” “I was never going to kill her.” Mare-Do-Well said. “In fact, I have a very strict no-killing policy. A violent beatdown that leaves them unable to walk for a week? Sure. But never a kill. Not by my hooves.” “Uh-huh.” Zapp wasn't sure she believed her. Noticing the Mane-iac getting up, Zapp readied her amulet while Mare-Do-Well pulled out another discus from her pocket. Both proved unnecessary, as the Mane-iac, after a good effort to keep herself propped up, fell back to the ground. “Huh.” Mare-Do-Well said. “I guess you didn't need my help after all.” “Nope.” Zapp said with pride in the fact she didn't – and as far she was concerned, never needed Mare-Do-Well's help to begin with. Ego? What's that? “Now let's take in her and figure out what her evil plan is ...” “I think not, Power Ponies!” A glass vial hit the ground and exploded into a cloud of dark smoke. “I'm not a Power Pony!” Mare-Do-Well protested. “We're not going to let you take her so easily!” High Heel's voice said from the smokescreen. The sound of a pony's face eating asphalt could be heard from the wriggly, murky clouds. “Dang it, Long Face, you couldn't make it so that we could see through the fog and they couldn't?” “Uh, no. It's a two-way street.” Long Face answered. "If we see, they can see." “Both of you shut up.” Phetlocke said. “We've got what we wanted.” By the time Zapp figured out to use her amulet to conjure a gust of wind to blow the smokescreen away, it was already too late; the Sinful Six were escaping with their unconscious leader, riding a physical train made of Smudge's elastic body. The Six rode atop Smudge as he bounded onto the rooftops and escaped into the night. “I swear that guy is related to the Smooze.” Zapp said. She turned to thank Mare-Do-Well for her help, even if she didn't really want or appreciate it, but Mare-Do-Well was already gone. “How does she do that?” “Zapp!” Matter-horn and the other Power Ponies arrived on the scene – though it was too little, too late. “What happened?” “Ah. I almost had Mane-iac, then Mare-Do-Well showed up.” Matter-horn's surprised face at this hinted to Zapp Mare-Do-Well was being truthful when she said she only came to help. “And before we could take her in, the rest of her buddies showed up and rescued her.” “Well, sounds like y'all had quite a tussle.” Mare-velous said. “Don't worry.” Matter-horn said. “We'll get her, Zapp. We'll make sure the next time is the last time.” “Yeah ...” Zapp nodded, her mind worrying about other things. “Sure.” This confused Matter-horn; what could be more important than the final capture of their nemesis? The Power Ponies returned to their mansion and slept the night. They weren't tireless, and it would have done good to run circles around the city to find Mane-iac while they were sleep-deprived. Once rested, though, Twilight wasted no time in calling for a meeting in the morning to discuss their next move. “All right, ponies.” Twilight pulled a chalkboard into the room. On its surface were chalk drawings of what they knew about the Mane-iac's plan thus far, with diagrams and illustrations. “We know whatever the Mane-iac's planning involves a lot of shampoo. Now, put your heads together and think; what could she possibly do with so much shampoo?” “Uh, make a brainwashing shampoo which she tries to get ponies to use, making them into slaves?” Pinkie suggested. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Don't be ridiculous, Pinkie Pie.” “Oh, okay. Umm, what about … mixing it all together and creating a giant shampoo blob monster to devour the city?” “She does have Smudge for reference.” Rarity said. “She could take a sample of his DNA and then mix it with the shampoo she's been collecting.” “Doesn't seem likely, but it's worth looking into.” Twilight said. “Rainbow Dash? You've been awfully quiet.” “Huh?” Dash said. “Oh yeah. Listen, Twilight … is it okay if I go see Tresemme today?” “But we need you here to help us figure out the Mane-iac's plan!” “I know, but … think you could figure it out without me?” Dash scratched her neck. “There's something I really want to talk to Tresemme about.” “I don't know ...” Twilight looked around, searching for anypony who might a vote or objection to allowing Rainbow Dash to take this course of action. Rarity nodded to let Dash continue. “All right. You did put on a pretty good showing against the Mane-iac last night, and all of her minions who were there are now in holding. That will cut into her resources. Okay. You can go, Rainbow Dash.” “Thanks.” Rainbow Dash got off her seat and headed for the exit. Even if I really don't want to ... Her heart feeling heavy as a stone, Rainbow Dash went out the door and walked to Tresemme's place. The last two times she did this, a giddy excitement coursed through her every bone; but now those bones were filled with nothing but dread and despair, and a depressed resignation to do what it was that needed to be done. Reaching Tresemme's house, Rainbow Dash considered backing out. She thought about turning back. About letting it slide and ignoring the painful realization she made last night and pretending everything was fine when she was around Tresemme. She turned around and lowered onto a step, but her teeth chattered as if they were alive and telling her to go through with this. With a sigh, Rainbow Dash turned back and knocked on the door. She entertained a brief Tresemme wouldn't be home, thus depriving Dash her chance to ask this bothersome question. “Rainbow Dash.” Tresemme opened the door. “I didn't know you were coming over. What's this about? Oh, it is a surprise? Chocolates? A birthday party invite? Do you want to order a pizza or something, maybe?” “Stop.” Rainbow Dash. “Tresemme, just … stop.” Tresemme tilted her head, a concerned look growing on her face. “Rainbow Dash, what's wrong?” She reached up to touch Dash's chin, only for Dash to deliver a physical rebuke. “It's about last night.” Dash said. “Um … Rainbow Dash? We didn't see each other last night.” “Yes we did.” Dash said. Tresemme did something Dash had yet to see her do, and never thought she would see Tresemme do. She was normally so calm and reserved, but Dash could tell, could see Tresemme was getting nervous. “I'm … afraid I really don't know what you're talking about.” She backed into the house, her hoof slowly bringing the door to closed state. Dash slammed her hoof against the door and let herself in. She bucked the door shut. “Quit playing games with me, Tresemme. Just- just be straight with me when I ask … are you the Mane-iac?” Tresemme blinked. Her quivering eyes gave Rainbow Dash a soulful, piercing and hurt glare, as if her husband had just accused her of cheating on him. Rainbow Dash's expression was unchanged. “I don't suppose you'd believe me even if I said no.” “Not really.” Tresemme sighed. “Yes. Yes, Rainbow Dash, I am the Mane-iac. And I know Firefly is actually Rainbow Dash, and I know Rainbow Dash is Zapp. You should really get a more face-obscuring mask. You know, like Mare-Do-Well. You can question her methods, but she's got the whole secret identity thing down.” “Don't-” Dash shook her head. “Don't talk to me about Mare-Do-Well.” “Sorry.” Both ponies fell silent. They looked down at the floor and scuffed their hooves. “So ...” Dash her head up. “What happens now?” Tresemme smiled. It was soft and sweet at first, but slowly grew into something seductive and wicked. Something sultry and sinister. “Would you like to come in for a shower with me? And maybe some … tentacles, as well?” Rainbow Dash, without understanding why, suddenly felt a heat run through her body. She took in a deep breath, an arousal spiking up within her. Why am I getting aroused? Dash thought to herself. “Don't you remember, Rainbow Dash?” Tresemme stroked Dash's chin. “You like tentacles.” “I … like tentacles.” “You love taking showers with me.” Tresemme said with a wicked smile. Rainbow Dash had to look twice, as she thought she saw fangs in Tresemme's mouth. “I … love taking showers with you, Tresemme.” Dash said in an emotionless, monotone voice as her conditioning reactivated to its full effect, putting her under Tresemme's trance once again. “Ugh.” Twilight banged her head against the chalkboard. Thirty minutes later, they were no closer to figuring out what the Mane-iac's endgame was. “What is it? What's her goal? Why all the shampoo?” “Sorry, Twi.” Applejack said. “We're not geniuses, like you.” “I'm sorry, darling, but we don't know.” Rarity said. “Who could ever fully understand the workings the mind of a crazy pony like the Mane-iac anyway?” Twilight separated her head from the chalkboard. She gave the chalkboard a look of empathy and pity. A tear fell down her eye as her prone-to-panic mind created and exacerbated several end-of-the-world scenarios resulting from their failure to figure out the Mane-iac's plan – an entire city drowning in an ocean of shampoo, being smothered by a blob monster, like Pinkie suggested, or simply flooding the market with shampoo and causing the industry to crash and burn. Which didn't sound too bad on paper, but a decrease in stocks and holdings and the failure of one industry could and would roll to the next, creating a domino effect where the entire – or at least major sections of – the economy fell in on themselves. Twilight pressed her hooves on the chalkboard. “I bet the Originals could figure it out.” The reaction to the mention of the Originals was wild and varied from pony to pony. Rarity gasped. Pinkie Pie stuffed her hooves into her mouth to keep from screaming – or crying. Scre-crying, perhaps. Applejack brought her hat over her chest. Fluttershy put her hooves together and whispered a prayer. “May Celestia guide them, wherever they are.” Fluttershy said. “Darling … I didn't realize … we haven't talked about them in so long.” Rarity said. Twilight went down a few rooms to a portrait. The hall was open-access, unlike some of their Power Pony stations, and the portrait was in full view of any who wished to see. It was easy to see and just as easy to overlook. But if one were to go up to and examine it, they would eventually catch onto the fact it depicted the Power Ponies. But not the Power Ponies as they appeared in the present day, no. This was exposed by the different in their coats and manes. See, Twilight's team were not the original Power Ponies – that title belonged to this team, here, in the portrait. So technically, they would be “Matter-horn II,” “Radiance II,” and so on. One day, after a serious of grueling and painful events involving both Twilight's friends and the original Power Ponies, the Power Ponies decided they needed to step down and retire. They asked Twilight's friends to be their successors – to keep the legend alive and protect the city of Maretropolis. They gave Twilight's friends training, their costumes and magic items, and disappeared for parts unknown. But not before leaving Twilight a golden ring with an onyx set into it – the Power Ponies promised Twilight, even if they were retired, all she had to do was push the onyx into the ring like a button and they would return to Maretropolis to deliver some geriatric butt-whoopings. Twilight placed a hoof under the portrait. “They would have figured out the Mane-iac's scheme by now. They would have stopped it by now.” “Oh, darling ...” Rarity and the others joined Twilight in the hall. “Please, quit beating yourself up like this.” “Yes.” Discord appeared. “Especially since all you need to do to figure Mane-iac's plan is to ask Rainbow Dash.” Twilight glared at Discord. “Rainbow Dash isn't here. We let her go see Tresemme.” “Ah, yes. Tresemme.” Discord. “And even if we hadn't let her go, how would she know?” “The answer lies with Tresemme.” “What's Tresemme got to do with it?” Applejack asked. “And how do you know so much about it? You know something we don't?” “I know lots of things you don't.” Discord said. “For example, if one were to attempt to breed a Manticore with a Chimera, what you get is – in addition to Celestia yelling at you about messing with nature -” “Um, Discord?” Fluttershy asked softly and sweetly. “Could you, um, maybe stay on topic, please?” Fluttershy's sweet tone appeared to win him over. “Oh, of course, Fluttershy. I don't understand I could be so careless and distracted.” Discord momentarily turned himself into a clown wearing a blindfold, driving a car through the air with his body sticking out the window, causing him to hit a stop sign before reverting to normal. “Yeah.” Applejack let slip a passive-aggressive remark. “It's a mystery. Y'all are usually so focused.” “Anyway, with a little eavesdropping ...” Discord popped one eye out his head and it morphed into a liquid medicine bottle marked “EVE'S DROPS.” “And some observation ...” Discord plucked the other eye and it turned into a tiny telescope. “The answer becomes obvious!” “What becomes obvious?” Applejack asked. “Think, girls, think!” Discord said. He presented the telescope to Twilight. “Oh, here, Twilight, this is for you. I know how much you love telescopes.” Twilight couldn't help but squeal in excitement. She reached for the telescope, but then remembered first, it was a gift from Discord; accepting gifts from Discord was almost never a good idea, unless your name was Fluttershy. Second … “Isn't this made out of your eye?” Twilight looked up to see both of Discord's eyes had regenerated. The Eve's Drops bottle had disappeared, yet the tiny telescope had not. “O … kay.” Twilight took the telescope and pocketed it, making a note to find a large clear area away from the city and possibly detonate the telescope there. “I think you'll find it gives you a better view of the stars than even your largest, most expensive telescope.” Discord said. “Isn't that just the way? Now, where was I? Oh yes, Tresemme! Tresemme works for a hair care company, doesn't she?” “Yeah?” Applejack asked. “We know that.” “And the Mane-iac has a serious crush on manes.” Discord said. “Where are y'all goin' with this?” “Think!” Discord insisted, conjuring up a dunce cap and placing it on Applejack's head. “We know the Mane-iac's taking to making out with Zapp. Now, has anypony noticed this didn't start happening until after Rainbow Dash – I'm sorry, “Firefly” began dating Tresemme, despite the Mane-iac having a perfectly good pair of lips to distract Zapp with? To distract ANY of you with?” “Wait ...” Applejack rubbed her head as she put the pieces together. “Are y'all sayin' ...” “Oh, I'm not saying anything.” Discord said. “Tresemme is the Mane-iac?” Twilight blurted out, getting a clue. “Darlings … didn't we let Rainbow Dash go see Tresemme?” Rarity asked. “We did!” Twilight exclaimed in growing horror. “C'mon, girls, we gotta go save her! Put on your uniforms!” “What?” Pinkie Pie said. “No “Power Pony Up?” “Pinkie, there's no time for stupid catchphrases!” Pinkie made an offended gasp. “Stupid? I'll have you know -” “Come on!” Twilight grabbed Pinkie with her magic and dragged her to the changing room. “We have to hurry.” Pinkie Pie took in a deep, deep breath. “Power Pony Up! There, I said it. You're forgiven, Twilight.” Though the way Pinkie Pie crossed her legs and looked away didn't lend much credence to Pinkie's claims of forgiveness. Back the Sinful HQ, Shadowmane supervised as their minions attempted to industrialize the process of making Mane-iac's brainwashing shampoo. “Hey ...” Shadowmane took her eyes off the minions fumbling attempts to converse with her cohorts. “Has anypony noticed something going on with Mane-iac?” “She has seemed rather … distracted lately.” Phetlocke said. “You know, I visited her house a few days ago.” Long Face said. “I made sure I wasn't seen, of course, but I did notice this, like … weird typecast rainbow-mane pony leaving from it.” “”Weird typecast rainbow-mane?” High Heel said. “Well, that's a big help. Do you even know what “typecast” means?” “You know what?” Shadowmane was possessed by a crazy, yet somehow not crazy – at least not to herself – notion. “I bet this Rainbowmane pony probably has something to do with why Mane-iac's not been herself lately.” “You know what? I'll bet you're right.” Phetlocke said. “We should go over there right now and have a little chat with our friend Mane-iac and especially her little friend. Who's with me?” The Sinful Six-Minus-One reared up and whinnied, their hearts united. Their cause in sync. Their goal; to have a nice talk with this pony who's been occupying their dear Mane-iac's thoughts. Rainbow Dash and Tresemme, having finished their naughty, definitely-not-safe-for-children activities, collapsed and hung over the side of the tub like dying fish, flopping and gasping for air as they breathed heavily. “That was … amazing, Rainbow Dash.” Tresemme said. She turned away and coughed. “Even if you were a brainwashed slave for most of it.” “Yeah.” Dash said, not hearing Tresemme's addendum. “It was pretty great, wasn't it?” She turned to Tresemme and they both laughed, but the laughter, like their moods, deflated. They couldn't ignore the issue at hoof forever. Tresemme inviting Dash for shower sex was a welcome distraction, but it changed nothing about their situation. “What are we gonna do, Tresemme?” Dash asked. “I love you … I know that. I want this – I want us to work out. But at the same time, I can't just ignore the teensy, tiny little detail you're secretly my nemesis with a hair fetish!” Tresemme giggled and curled her locks with her hoof. “Heh heh heh. I do really like hair.” Rainbow Dash made a stern expression which communicated “Really? I am not amused.” “Sorry.” Tresemme said. She held up a bottle of the brainwashing shampoo. “You know, you could … defect. Stay with me. Fight for my side. Be part of the Sinful Seven instead of the Sinful Six, heh heh.” Dash shook her head. “No, no, I couldn't - wait.” Dash's ear perked up and she motioned for Tresemme to be silent. “Do you hear that?” “It sounds like ...marching hooves.” Tresemme said. She and Dash exchanged worried glances. Flailing like slippery eels unable to find purchase on the dry, hard land, they scrambled out of the bathtub and headed for the window and saw what was probably their worst fears realized. From the north end of the street, the Power Ponies came a-marching. Five abreast in a line, side-by-side and with a militaristic posture to their movements. From the south end, the Sinful Six-Minus-One came marching into a single file one. Phetlocke led while Smudge was positioned in the back. Upon seeing their rivals in the street, Phetlock raised his scepter and motioned for them to separate. The other members of the Six spread out to the sides of him, rearing up for battle and locking eyes with their Power Pony opposites. "What ... are they doing?" Dash asked from inside. “What are you doing here?” Matter-horn asked from outisde. “We should be asking you that.” Phetlock shot back. “We'll tell you what we're doing if you tell us what you're doing.” High Heel offered. “Fair trade?” Matter-horn looked to Saddle Rager, the one of them who could put the most claim to being High Heel's arch-nemesis. Saddle Rager shook her head. “No deal.” Matter-horn said. Her horn lit up, charging with fiery power with which she would rain molten destruction down on her enemies. The rest of the Power Ponies and the Sinful Six tensed up, ready to unleash their fury on their enemies. Tresemme and Rainbow Dash looked to each other with strained expressions of horror, their eyes wide and their voices panicked. They said the exact same thing at the exact same time. “They're coming to rescue me.” Author's Note Pop Culture References in This Chapter Mare-Do-Well's black discus is a reference to Batman's famous Bata-rangs. At one point, I was even going to call it a Bata-rang, but I figured that would be taking it too far. The shampoo, as discussed in the comments, is based off the brainwashing shampoo from this one episode Kim Possible. I was going to take the homage further, where the Mane-iac would even try to market her brainwashing shampoo with her face on the bottle, which would end up being "self-foiling," as no pony would buy it, and then Mane-iac would have the idea to swap out a legitimate shampoo companies' product for her own. But as the chapter began to take a more concrete form in my mind, there wasn't time to waste on that, so I skipped it. That would have been as far as the homage went, however, and the cast would not be roped into singing terrible rap songs. Can you imagine my surprise and horror when, after the first chapter is published, the IDW comics makes a reference to the whole "brainwashing shampoo" idea? They didn't seem to make any explicit homage to Kim Possible thought, which makes my version inherently better. On a more meta level, Long Face referring to Rainbow Dash as "typecast" is a reference to the part of the fandom who sometimes sterotype her as a lesbian. And despite the penchant for reference, the term for the original Power Ponies - the oh-so-creative (sarcasm) "Originals" is not a reference to the CW show of the same name airing at time of publishing.
Issue 5: Rainbow Dash's Choice Issue 5 Solicit: A HOUSE DIVIDED! With Tresemme's secret blown wide open, what will Rainbow Dash do about the fact she's dating her nemesis? Or perhaps a more worrying question … what will the Power Ponies do about Rainbow Dash? THE Fight began. Matter-horn switched between firing heat rays and beams of frost, alternating the two temperatures, trying to induce a fatal thermal shock in her enemies. Long Face threw vial after vial of mysterious and unknown liquid, with Fili-Second using her super-speed to snatch the vials out of the air before they hit the ground. Radiance charged at Phetlocke, engaging him in a duel of staffs using a conjured halberd. Meanwhile, Shadowmane ninja-stepped to avoid getting lassoed by Mare-evelous, and Saddle Rager, angry enough to fight, but not so angry she triggered her transformation, tackled High Heel. Rainbow Dash and Tresemme put their hooves on the windowsill, watching with a sense of pure and utter helplessness as the two teams began their clash. “What do we do?” Rainbow Dash asked. “They're going to tear each other apart!” “We should get out there.” Tresemme said. “Explain to them what's going on.” Tresemme galloped towards the door, waylaid by Dash grabbing onto her tail. “Tresemme, wait.” Dash pulled Tresemme back to her. “We can't go out there right now. I know we have a lot going on right now, and I know things are really confusing … for both of us. But now that you know my secret identity, can I trust you not to tell your other supervillain friends?” “Mmm ...” Tresemme averted her eyes. “Tresemme, please.” Dash looked into Tresemme's eyes, her own eyes wavering. “Promise me. If you really love me … if any of this was real, you'll do this for me. Promise me you won't tell any other villain my secret identity.” “I ...” Tresemme tapped her hooves together. “Okay. I promise.” Tresemme's eyes widened and she covered her mouth, surprising herself with how far she was willing to go for their relationship. Dash smiled and hugged Tresemme. “Thanks.” Dash examined her body. “I can't go out there like this. I need something to conceal my identity.” “I think I have a few sheets you can borrow.” Tresemme said. “Perfect. That should work.” While Rainbow Dash got to work wrapping and trying sheets up into a slapdash costume, Tresemme willed herself to morph from her civilian self to the Mane-iac. Now dressed for the occasion, they charged out from Tresemme's house and into the crossfire of the fight, pleading with their side for a ceasefire. “Everypony, stop!” Zapp yelled, clad in bedding tied around her face and body, making a cloak and bandana. “We want to talk.” “As much as it pains me to say this … Six!” Mane-iac yelled. “Stop fighting the Power Ponies at once!” “Zapp!” Matter-horn said, either not hearing or pretending not to hear Zapp's request. “We're glad you're here. You can help us out. Here.” At Matter-horn's command, Radiance levitated Zapp's weather-control amulet to its owner. “Since you weren't expecting to get caught up in super-heroics, I can see how you might have decided to leave that at our base.” Zapp took hold of the amulet. Zapp gazed her reflection inside the amulet's golden shine and sighed. Should she be doing what she was trying to? Should she be trying to get the fighting to stop, if only for a moment, or should she side with her companions and join the violence? “Guys, I know you came all this way for me, but I don't want you to fight.” Zapp said, lowering her amulet. “Things are complicated between the Mane-iac and I. We need some time to ourselves to figure everything out. Then, once we've done that, we'll come back and tell all of you what we decided. Okay?” The Masked Matter-horn looked to her partners before turning back to Zapp. “I don't like it. It sounds like the Mane-iac has you under her spell, Zapp!” “Under her spell – what?” Zapp balked. “I mean, she's somehow affecting your mind.” Matter-horn. “That, or you're so blinded by your love for her it's interfering with your good judgment!” “Au contraire!” Pharoah Phetlocke said. “We believe a rainbow-maned pony is the one messing with our dear Mane-iac's head!” “What?” Matter-horn and the other Power Ponies expressed their confusion of Phetlocke's claims. “That's ridiculous.” “Oh, is it?” Phetlocke retorted. “Is it any more ridiculous than a pair of six spandex-wearing ponies who fight crime? I mean, the idea is laughable!” “It's not laughable!” Matter-horn said. “It's not spandex.” Radiance gritted her teeth, using her powers to project two giant swords, ready to cleave Phetlock's head off his shoulders for his comments. “Mane-iac hasn't been herself lately.” Phetlocke said. “And we suspect it has something to do with this mysterious pony, whom we know she's going out with!” “How does that make any more sense than the idea the Mane-iac – the bad guy – is messing with Zapp's head?” Matter-horn asked. “Ugh!” Zapp groaned, rubbing her hooves across her temples. “Fine. Forget it. It's obvious none of you are going to listen to me.” Zapp descended to the ground, wrapping her hooves around the Mane-iac's chest. “Come on, Mane-iac. Let's take our business elsewhere.” Without giving either side a chance to convince them to stay, Zapp rocketed up through the air with the Mane-iac as her cargo, leaving both teams wide-eyed and unsure of themselves. The Matter-horn and Phetlocke locked eyes again. “Well, I don't know about you, but seeing as both our primary objectives seem no longer feasible, I'm willing to call this round a draw.” Phetlocke said. “Agreed.” Matter-horn walked away. “Come on, Power Ponies. Let's go see if we can track down Zapp. We'll start by looking around her regular hangouts." The Power Ponies and the Sinful Six turned from each other and walked down the street, heading to their respective bases. Zapp flew over the bustling city with her cargo, ignoring the ponies going about their lives on the street below. From this height, they appeared to be ants. As far as Zapp was concerned, they were ants. Skyscraper after skyscraper passed them by, the glimmering shine of industrial steel shingles little more than distractions to Zapp's eye. “Ugh!” The Mane-iac struggled and flailed in Zapp's grip, trying to push herself out before looking down and realizing pushing herself away from the flying pony while fifty in the air was maybe not the best idea. “Why did you take us away from the fight, Rainbow Dash?” The Mane-iac covered her mouth. “Sorry. It – it just slipped out.” Zapp shook her head, dismissing the Mane-iac's slip. “Our friends aren't going to listen to us. They have their own ideas about what's going on and they're sticking to it. I should know. I do it all the time. We need to find a place where we can talk by ourselves. No distractions. No interruptions. No … well-meaning teams trying to 'rescue' one of us from the other.” Zapp took notice of a skyscraper with a spacious roof and set herself down there, letting the Mane-iac free. Mane-iac shuffled nervously to the side while Zapp sat on her haunches and looked down, watching cars pass by. “So ...” Zapp pulled her head up. “What do we do now?” The Mane-iac sat down, her legs dangling over the side of the building. “I don't know.” Zapp breathed deep and sighed. “Of course you don't. I wish somepony did. Somepony who – who'd been in this situation and could tell us what to do.” The Mane-iac shifted slightly, moving over to rest on her side. She looked to Zapp with a reassuring smile, though she herself wasn't assured of anything. “You know what I think? I think times like this call for a test.” “A test? How can you be thinking of a test at a time like this? Honestly, you're just as bad as Matter-horn … ” “Oh, but this is a special test!” The Mane-iac said. “It's a test to see if you'll do the right thing.” This … piqued Zapp's interest. “Oh?” The Mane-iac nodded. “Mm-hmm. I'm going to let you in on my latest scheme, and we'll see what you do. I'll trust you do the right thing. After all, that's what partners do, right?” The Mane-iac snuggled Zapp, pressing their heads together. “They trust each other?” “Uh ...” Zapp bit her lip. “Yes. They do.” “Excellent!” The Mane-iac applauded her sinister hooves. “Now, listen, here's the deal … you know I've been breaking into shampoo factories?” “Yeah?” “I've been trying to get my newest invention into circulation.” The Mane-iac explained. “My brilliant, if I do say so myself, brainwashing shampoo. Once it gets into stores and ponies begin using it, it will be a piece of cake to take over all Metropolis for my very own!” The Mane-iac let one of her sinister, airy cackles. “And you know the best part? No pony will ever see it coming.” “Uh, why's that?” Zapp asked. “Because.” The Mane-iac flashed a maniacal grin. “Do you remember the shampoo factory your team attacked me at? When you mercilessly beat me up?” Zapp blushed. “Well, I had my henchponies swap out their shampoo for my brainwashing shampoo.” The Mane-iac said. “That way, all the ponies who normally use that shampoo will buy it, never suspecting anything's wrong with their favorite brand until it's TOO LATE and they're already my little brainwashed servants!” The Mane-iac chuckled and cackled, her eyes rolling around crazily in their sockets. “Literal brainwashing.” Zapp said. “Nicely done. You know, for an evil plan.” “Isn't it?” Mane-iac asked with a flirtatious tone, resting her head on Zapp's lap, leading the weather-controlling superhero to blush from the intimacy. “Mmm … and now that you know my evil plan, Zapp, what are you going to do about it?” Zapp shrugged. “I don't know yet. But I'll tell you this much; I won't be the one to stop it, that's for sure.” The Mane-iac laughed, raising up and gifting Zapp with a peck on the lips. “That's my girl! Ha ha ha!” “Yeah. Uh, listen, I need to use the little fillies' room, so could I have some space?” "Of course." The Mane-iac got off from Zapp's lap, allowing Zap the freedom to fly up and over the building and descend to the ground where she could find a public restroom. Or so she let the Mane-iac believe. Zapp was honest when she told Mane-iac she had no intentions of being the one to stop it … but she never said anything about allowing others to put a halt to her nefarious plans. She still had enough of a sense of loyalty to inform her fellow Power Ponies. I owe them that, at least. Zapp thought. Finding a payphone, Zapp slipped a coin inside and dialed a number most familiar to her. At the Power Pony mansion, an unmasked Twilight walked around the room, pacing in circles as the Power Ponies tried to put their heads together and think. To think of a plan to deal with their absent member. To think of what kind of repercussions she might face, if any. Or would they give her an exemption, pat her on the back, and say all was forgiven? This was just one of the many things they had trouble agreeing on. “AAAGH!” Twilight reached her hooves up in the air and screamed. “Why is this so hard? We know Rainbow Dash, we know Tresemme is the Mane-iac, and we know – we think – the Mane-iac is controlling Dash somehow. So why can't ANY OF YOU come up with ANYTHING?” “Well, darling ...” Rarity said. “Perhaps it's because we're not all sure the Mane-iac is controlling Rainbow Dash. Maybe … maybe Rainbow Dash is doing this of her own free will.” “No. Noooo.” Twilight said. “You don't really believe that, do you, Rarity?” “Love will make a pony do crazy things they might otherwise not do.” Rarity said. “Crazy things they might not realize they're even capable of.” Before Twilight could offer Rarity a response, the phone rang, interrupting their debate before it became too tense and heated for any of them to make a reasonable argument. “Hold the phone.” Twilight said. “Ha!” Spike laughed, picking up the phone so the caller would know they'd been heard. “Puns and wordplay! I love it.” Twilight Sparkle walked up to the table and took the phone from Spike. “Hello? Who is this?” “It's Zapp.” came through from the other end of the line, giving Twilight pause. In this second, hundreds and hundreds of electrical signals were traveling back and forth from one end of the cable to the other, sending echoes of speech between both lines near-instantaneously. Allowing two ponies, severed by their circumstances, a brief moment of reunited connection. “What do you want, Zapp?” Twilight tried to remain neutral and level in her tone, but her frustration with Dash and the situation in general showed through, making her voice come out rather passive-aggressive. “Listen, you remember that shampoo factory we fought the Mane-iac a night or two ago?” “Yes. What of it?” “The Mane-iac had her henchman swap out the shampoo from the factory for her own special shampoo she made. It's a brainwashing shampoo which will brainwash anyone who uses it. You have to find a way to keep it from getting into stores.” “Understood.” Zapp couldn't see her, but Twilight saluted. “Zapp?” “Yeah?” “When are you coming home?” “I don't know, Twilight. Maybe not ever.” Twilight's vocal cords stretched out to scream, to say something, to tell Rainbow Dash her answer was unacceptable and she better rush home right now or she would be grounded from her video games for a month, or maybe to convince she had nothing fear from coming back. But it was too late. The line went dead, buzzing a dial tone. Twilight simply … sat there, in silence. “Twilight? Are you all right, darling?” Twilight didn't answer. She put the phone back, dialed a number, and put it to her ear. “Hello, Mayor? This is the Masked Matter-horn. I need you to put out a recall for a certain product. No, nothing major. Just a shampoo brand. Yes, a shampoo brand. What brand? Uhh ... I'm not sure, I didn't ... catch the name. But I know it's been compromised. I just need you to sign the order to recall it - what? What do you mean you have more important things to do? This shampoo is a threat to public safety! Yes, I'm serious! Listen, I'm not in a good mood right now, so I would love the excuse to come over to your office and burn it to the ground. Okay? Okay. Have a nice day. ” Twilight slammed the phone down, breathing heavy. “Er, Twi?” Applejack asked. “You okay? Y'all don't normally make threats like that.” Twilight shook her head, tears rolling down her eyes. “No … No, I'm not.” Twilight sniffed. “Rainbow Dash called … she says … she says she's not sure when - or even if - she's coming back home . . . ” “Aww.” Pinkie Pie said. “I'm sure she's just being silly. Like, not 'ha-ha' silly, but silly in that she'll come to her senses and realize she's being ridiculous. Come here.” Pinkie spread her legs out wide. “Give Auntie Pinkie a hug.” Pinkie zoomed over, embracing Twilight. Twilight rested her head on Pinkie's shoulder, wiping a tear from her eye. “T-thank you, Pinkie Pie ...” Zapp hung up the phone, her hoof lingering on it. She thought about calling Twilight back. About telling she'd changed her mind and was going to come home right away. A shadow fell over her. Zapp turned around and was startled by the presence of the Mane-iac. “Ah! Mane-iac. What a … surprise to see you here.” “Cut the act. I heard the whole thing.” The Mane-iac said, her hooves crossed. The passing cars on the street, to Zapp's internal thanks, didn't seem to notice there was a wanted supervillain on the sidewalk. Zapp had enough to deal with already without a concerned passer-by calling the proper authorities. Zapp looked up at the skyscraper they were sitting on. “How did you get down from all the way up there?” "I climbed." The Mane-iac answered. "You know, with my tentacles? So … needed to use the fillies' room, huh?" The Mane-iac carried herself on her tentacles closer to Zapp, invading Zapp's personal space. "Just couldn't resist, could you?" "Well ... yeah." Zapp said. "I'm a superhero, Mane-iac! I had to do something ... what was I supposed to do, just sit by and let you get away with your evil plan? What kind of Power Pony would I be if l let that happen?" "Of course. I should have known ..." Mane-iac sighed. "You know, Zapp, when I said I was trusting you to do the right thing, I meant the right thing for me." "But ... Tresemme." Zapp looked at the concrete ground. "I don't know what's right for anypony anymore ..." At the mansion, the other ponies had joined in on giving Twilight a hug, thus graduating it to a group hug. Twilight slowly untangled and unwound herself from the collection of affectionate legs. “Feeling better?” Applejack asked. “Yes.” Even so, Twilight dabbed at her moist eye. “A little bit. Rainbow Dash must have been brainwashed by the Mane-iac somehow. Why else would she not want to come home?” Everypony averted their gaze from Twilight's. Applejack made one of those faux-innocent whistles while Rarity made uncertain noises. There were two possibilities; either the Mane-iac brainwashed Rainbow Dash … or Rainbow Dash really had fallen in love with her. Which would make sense, as they knew the Mane-iac was Tresemme, and Dash had been head-over-heels for Tresemme … They each had an odd mixture of denial and wishful thinking. They'd hoped the Mane-iac had brainwashed Rainbow Dash. It wouldn't be easy to deal with, but it would be simpler. All they would have to do is beat up the Mane-iac and make her undo her brainwashing. But if Rainbow Dash's love was true? As true as for the Mane-iac as it was for Tresemme? If one of their teammates was genuinely, madly in love with a supervillain, well … they didn't know what they would do. Twilight saw, through the window, the sun setting over their beloved city of Maretropolis. “Come on.” Twilight said. “It's going to be dark soon. We should go out and search for Rainbow Dash while we still have some light left.” Twilight Sparkle's brain birthed an idea. “We should let the public know something's wrong with the Power Ponies. Put out a bulletin. Set up a number so anypony who sees anything that might be related to Zapp can call us.” “Right!” The rest of the ponies saluted. Twilight, out of force of habit, made a commanding gesture towards the door. “Power Ponies, move out!” The girls put on their costumes and masks. They called the news stations and instructed them on the bulletin. Spreading out the word they were down a pony, they set off into the big city, even while the sun fell further in the darkening sky. Despite a close connection to Princess Celestia and a skepticism in certain fields of magic such as fortune-telling, Twilight felt the sun was rather ominous. As if they couldn't find Rainbow Dash in what few remaining hours of sunlight they had, she would be lost forever. Twilight refused to be distracted by this feeling and resolved to search every corner of the city. “Okay ...” Matter-horn said. “We know Zapp and Mane-iac were last seen around Tresemme's apartment, so we should start our search from there, using a radius.” “But Matter-horn!” Radiance cried. “It's been hours! Zapp could be anywhere in the city by now – perhaps even out from the city.” Matter-horn shook her head. “No. Zapp's been shaken up. She might fly away to avoid us, but she's going to stick to places she knows are familiar.” In an almost – nay, utterly – unbelievable stroke of luck, a mare walked up to them. “Power Ponies!” The Power Ponies cleared their throats and held their chins up high. “What can we do for you, fair citizen?” “I heard about your bulletin about Zapp going AWOL, and, well … I think I may have seen her!” The mare exclaimed. “There was this really fast blur which could have been her. She was heading for a construction site.” “What do you think, girls?” Matter-horn asked. “A good lead, or a false positive?” “I have my doubts.” Radiance said. “Also, there was this big mess of green and purple hanging off her side.” The mare said. “I'm not sure what's up with that.” “That's her!” Matter-horn exclaimed, realizing the green and purple was the Mane-iac as Zapp's passenger. “Come on, team! We know where to find Zapp!” “Here we go.” Zapp flew in and rested the Mane-iac on a steel i-beam. “City ordinance prevents construction from going on at night, so we should be safe here. For a while, anyway.” Zapp sat down on the i-beam next to Mane-iac. “Now, what do you want to talk about first? Our relationship? Whose side we're on? Where we're going to live?” “Um, well … hmm.” The Mane-iac said, posturing and making idle gestures. “Tresemme, quit stalling.” The Mane-iac sighed. She opened her mouth to speak, interrupted by the sound of a small clinking. In truth, she was thankful for the distraction. “Did you hear that?” Zapp rolled her eyes, smacking a hoof into her face. “Tresemme, I said quit -” “No!” Mane-iac said. “Listen, I'm a supervillain. I know random, small clinking sounds means superheroes are trying to sneak up on you!” “Well, I suppose since she knows we're here, there's not any point in hiding.” Matter-horn emerged from the shadows, followed by the rest of the Power Ponies. “Zapp? Would you come down here so we can talk?” “I won't come down there ...” Zapp said, leaning over the edge of the i-beam. “But I will talk. What do you want?” Matter-horn shook her head and sighed. “Zapp, please. Come back to the base with us.” Zapp looked at the Power Ponies, at her friends, and looked to the Mane-iac. The Mane-iac shook her head. “Guys?” Zapp said. “Would you let the Mane-iac and I talk for a bit longer? We still haven't worked out all the … kinks in our relationship.” Matter-horn facehooved. “And you won't! It'll never work between you, Zapp. You're a hero. She's a villain! You care about other ponies … even if you're not always the best at showing it. But the Mane-iac – the Mane-iac doesn't care about anypony other than herself and maybe the rest of the Sinful Six. Every minute you spend with her is another minute she can manipulate you into thinking her way of life is right, when you and I both know it's wrong." “We beseech you!” Fili-Second ran in front of Matter-horn, talking in a dramatic, theatrical voice. “Abandon this folly crusade, fellow knight!” This gave Fili-Second some well-deserved looks from everypony present. “What?” Fili-Second said. “I had to take a theater in class to graduate in rock-farming college.” “Rock-farming college?” Matter-horn shook her head. “Never mind. I don't want to know.” “Well … sorry, guys, but it looks like you'll be going home without me.” Zapp rolled and laid her head on the i-beam. “I'm not going anywhere until the Mane-iac and I have a chance to talk about about a few things … which, granted, would be going easier if she would quit avoiding the subject!” Zapp shot Mane-iac a glare, who responded with a shrug and sheepish grin. Matter-horn closed her eyes, sighing. “Well, I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but I see now I have no choice.” Zapp was taken aback when a beam of pure heat narrowly missed scorching her belly and singing the i-beam she was on. “Whoa! What-?” Zapp rolled over to see the rest of the Power Ponies – of her teammates, of her friends, rearing up to fight to bring her back. Zapp flew off the i-beam and landed in front of Matter-horn. “Whoa! Guys, what do you think you're doing?” Zapp watched and could do nothing as Fili-Second ran up the unfinished construction, and with expert skill Zapp didn't think Fili-Second possessed, came up behind Mane-iac and wrapped her hooves around the Mane-iac, restraining her for the fight to come. “We're sorry, Zapp.” Matter-horn said. “But your refusal to come home lends weight to our belief that the Mane-iac has brainwashed you.” “I'm not brainwashed!” Zapp jumped to the side to avoid a weak icy beam from Matter-horn. It was obvious to Zapp their intent was to capture, not inure her. “The Mane-iac hasn't brainwashed me. Isn't that right, Mane-iac?” The Mane-iac let out a sheepish chuckle. “Okay, well … technically, that's not completely true.” “What?” Zapp stopped dead in her trackes. “What do you mean by that?” “Oh, it's nothing, really.” The Mane-iac said. “Tresemme, what did you do?” Zapp dodged an attempt by Mare-velous to tie her up. “Okay, well … I may have brainwashed you a little bit while using you as a test subject for my brainwashing shampoo.” “You did WHAT?” Zapp yelled, flying up to avoid the immaterial claws Radiance summoned, using them to try to catch Zapp and imprison her. “What else did you do to me?” “Nothing!” The Mane-iac insisted, like a child denying they had gotten into the cookie jar … while chocolate crumbs were tumbling down their cheeks. “I didn't even know you were a Power Pony at the time! If I had, well, things might have gone a bit differently!” Zapp gave the Mane-iac a glare. “Would you excuse me?” Zapp asked as she barrel-rolled out of the way from yet another beam fired from Matter-horn. “I think my girlfriend and I need to talk about how brainwashing your partner is not okay.” Disregarding the anguished look of rage on Matter-horn's face, Zapp flew up to rescue the Mane-iac from Fili-Second's clutches. “Forget it, Zapp!” Fili-Second pulled the Mane-iac and held off her to one side. “I'm not letting the Mane-iac go!” “Well ...” The Mane-iac chuckled. “I've been compliant since I can see you needed to talk with your friends, Zapp, but if this is the part where we make our daring escape ...” The Mane-iac raised up the hair tentacles, lashing Fili-Second on the back. “Yowch!” Fili-Second let go to rub her stinging back. “That's gonna leave a mark!” The Mane-iac smirked, looping a tentacle around Fili-Second's mid-section. Mane-iac lifted Fili-Second up and tossed her to the ground, where the other Power Ponies gathered around to catch her and cushion her fall. The Mane-iac, still smirking, spread her front legs out wide as she awaited rescue by Zapp, her prince in shining armor. Zapp grumbled about her girlfriend's massive ego, failing to realize the hypocrisy inherent in such a thought, but nevertheless scooped the Mane-iac up and flew away, headed for another destination. “Zapp?” Taking a second to ensure Fili-Second was safe and sound, Matter-horn got out from the pile and chased after Zapp. “Zapp, come back here! We're not finished with you! Zapp? Zapp!” Matter-horn ground her teeth, her temper about to reach a boiling point. “RAINBOW DASH!” Matter-horn screamed. Her rage boiled over and reached a breaking point, allowing for an explosive pillar of LAVA and VOLCANIC ROCK to BURST OUT from her horn! “YOU GET BACK HERE!” The volcanic beam sprayed about, some of the lava coming to rest on the ground. Some of it hit the construction and melted through the vulnerable, exposed metal. She may have been a superhero, but the city government was going to tax Matter-horn for the damage when it found out. The Mane-iac raised an eyebrow as Zapp moved left and right to avoid the smoldering rocks Matter-horn sent after them. "It's a good thing I already know your secret identity or her little slip-up just now would have been quite the bad thing. Did you know she could shoot out beams of lava? Not just heat, but actual lava?" “I don't think she knew she could shoot out beams of lava until just now.” Zapp replied, forging ahead with her flight path while Matter-horn fumed and the other Power Ponies shot various glares, ranging from anger, to disapproval, to sadness. “I know there's a hotel near here.” The Mane-iac said. “We can crash there for the night.” “A hotel? Really? How are we going to check in?" "Oh, trust me. I know how to get us in." "It's not anything illegal, is it?" "No!" Begrudgingly, Zapp flew to the hotel under the Mane-iac's direction, flying slow to avoid drawing attention to them. At Mane-iac's behest, Zapp flew into the trimmed hedges lining the front of the hotel so they could hide. “Let me handle this.” The Mane-iac said. In seconds, she changed, shrinking back to Tresemme's relative petite form, her hair reducing in length and shifting to its blue color. She grunted during the transformation, leading Zapp to wonder if it was painful for Tresemme to change forms. Perhaps she had to force the change? Tresemme beckoned for Zapp to follow her inside the hotel. Inside, the couple walked up to the desk, Tresemme leading. “Hello!” Tresemme said, drawing the attention of the bellhop. Zapp's heart came close to melting at the sound. Oh, Zapp didn't realize how she longed to hear Tresemme's soft, calm voice. She much preferred it over the Mane-iac's unhinged cackles. The bellhop, with disinterest painted over his face, put down the magazine he was reading. “What do you want?” “We would like to rent a room.” Tresemme said. “Just for the night.” Tresemme produced a handful of bits and placed them on the desk. The bellhop reached to take them, halting before he accepted his payment. “Pardon me, but I can't help but notice your friend is dressed funny ...” Zapp's eyes widened in panic, and she reached for her amulet. Tresemme bumped a hoof into Zapp's shoulder, attempting to discourage Zapp from whatever rash action she was about to undertake. “Yes, well, you see … we're on our way to a convention. She decided to dress up. I didn't.” “Uh huh.” The bellhop appeared satisfied with their explanation, moving to rake the bits in once more. Finally. Zapp thought. To the internal frustration of Zapp, the bellboy stopped again. “Hey. Even if you are just going to rest for the night, shouldn't you have some luggage?” Oh, come on. Zapp thought, on the verge of whipping out her amulet and giving the bellboy a hundred-megawatt lightning bolt to the face as the answer to all of his current questions and any future questions he might have. He's perceptive! Tresemme admitted in her thoughts. “It's in the car.” Tresemme told him. The bellboy's muted expression suggested he was less satisfied with this explanation than he was with the first one they gave him, but he didn't care enough to turn this into an impromptu interrogation session, much as Zapp suspected he was. “All right.” He swept the bits off the desk, put them in the register, and handed them a key. “Your room key. Your number is the one printed on the side.” “Thank you, sir.” Tresemme flipped another bit onto the table as a tip, which brought a smile to the bellboy's dour face. Showing a much improved attitude, he waved at them as they entered the elevator and headed for the second floor. The pair entered their room. “Finally, I can quit wearing this stupid outfit.” Zapp remarked the second Tresemme closed the door behind them. Rainbow Dash undid the knots on the sheets and tossed them to the floor. The unfortunate bedding made an excellent target for Dash's peaking frustration, accumulated from all the various sources of various problems going on in her life right now. She made the sheets her own personal stomping ground. “Oh, Rainbow Dash.” Tresemme whined. “We could have used those sheets for extra bedding.” Rainbow Dash quit stomping and sighed. “I'm sorry, Tresemme. I'm just so … mad!” Dash proved this by stomping on the sheets again, even though at this point, there was no need for proving anything. “Everything I've tried to do today has gone wrong. I feel so … so weak and helpless. I hate feeling weak and helpless!” “Ooh.” Tresemme cooed, her quite voice having a soothing effect on Rainbow Dash's torn heart, something Dash welcomed with open hooves. “My poor darling.” Tresemme snuggled up against Rainbow Dash, resting her muzzle on Dash's chest. Rainbow Dash chuckled, enjoying Tresemme's comforting touch. “Heh. Thanks.” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, taking a moment to revel in the silence, in the warmth and comfort of this precious time they had together with no one to bother them. No vigilantes, no villains, nothing but the two of them … quiet and together, as a loving couple should be. “Mmm ...” Tresemme smiled, snuggling further into Dash's chest. “It's so nice to have some peace and quiet … I wish this moment could last forever.” “Yeah. Me too.” Rainbow Dash hooked a leg around Tresemme's back. “But it can't.” Rainbow Dash pushed Tresemme, leaving Tresemme to pout. “We need to talk about the fact you may have brainwashed me.” Tresemme's eyes opened wide. “When did you do it, how did you do it, and what did you do to me, specifically?” “I, uh ...” Tresemme scratched her chin, looking around the room for something to distract Rainbow Dash with. She didn't want to talk about this. In truth, Rainbow Dash didn't, either, but Rainbow Dash realized they needed to talk and they needed to make some changes if this relationship was going to last. Tresemme … was not quite yet willing to take the same step. Remembering they were in a hotel, Tresemme kept an eye for the door to the restroom. She found it and smirked. “Tresemme.” Rainbow Dash warned. “I'm waiting.” “Tell you what.” Tresemme put her hooves on Rainbow Dash's cheeks. “Why don't I show you what I did to you? In the shower?” “The shower?” Rainbow Dash asked, becoming annoyed with Tresemme even as she felt her body heat flare up. “Tresemme, this is no time for-” “Don't you want to take a shower with me?” Tresemme asked, activating Rainbow Dash's trigger word. Rainbow Dash shuddered and closed her eyes, experiencing an unpleasant, striking contrast between two different aspects of herself. Her body felt warm, while her mind was going cold and empty, as though someone placed an Arctic bunker with the door open inside of her head, blowing out icy winds to freeze over her brain, giving her what some might call the greatest brain freeze ever known. When Dash opened her eyes again, they were blank and glassy. “I would … love to take a shower with you, Tresemme.” Chuckling, Tresemme dragged Rainbow Dash into the shower, shifting into the Mane-iac on the way in. Once inside the tub, the Mane-iac used her tentacle to turn the shower on, aiming it at Rainbow Dash. The Mane-iac's coiled two tentacles around Dash's front legs, lifting them up and binding Dash as if she was tied to a dungeon wall – and the Mane-iac served as the wall. With the shower going, the blistering water built up heat and steam. When the steam and mist rose to the point their lower bodies were hidden from view, the Mane-iac went ahead and plunged a tentacle into Dash's eager, receptive entrance, pleasuring Dash the same way the Mane-iac did the first time they were in a shower together. With Rainbow Dash moaning, the Mane-iac began to talk over Rainbow Dash's enthralled screams of pleasure. “This is what I did to you, Rainbow Dash.” The Mane-iac. “I made it so whenever Tresemme asked you to take a shower, you would say yes … and so you would be aroused by the idea of having my tendrils wrapped around you, hmmhmm.” The Mane-iac chuckled, though her amusement didn't last. She cast a somber gaze to the bathroom tiling. “I'm … sorry about avoiding the issue.” The Mane-iac said. “Things kept getting in the way, like when you made that phone call. Or those pesky Power Brats getting in our way.” The Mane-iac snarled, her expression fading quickly into one more apologetic. “I'm sorry … I know I shouldn't talk about your friends that way. Or even when I ... actively avoided the topic. I'm sorry. I realize I shouldn't have avoided it so much. I know that. I guess I just … wasn't ready to talk yet. I'd rather keep things simple, and this ...” The Mane-iac shook her head. “Is not simple. I thought if I kept avoiding talking about it, we could make it simple, but … I should have been mature enough to know that was never going to work.” She hung her head. “Give me some time to collect my thoughts, and when we're done here, we'll talk about it. Really. I promise.” The Mane-iac chortled. “You know, when you're a supervillain, you get used to things going your way, without any consideration for anypony else.” She let out a sigh. “The truth is, Rainbow Dash, I don't know what we're going to do … but if I had my way, you would defect to my side. There are plenty of benefits! You could hang out with me, meet my friends, and we have a great dental plan!” The Mane-iac laughed airily. “All right, maybe not that last one, but still ...” “You know ...” The Mane-iac ran a hoof through Rainbow Dash's mane. “If I wanted to, I could just brainwash you into defecting.” “So – so why don't you?” Rainbow Dash asked, regaining a small amount of motor control, enough to question the oddity of why the Mane-iac wouldn't take the easy way out of the situation. “Because.” The Mane-iac said. “I want you to have some say in the matter. If I just brainwash you outright, the other Power Ponies are going to give you this speech about this isn't who you really are and how I'm just using you. Blah blah blah, FRIENDSHIP, blah blah blah, MAGIC and everything goes back to the way it was.” The Mane-iac chuckled while she stroked Rainbow Dash's mane a little more. “But if you were to choose to side with me … if you were to choose to be evil … if you were to choose to let my brainwash you, well … that's another story.” The Mane-iac looked up at the showerhead, noticing the water beginning to turn cold and fridges. The hotel must have set a limit on how much hot water each individual room could use to keep costs down. “All right, well, I think we're done here. Just a little bit of this and ...” “OOOOOOH!” Rainbow Dash's glassy eyes rolled backwards into her skull, the Mane-iac's tentacle wriggling and writing inside, rubbing her insides in ways which felt so good to her. Rainbow Dash suffered through a wonderful, intense orgasm, which had the side-effect of releasing her from her trance. “Mane-iac?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What-what happened?” She rubbed her head, trying to remember the details of their conversation … and how they ended up in the shower together. “Oh.” The Mane-iac chuckled. “Funny story. See, you asked me to explain to what I did to brainwash you, and I got nervous, so I … tried to show you instead.” The Mane-iac flashed a big, compensating grin. “It … didn't work, did it?” Rainbow Dash let her displeasure with this explanation be known with a big frown. The Mane-iac rubbed her forehead. “Okay. Here's what I did. The first time we took a shower together, I conditioned you to always say 'yes' when I – or rather, Tresemme, asked you for a shower, and for you to always get aroused when at the mention of tentacles.” Per her condition, Rainbow Dash blushed as the word 'tentacles' let to an influx of internal body heat. “It seemed much less problematic when I didn't know you were a Power Pony!” The Mane-iac quickly said. “Speaking of which, you really should wear more than just a helmet. I mean, seriously. Even Matter-horn wears a visor, at the least. Or me, for example! I don't just wear a mask, I physically alter my body!” “Listen, Mane-iac ...” Rainbow Dash got up from the tub. “I'm not sure I'm comfortable knowing you brainwashed me. Can't you, like, undo the brainwashing? Or brainwash me into … not being brainwashed?” “Oh, don't even suggest that.” The Mane-iac held her head, her eyes rolling. “I'm getting dizzy just trying to think about how that would work.” Rainbow Dash looked around the room. The tub was still hot, and she could tell the curtains were disturbed from their natural position. “You know? Looking around this room, I have a sneaking suspicion you used the triggers you put in me to avoid talking about our problems … again!” The Mane-iac chuckled. “Well, that's … half-true. I did talk about it. Sort of.” Rainbow Dash shook her with disapproval. “Mane-iac, you can't keep using sex to avoid talking about our issues. I know, as a supervillain, talking about issues – even having issues is a foreign idea to you, but -” “Excuse me?” The Mane-iac interrupted. “You think just because I'm a supervillain, I don't have issues? What about BEING a supervillain? Is that an issue enough for you? Do you know what it's like to be a villain the way I am? I can't stop to smell the roses. I can't sit down and enjoy the growth of a relationship and let it blossom naturally. When I'm Tresemme, I have to rush to enjoy everything today, because I know the Mane-iac could wipe it all out tomorrow. Do you realize how hard it is to file your taxes when there's another side of that's going, 'you know, if I managed to take over the city, I wouldn't have to do this'? So DON'T tell me that I don't know about issues.” The Mane-iac snarled and hissed, baring her teeth at Rainbow Dash. With a shocked expression, Rainbow Dash backed away, holding one leg up for defense. “Gosh, Tresemme … I'm sorry. I didn't know.” The Mane-iac took in a deep breath. “It's all right. I shouldn't be mad at you. You just … struck a nerve.” Rainbow Dash scraped a hoof. “You know … you're still avoiding our major problem, though.” The Mane-iac nodded. “Yes, yes, I know. If you'll come to the bed and give me a moment to collect my thoughts … I'll be ready to talk.” The Mane-iac stepped out of the bathtub and gestured Rainbow Dash to the door. The Mane-iac moved to let Rainbow Dash pass through and followed behind her. The sad, quiet click of the bathroom door seemed a nice reflection of their mood. Meanwhile, at the Power Ponies' base … hidden inside a secret compartment, as superheroes are wont to use, a room with a large, round table was used to bear hosts to meetings between the Power Ponies to make all of their major decisions. As the table did now, serving its purposes. The decisions made here not to be taken lightly. Decisions with lasting repercussions, the consequences of which could prove to be beneficial ... or catastrophic for years to come, for which future generations would blame the Power Ponies for their state of ruin. More than a few times, they had to explain to Radiance the kind of dress she wanted to force Mare-velous into was not one of these decisions. Even Spike, dressed up as their bumbling side-kick Hum-Drum, had been invited. “I'm sure I don't need to tell you why I've called you all here today.” Matter-horn rested her hooves on the table. “But just in case anypony needs a reminder, I'll say it. We are here today to discuss what should be done about our rogue member, Zapp, last seen in the company of the Mane-iac. Specifically, we are here to discuss where Zapp is … recoverable, just confused and in need of somepony to light her way or … if we should consider her gone forever, as the Mane-iac's thrall. It has been witnessed that the Mane-iac, and I quote, 'brainwashed her a little bit.'” The Power Ponies shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Radiance made a grimace, ignoring Hum-Drum's futile efforts to flirt with her. Fili-Second scratched her head. “Given the nature of the problem,” Matter-horn went on to say, “I took the liberty of calling in help, should we prove too close to this case. I've called the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well and briefed her. She should be here any second now … yup.” Matter-horn gave a uneasy look to the empty chairs set out Mare-Do-Well and her sidekick. “Any second now. Any ...” Matter-horn's repetitive mantra proved unnecessary for further repetition. A cloud of dark-blue smoke exploded from the air, covering the chairs and causing the Power Ponies to cough and swipe the air. When it cleared, Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do were in their chairs. “Goodness, darling!” Radiance said. “Couldn't you use a better-smelling chemical for your smoke bombs?” “They're not designed to brighten the room. They are, in fact, designed to do the exact opposite of that. They are designed to make a room very, very dark." Daring Do said. "My apologies for my tardiness.” Mare-Do-Well said. “Normally, I pride myself on my punctuality, but traffic was terrible.” “Traffic?” Matter-horn raised an eyebrow. “You travel by using smoke bombs to disappear and reappear. How can you have traffic? How many superheroes are there who get to places by throwing smoke bombs and disappearing? Never mind, that's not important right now.” Matter-horn slammed a hoof on the table. “What is important is that we figure out what to do about Zapp.” “Zapp.” Daring Do raked her brain for details. “Oh, Zapp! Wasn't she the one who kept you from apprehending the Mane-iac, Mare-Do-Well?" “I'm sure she had her reasons, Daring Do.” Mare-Do-Well said. “I don't understand any of them, but I'm sure she had them.” “Well … she may have been brainwashed.” Radiance turned her head, wincing as she feared what Mare-Do-Well and Daring's response was going to be. “What?” Daring Do slammed her hooves on the table. “Why didn't you tell us that earlier? We could have captured her for you!” “Darlings, we didn't know ourselves until earlier today!” Radiance said. “Besides.” Mare-velous said. “She was only brainwashed 'a little bit.' I'm not sure what that means or what difference it makes, but Ah feel it's sumthin we should take into consideration.” Matter-horn nodded. “Agreed. Now, does anypony have any ideas?” “Oh! Oh! I know!” Fili-Second raised a hoof … and raised and raised up, somehow using her innate Pinkie-ness to defy gravity, lifting up in the air. In line with the laws of cartoon physics, she didn't start falling until she looked down and realized she was no longer supported by solid ground, whereupon she fell over onto the table with a CLANK, stiff as a board. “We could browse through the archives and see if the Originals ever faced a problem like the one we're having now, and what they did about it!” The mention of the Originals summoned a chilled air into the room, bringing up saddened thoughts of the past and inhibiting the ability of the Power Ponies to make positive thoughts for the future. Daring Do scoffed. “You guys … don't you get it? Zapp may be gone already, and you need to start preparing for the possibility she's never coming back.” “Daring!” Mare-Do-Well told Daring off. “While you know that preparation is a quality I admire, we must remain optimistic and keep our minds - and our hearts - open to the idea Zapp can still be saved.” Daring Do scoffed again. “Yeah, sure, whatever.” Daring pushed her chair out and climbed out from it. “I'm done here.” She walked three-quarters of the way towards the normal entrance before pulling out a smoke bomb. She chucked it to the ground, releasing the sphere's polluting contents, and the smoke overtook her body, obscuring it from view. When the smoke cleared, it was as if Daring Do had simply faded into nothingness! “Please forgive my sidekick.” Mare-Do-Well said. “I imagine she's still carrying some resentment towards Zapp for interfering with my attempted arrest of the Mane-iac, as well as some … other things.” Mare-Do-Well turned to the entrance where Daring Do was before she triggered the smoke bomb. “I hope she doesn't go out and do something stupid … ” “Aww.” Saddle Rager said. “Don't say 'stupid,' Mare-Do-Well. That's not a nice word to use for your sidekick.” “You're right, Saddle Rager. My apologies. I should say I hope Daring doesn't do anything … ill-advised.” By all appearances, Rainbow Dash consented to sit in front of the Mane-iac and let her brush her mane with a hairbrush given by the hotel staff. Appearances were deceiving, though, as it was less consenting and more relenting after enduring an endless series of desperate pleas from the Mane-iac to let her play with Rainbow Dash's “beautiful hair.” “Okay, okay, that's enough.” Rainbow Dash swatted at the Mane-iac's tentacle, batting it aside. Rainbow Dash pushed herself up, throwing herself over the side of the bed, and paced back and forth. The weight of her uncertainty about her future – about their future – pressed down on her atheletic shoulders like a crushing plate from a scrapyard, sinking down to crush accumulated detritus into compact, easily-disposed cubes. “What are we gonna do?” Rainbow Dash asked. She paced for a few scant moments more, coming to a dead stop in front of the window. She exchanged glances with her reflection before moving up to observe the moon. “I guess ... I guess we're just gonna have to strike out on our own.” “Strike out on our own?” The Mane-iac asked. “What do you mean by that?” “I mean strike out and form our own faction.” Rainbow Dash zipped over to the Mane-iac's side, embracing her in a tight hug. “Without any of those other ponies. Think about it. No more Power Ponies and no more Sinful Six bothering us! Just you and me against the world!” Dash swept a hoof through the air. The Mane-iac chuckled. "That's not a bad idea … well, it's not the worst idea we've come up with today. But I have another idea. One that might make things easier on both of us." The Mane-iac wriggled one of her tentacles around her body and produced a shampoo bottle from her person. Rainbow Dash failed to recognize the bottle for what it was. “What's … this?” “Do you remember what I said earlier about it being a different story if you were to choose to let me brainwash you?” The Mane-iac asked, chuckling as she handed the bottle to Rainbow Dash. “No, I suppose not, since you were under my control at the time.” Dash realized what the bottle was. “This is ...” “My brainwashing shampoo, yes.” The Mane-iac confirmed. “Like I said earlier, I want you to have a say in the matter. Rainbow Dash, I want you to make a CHOICE." “Either you can either defect to my side of your own volition.” The Mane-iac said. “You can attempt to arrest me and bring me in chains to your fellow Power Ponies as an apology present … OR – and this my personal favorite of the options – you can let me use the shampoo to brainwash you further, making you into my slave and under my control … freeing you from that pesky burden of responsibility for your decisions.” The Mane-iac crossed her legs and sat back, smirking. “The choice is yours.” Rainbow Dash held the shampoo bottle in her hooves, weighing the pros and cons of the idea. On one hoof, it would be nice and easy to submit and let the Mane-iac brainwash into a mindless slave, leaving her mind blank and free of the tenuous stress of having to make a decision for herself. On the other hoof, if she decided to go this route, was she not complicit? If she let the Mane-iac, if she allowed the Mane-iac to manipulate her mind and control her thoughts, was she not accessory to the crime? Was she not culpable in her own right for the fact she refused her responsibility as an adult and let somepony else make her decisions for her? Would she not be guilty of some grand crime against her own autonomy? What would her friends think if they found out she choose to her mind wiped clean, rather than face the consequences of her actions she made while her mind was still her own? Rainbow Dash put the bottle down on the floor. To the Mane-iac's wide-grinned delight and excitement, Rainbow Dash flipped the lid open. Rainbow Dash held her shaky hoof over the bottle, still at war with herself if she should go through it. She closed the lid. Which, in turn, made the Mane-iac pout. Rainbow Dash sighed, placing a hoof to her head. She removed the hoof and locked eyes with the Mane-iac. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and shook her head, moved by the Mane-iac's gaze, crying out for her to take the shampoo. Rainbow Dash opened the bottle again … before closing it again. Wracked with indecision, Rainbow Dash repeated this motion for several hours. Until ... Author's Note When writing Mare-Do-Well's dialogue, I sort of imagined her as sounding like the Adam West Batman … even though Adam West is a male while Mare-Do-Well is a female. I wanted to portray as the Mane-iac is trying to make the relationship work in her own, special little way when she 'tests' Rainbow Dash and offers up the choice at the end of the chapter, but I think in the end result, she just comes across as demanding. What do you think? Also, is there enough comic-book narration in this chapter? I know I can't write it ALL DRAMATIC ALL THE TIME, but still. I've also begun to feel like I've taken this story ... off-track? It doesn't quite seem like the story DarknessRising had in mind when he came up with it. I imagine he was thinking more along the lines of brainwashed, mind control hijinks, but this has taken a turn for the dramatic. Which, granted, can still be done humorously, but I didn't think to try writing it that way. Oh well.
Issue 6: In The Medusa's Grasp Issue 6 Solicit: BREAKAWAY! The Power Ponies are in disarray, as none of them can agree of what to do about Rainbow Dash's forbidden love. But it may be Rainbow Dash's own decision that proves the most devastating! THE Remainder of the Sinful Six withdrew to their sinful headquarters, sullen and moody at the recent and unexpected turn of events, which for all their experience with villainy and petty crimes, they never could have predicted. “What do we do now?” Phetlocke shared his musings with his teammates. “We can't be the Sinful Six when there's only … five of us.” “Yeah!” High Heel, taking on a bitter and baleful visage, grasped a shampoo bottle – the leftovers of the Mane-iac's brainwashing scheme, which would the five of the six now feared might never come to fruition, in spite of all their hard labor to see the Mane-iac's will done. “What are we supposed to do with all of these shampoo bottles?” High Heel displayed all the callousness expected of a costumed crook when she soon tossed the bottle aside. “How do we do a hair-themed plan without our hair-themed villain? I mean, at least with the fact Mane-iac's mane was made of tentacles, you could stretch the definition and include both hair and tentacle-based schemes! Look at me! I'm just shoe-themed. Do you how many crimes you can pull off when you base them around shoes? I'm lucky if I can get sidewalk gum to stick to somepony's foot … ” “Not to mention she was kind of crazy, so adherence to her “theme” didn't always matter to her.” Phetlocke said. “Oh, curse that accursed Power Pony! She must be messing with Mane-iac's head. She must be! Probably lying to her and tricking her into becoming a do-gooder.” The collective villains closed their eyes and winced, imagining a corrupted version of their dear Mane-iac running around with the Power Ponies. Dying her hair pink and switching to a lighter, more friendly white costume to reflect her change to the side of good … To show his disgust for the idea, Phetlocke spit on the ground. “Oh, just the thought of it alone makes me sick!” Long Face wiped away a tear, the leak from his tear duct colored black by his make-up. “I miss her already.” “Are you fretting, my dear companions?” The Sinful Five turned their eyes to the door, which opened up, pushed aside by the Mane-iac's tentacles. The Mane-iac walked into the room on her tentacles, each strand of hair hitting the ground like the sinewy, hairy leg of a venomous tarantula. “Well, fret no more!” The Mane-iac announced to the room. “I'm back … and ... I've brought us a friend.” The Mane-iac skittered to the side. “Presenting our newest member … ZAPP!” The former Power Pony, Zapp, followed after the Mane-iac. In a complete inversion to what the rest of the villains were imagining just moments prior, it was Zapp, not the Mane-iac, who had changed costumes into darker hues ... hues more foreboding ... hues more menacing!. The dark blue was replaced by purple, the yellow thunderbolt pattens recolored red, and the once pure-white bottoms of the costume were a soulless black. “Zapp?” Long Face asked. “But she's a Power Pony! How do we know we can trust her?” “Oh, you can trust her.” The Mane-iac reached a tentacle under Zapp's chin and stroked it. “Isn't that right, Zapp?” Zapp wore a blank expression on her face, though it was difficult to say for certain whether it was because she had her doubts about being here … or if, perhaps, the effects of Mane-iac's brainwashing shampoo had washed away her ability to express emotion. “Now, everypony ...” The Mane-iac chuckled and guffawed, her pupils dilating to show her sheer madness. “I do believe it's time for a night out on the town!” In an ordinary street of the city, average citizens were going about their average day, frequenting an antique mom-and-pop dollar store for its wares. WHEN SUDDENLY … The Sinful Six struck, descending from the rooftops like lightning bolts moments before those selfsame bolts struck the treetops and beget a fire in the forest! The citizens could do little beside stare in transfixed horror as the vile villains hopped off the edge of a building and hit the ground. “Aah! Somepony call the Power Ponies!” A stallion screamed. “It's the Sinful Six!” The Mane-iac, hearing his screams, let out a dark chuckle. “My good sir, haven't you heard the news? We're the Sinful SEVEN now.” “Seven?” “Yes.” The Mane-iac reached over, looping a tentacle around Zapp and bringing the turncoat to her chest, holding her like a doll for the ponies to see. “We have a new member.” Zapp shirked, biting her lip and looking very much like she didn't want to be here. “So … now that you have a new number, you're calling yourselves the Sinful Seven?” The stallion asked. “Yes? Why? Is there a problem with that?” “Well, what happens if you get another member? You can't keep calling yourselves 'Sinful' because then you would lose your alliteration!” The stallion shook his head. “Your precious, precious alliteration...” “Ah, we'll just change the name to the Evil Eight.” The Mane-iac said. “Okay … but what if you get another member after that?” “The Nefarious Nine.” “Ten?” “The ...” Trying to come up with a synonym for evil, or at least a sinister word, the Mane-iac became stumped on this one. “Tempestuous Ten?” “Eh.” Long Face shrugged. “That's a bit of a stretch.” “Enough!” The Mane-iac took her tentacles and swiped along the street, batting the curious stallion away. Mane-iac didn't notice Zapp wince as the innocent pony was sent bouncing along the asphalt like a child's lost ball. “We didn't come here to discuss names. Into the store! Quickly!” The Sinful Seven rushed inside the store, pushing away the glass doors without any grace or finesse. They didn't care if they broke the windows and made a mess of the place. What the Seven failed to realize, fruitless though the stallion's questions may have been, he had – wittingly or not – provided a distraction for another mare, allowing her to sneak her way to pay phone. The same mare, in fact, who gave them the tip about witnessing Zapp. “Hello, Power Ponies? Listen, the Mane-iac and her goons are attacking a nearby store.” Inside the store, the Mane-Iac did not suffer from her group any tardiness in reaching their goal. The soaps and bath aisle of the store, where all-organic shampoos were sold. “Please!” A colt behind the register begged, holding onto his wife. “Don't hurt us! Just take what you want and go!” “Hurry!” The Mane-iac commanded her group to begin ransacking the shelves, ignoring the cowering old couple. The Mane-iac lashed out with her tendrils, grabbing shampoo bottles, opening them, and pouring them on the floor. Long Face and Shadowmane clawed at the shelves, sending bottles flying everywhere, while High Heel and Phetlock used a show and an Egyptian scepter to rake along the shelves as if they were farming with sickles, knocking several bottles down at once. Zapp, on the other hoof, hesitantly picked up a bottle, examined, and gingerly set it down on the floor, letting it roll away. The other villains didn't notice, too preoccupied with carrying out their own rampant vandalism. Holding a shampoo bottle in her tentacle, the Mane-iac sighed. “To some extent, it pains me to see so much all-organic shampoo go to waste ...” The Mane-iac removed the lid. “But it must be done. For our plan to work, we must rid the city of its entire supply of shampoo. Then, without anything to wash their manes, the ponies of Maretopolis will become desperate for a good, quality hair-care product! And in their desperation, they'll take anything they can get their hooves on, including our, heh heh, specialty shampoo. And by the time anypony realizes it's brainwashing shampoo, it will be TOO LATE!” “That's not gonna happen!” The Sinful Seven stopped what they were doing, grimacing and growling at the Power Ponies now standing in the doorway. “We're onto your little harebrained brainwashing scheme!” Matter-horn shouted. “Plus, you know, there's always imports.” “Yes.” Radiance said. “What are you going to do about shampoo that's delivered from out-of-town?” “Well, I, uh ...” The Mane-iac scratched her head. “And if worst came to worst, ponies could always wash their manes using soap.” Saddle Rager added. The Mane-iac's head quivered with rage. “Forget it! I'm not here to let has-been heroes like you point out the flaws in my grandiose plans! As much as I might appreciate your constructive criticism in hindsight … SINFUL SEVEN, ATTACK!” “Seven?” An incredulous Matter-horn asked as the villains charged at them. “I don't like those odds. How about we even them out a little?” Matter-horn levitated an entire shelf into the air, hurling it at High Heel and Phetlocke. Matter-horn carried the shelf all the way to the back end of the store, pinning the two villains and burying them under a pile of canned goods. “Five on five.” Matter-horn said. “That's better.” The Power Ponies split apart to deal with their enemies one-on-one. While a fearful Saddle Rager went in for hoof-to-hoof combat with Shadowmane, Radiance put up a shield to deal with Long Face's vile vials, and Mare-velos menaced Mane-iac with a lasso, Matter-horn galloped further into the store to find who was the Sinful Six's mysterious seventh member. Prior to now, Matter-horn had never heard anything about there being a seventh to the Mane-iac's criminal gang. Matter-horn found this seventh member, hiding in the back of the store and keeping clear of the action. The shock of what she saw came down and hit like the blow of a swung hammer to the head. “Zapp?” Zapp met Matter-horn's gaze, chuckling nervously. “Oh, hey, Matter-horn. Uh, what's up?” “What are you doing here?” “Oh, that. Yeah. I'm … I'm with them now.” Zapp gestured towards the Mane-iac. “I was hoping that if I could just hang back here, you wouldn't see me and we wouldn't have to fight. So much for that plan, huh?” “Zapp … why?” Matter-horn's voice came out broken and tearful. Zapp could sense she was struggling to keep her composure. “You know why.” Zapp answered, scuffing a hoof as she evaded the question. “No.” Matter-horn shook her head. “No, I really don't. Tell me. Tell me why, Zapp!” Zapp stubbornly remained silent. “Did she use the brainwashing shampoo on you? Are you brainwashed?” Matter-horn paused. “Or … would you even know if you were?” Zapp still refused to answer, though she bit her lip as though Matter-horn had revealed she knew something Zapp didn't want her to know. “Zapp … please.” Matter-horn stepped towards her. “Come back to us.” Zapp shook her head. “Look, I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be now. We're … we're on opposite sides now. We're … enemies.” “It doesn't have to be this way.” Matter-horn countered. “You could still come back. It's not too late.” Matter-horn turned her attention to the floor. Empty, the same way her heart felt in this moment. “I don't want to have to fight you.” “Yeah.” Zapp said. “I don't, either.” Which is why you won't. Zapp thought, reaching for her amulet and pointing it at Matter-horn. She would summon a single lightning bolt and strike Matter-horn, electrocuting her and taking her out, thus removing the need for any actual fight between them. Zapp summoned the forces of nature at her command and fired. One lightning bolt, simple and effective. “WHOA!” Zapp was taken by surprise when the lightning bolt redirected and found a new target – her. The weaponized spear of natural electricity went bouncing around the store, instead striking Zapp and electrocuting her. The impact blew her away, sending Zapp flying into the wall with scorch marks surrounding the floor she was standing a second ago. Zapp slid down the wall, opening her closed eyes to see Matter-horn had summoned a protective forcefield, which must have bounced off the lighting bolt and sent it back to Zapp. The force-field having served its purpose, Matter-horn dismissed it before stomping over to Zapp's fallen frame, the tip of Matter-horn's horn burning with a red light and letting off smoke. “Just because I don't want to … just because it goes against the very fiber and core of my being, to have fight with a pony I once called my friend … doesn't mean I won't.” Zapp regained her strength and flew away from the wall, mere seconds before Matter-horn would have hit Zapp with a green laser. Zapp didn't know what “green” signified when it came to Matter-horn's powers, and she had no intention of sticking around to find out. Zapp twirled her amulet, whipping out a miniature tornado and hurling it at Matter-horn as a distraction. “Aggh!” Matter-horn tried to use her magic to dispel the tornado, flinging a bolt of pure energy into the center of the whirlwind as it sucked up grocery goods and threw them everywhere. “Radiance, I need you to help me seal this thing off!” “On my way!” Radiance galloped to Matter-horn's side, manifesting a huge projection of a box to trap the tornado inside. Much to Matter-horn's and Radiance's own surprise, this tactic worked … for awhile, anyway, before the tornado's winds overpowered the box and broke free. Zapp raced over to the Mane-iac, tugging on the Mane-iac's shoulder the way a scared child clutches at their mother for comfort. “We have to get out of here, now!” “Already?” The Mane-iac asked with a pout. “I thought we were doing pretty well.” “Matter-horn saw me. She saw me, Mane-iac.” “Oh.” The Mane-iac's expression showed something rare for the Mane-iac to show – sympathy and understanding. “Yes, I understand. Sinful Seven! We're leaving here at once!” High Heel and Phetlocke were still struggling to dig their way out from the pile of cans Matter-horn left them buried under. The Mane-iac stretched out her tentacles and brushed the pile aside before picking High Heel and Phetlocke up. With their companions safe in tentacle, the Mane-iac's gang fled out the front door. The Mane-iac herself glided across the floor as though she was some earth-based squid, the other ponies either galloping out, or in the case of Zapp, flying out. Eventually, without the villains to distract them, Radiance and Matter-horn were able to put an end to the tornado threatening to make a further mess of the store by combining their magic to grab hold of it and steer it until the winds which comprised its form slowed down to the point it disappeared. The danger passed, the old couple dared to peek over the register. “Oh! Thank you for saving us, and our store, Power Ponies! Well … what's left of it, anyway. Tell you what; after we get it repaired, we'll give you all twenty-percent discounts!” The Power Ponies didn't hear the couple's generous offer, instead regrouping and heading out the door to chase after their foes. “ZAPP!” Zapp and the other villains halted and turned to the Power Ponies. “Answer me one question.” Matter-horn said. “Did the Mane-iac brainwash you? Or are you doing this of your own free will?” “I didn't make her do anything she didn't want to.” The Mane-iac taunted them. “Come, Zapp. These Power Ponies are out of style. Old-fashioned. They're beneath us.” Although Zapp's face wore an expression of depression, suggesting she perhaps did not truly want to, retreated with the rest of the Sinful Seven. “So … what do you think?” Fili-Second asked, coming up to Matter-horn. “Is she brainwashed? Did Mane-iac brainwash her?” Matter-horn shook her head. “I don't know. I can't tell. I – I need more information about how the shampoo works.” Matter-horn rubbed her forehead. “Come on, Power Ponies. There's nothing left for us here.” "Oh, now that we've brought it up, I do so wish the Originals were here." Radiance said. "They would know what to do. I wonder if anything like this beguiled them during their tenure?" Matter-horn raised an eyebrow. "Yeah ... yeah, sure." Matter-horn walked towards their home. In another corner of the city, there existed a gun store. The shopkeeper whistled to himself as he polished the barrel of his personal gun, which he carried in the event somepony got any not-so-bright ideas. He was pleasantly surprised to hear the bell of his door announce a visiting customer … and even more surprised when he recognized who it was. "Hey, aren't you that pony?" The shopkeeper asked. "What pony?" "That pony that hangs out with Mare-Do-Well? Yeah, yeah, I think you are! Derring Do, I think it was?" "Daring Do." Daring corrected him. "Yeah, that's me. What about it?" "Nothing." The shopkeeper wisely said, taking note of Daring's angry mug. "What can I do for you, my good madam?" The shopkeeper had an idea and got worried. "I assure you, I follow the law to the letter when it comes to the purchase and sale of guns. Background checks, ID's – the works!" "Yeah, yeah, I'm not here about that." Daring Do told him. "Oh. Then … what are you here for?" "What everypony else comes into a gun store for; cotton candy. I'm here to buy a gun, duh." Daring said. "A gun?" The shopkeeper asked. "Isn't there like, some sort of unwritten rule about guns and superheroes? Like, some kind of code decided by, I don't know, a council of superheroes or something?" "Eh, it's more like a general agreement between superheroes to avoid it, if possible." Daring Do said. "There's some major bad stuff going down with these other superheroes I know, and they keep wondering if … somepony is going to come back." Daring Do shook her head. "I've experienced loss myself. I … know those ponies are never coming back." "Oh my. I'm sorry to hear that." "That's why I want one of these." Daring Do gestured to the plethora of firearms on the wall. "Just to cover the worst-case scenario. These ponies … their loss, their grief will blind them. My partner doesn't approve of guns, but if the worst comes to pass, somepony will have to do what needs to be done, and if they can't bring themselves to do it … I will." "I see." The shopkeeper said. "Well, the law forbids me from selling if know you intend to use it to harm somepony." "I don't want to hurt anypony." Daring Do said. "I want to protect them. From themselves." "Hmm. I … suppose I could sell to you in that case ... and I do know being a superhero can be tough and dangerous." The shopkeeper stroked his chin. "All right. I'll sell you one, but you have to promise me two things; first, you don't use it unless you're absolutely certain it's necessary. Second, if anypony asks, you coerced me into it. What do you say? Have we got a deal?" Daring Do shook his hoof. "Yes, we do. Now, what would you recommend?" "Well, from what it sounds like, a simple, easy-grip handgun ought to do the trick." The shopkeeper pulled out an example of one such handgun. "Which, hopefully, won't need doing." "Yeah. Hopefully." They made the exchange where Daring Do paid him for the firearm. Daring Do was on her way out the door when she heard the shopkeeper sigh, prompting her to turn around. "What?" "Well, it's just ... I'm reconsidering if I want to be an accomplice in a murder that I knowingly allowed to happen." "It's not murder, it's euthanasia." Daring Do said. "If you say so ... still not sure that makes it right." Daring rolled her eyes. "Oh, what does a gun shop owner know about right and wrong?" Daring Do left the building. The shopkeeper crossed his legs. "More than you might think." He tapped his chin, thinking of calling the police or the Power Ponies and telling them of what he'd done and what Daring planned on doing. But after thinking about it, he didn't go through with it. After all, the customer was always right. Right? The Power Ponies, at a loss on how to deal with Zapp's sudden betrayal, once again retreated to their meeting table, once again with the Mare-Do-Well as their company. “Huh.” Mare-Do-Well looked around. “I wonder where Daring's gotten off … I hope she isn't getting herself into any sort of trouble.” Matter-horn paced around the room, walking in circles. The motions of her legs were a nice reflection of the way her thoughts were going – in circles, looping around and around without reaching any useful conclusion beyond what she already knew. Was Zapp really acting of her own volition, was she in the Medusa's grasp? Matter-horn's legs tired out, giving Matter-horn cause to stop and rest on the back of chair. “What are we going to do about Zapp? I mean, she's our friend, but we can't just overlook the fact she's sided with the Mane-iac ...” “I wish the Originals were here.” Radiance said. “They would know what to do.” Saddle Rager nodded. “They would.” Saddle Rager tilted her head up thoughtfully. "I still wonder if something like this happened to them. Maybe that was another reason they decided to retire?" “You know, we were gonna find that out before we had to go deal with that meanie Mane-iac attacking those poor old folks at their store.” Fili-Second said. “We could still do that.” “Heck, we should just call them in at this point.” Mare-velous said. “We've been talking about them so much, might as well. Isn't that right, Matter-horn?” Matter-horn thought about it. She walked over to the walls and pushed a hoof in. The wall decompressed, giving away its true nature as a hidden button, and slid up to reveal a hidden compartment. A white padded compartment housed a cushion where a ring sat – the ring to call the Originals in. Matter-horn reached a hoof into the tiny space, inches away from pressing the black stone which would bring the original Power Ponies back to Maretropolis, from wherever they were hiding. “Matter-horn?” Radiance asked. “Why do you hesitate, darling?” Matter-horn's hoof quaked under the weight of her decision. They hadn't talked about the Originals in some time. For all the threats they faced and all the villains they struggled and fought to thwart, they had never even considered pushing the button. “No.” Matter-horn slid the panel back down, covering the ring in darkness, where she hoped it would remain for some years to come, or at least until they stepped down and choose their own successors. The other Power Ponies were shocked. “No!?” “I said no.” Matter-horn turned to them. “What happened, girls? Why, of all the times we could have, we never tried to summon the Originals until now? Why throw in the towel now? What's different? What's changed?” The Power Ponies looked down at the table. “What's changed … is that we're fighting our friend now.” Radiance said. The Mare-Do-Well, meaning to live up to her name and do well, gave Radiance a comforting pat on the back. “Exactly.” Matter-horn said. “She's our friend. Our responsibility. We've faced tough challenges before. Are we honestly going to be so pathetic that we send the Originals in to fight OUR friend, just because we can't bring ourselves to? I don't know about you, but that sounds kind of cowardly to me.” The Power Ponies looked to each other, each of them clearly realizing the value of Matter-horn's words. Radiance was the first to turn back to Matter-horn. “But darling, surely the Originals could -” Matter-horn groaned. “Ugh! I've HAD IT with hearing about the Originals already. We haven't talked about them for how long, and now suddenly they're the next big craze because one of us turned traitor? Is that it?” Matter-horn climbed onto the round table to speak. “The Originals were fine superheroes for their time, but it's not their time anymore! Now is OUR time, and what the Originals could or could not do doesn't matter now. We're NOT the Originals. We're us, and we need to handle the situation the way we know how, not the way the Originals would.” Matter-horn looked around the room. “The Originals aren't here anymore. But you know who is? We are. And I don't about you, but I've just about had it with Zapp and her antics! Whether she's brainwashed or acting of her own free will, this kind of behavior is not acceptable from a Power Pony. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to come up with plan, and that plan is that the next time we cross paths with the Sinful Six, we're going to arrest her and put her in a cage. We're going to take away her amulet, and we're going to figure out if she's been brainwashed. If she is, we'll beat it out of her. If she isn't … she gets to stay in the cage. ” Matter-horn paused, scanning the room to see if anypony had any objections they would like to voice. They didn't appear to, so she continued. “If this is going to work, we need to work together. As a team. As friends. We have to figure out how to combine our powers in ways we've never thought of before, and we have to be serious about putting the Sinful Six down for good. We'll remind Zapp why the Originals chose us to be protectors of the city. Can we do that? Are you with me, Power Ponies?” The Power Ponies, in awe of Matter-horn's speech, were silent for quite some time before bursting into unanimous applause. “We're with you!” “Good.” Matter-horn said. “Then let's … get ... dangerous.” Under the Mane-iac's leadership, the Sinful Seven gathered around a rooftop to listen to the Mane-iac discuss the next phase of her plan. For some reason, the Mane-iac felt the need to bring along a wooden basket, the kind used for washing clothes. “Uh, not to question your hairy brilliance, Mane-iac, but, uh … what's the basket for?” “I'm glad you asked, Phetlocke.” The Mane-iac said, gesturing the basket around. “You see, as much as we loathe their interference with our plans, the Power Ponies made me realize something earlier today. I've been going about this plan all wrong. All this time, I've been trying to get my shampoo into circulation, when all along I should have been trying to get it into evaporation. And how lucky I am that I just happen to stumble upon a pony who control the weather recently!” The Mane-iac gave Zapp a flirty gesture, making Zapp to blush. “Er, so ...” Phetlocke struggled to decipher the Mane-iac' meaning. “What this means is?” “It means, once we get to a high point in the city – and I mean high, for maximum coverage - we'll have Zapp -” “Better hurry it up.” Long Face pointed to the sidewalks. “The Power Ponies are nearby.” Each villain leaned over the side of the roof, watching as the Power Ponies, plus Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do, walked down the sidewalk as a group, prowling around for signs of their archenemies. “Ah, they're just on patrol.” Phetlocke waved his hoof. “As long as we keep quiet, they'll never know we're here – whoo!” Phetlocke barely had time to duck as one of Mare-Do-Well's throwing discus nearly hit in the head. The villains looked over to see the Power Ponies looking up at them, each with grim and determined expressions on their faces. “Ha!” Phetlocke mocked. “You missed!” Radiance turned to Matter-horn, awaiting Matter-horn's signal. Matter-horn nodded. Radiance's horn shimmered and sparkled, and a glowing translucent horse collar appeared around Phetlocke's neck. Phetlocke grabbed at the collar, trying to pull it off. Radiance levitated the collar – and by extension, Phetlocke – into the air. “Uh oh.” Radiance willed the collar to go flying after the discus, causing Phetlocke to hit his head against it rather than the other way around. The impact disoriented him, stars twinkling around Phetlocke's head, and Radiance felt confident she had disabled him and dismissed the collar, letting Phetlocke plummet to the ground. The remainder of the Sinful Seven watched these events unfold, taken aback by how ruthlessly efficient the takedown was. They cast their gazes over the side of the building. The Power Ponies could see the villains wanted an explanation, so they obliged and gave them one. “The girls and I … well, we had a long talk and determined we haven't done everything in our power to catch you and your friends, Mane-iac.” Matter-horn said. “Oh, sure, we've done lots of things, but nowhere near everything. We eventually realized that, to some extent, we all treat this like a game. And why wouldn't we? Ponies in costumes with powers fighting each other? Why wouldn't you make a game out of that? But now … now we're here to say that playtime … is over.” Zapp thought Matter-horn was simply talking big talk, but then she noticed Saddle Rager's muscles bulging and swelling, almost swimming around her body, as if she was angry and ready to transform, but holding back for some reason. It was then Zapp realized they were serious. “Power Ponies, take them out! They are the villains, and we? We ... are the fast and the furious, here to deliver that fury on the road to salvation for all of Maretropolis!” While Mare-Do-Well fired a grappling hook to the top of the roof, and Radiance conjured a series of stairs, Matter-horn teleported onto the roof, appearing behind Shadowmane and bucking her, nearly throwing her off the edge of the building. Shadowmane clung to the edge to hold on. “Shadowmane!” Never one to resist her urge to rescue ponies, even if the ponies she was rescusing were horrible criminals instead of innocent citizens, Zapp flew forward to retrieve her. Zapp grabbed Shadowmane's hoof and helped the thief onto the roof. Shadowmane said nothing, but her eyes betrayed her thanks to Zapp … seconds before Mare-velous' lasso reached the roof, tied around Shadowmane, and pulled her off. Zapp reached out to grab her, too late to do anything other than watch as Mare-velous threw Shadowmane to the ground. Zapp looked around to see the rest of the rest of her teammates were doing. Smudge was spreading himself, shifting his amorphous form to become a terrifying large beast made of slime, but Radiance imprisoned him with a box, picked him up, and threw the box into the horizon. Fili-Second ran up the side of the building, coming up behind High Heel and tackling her to the ground. While the two of them grappled, Long Face raised up a vial and aimed it at Fili-Second. Long Face threw the vial like a ninja star, but Matter-horn caught it with her magic and threw it back at him, getting the green liquid inside all over Long Face's … long face. While Long Face tried to wipe his own concoction off, a half-transformed Saddle Rager leaped onto the building in a single bound, joining Fili-Second. Saddle Rager grabbed High Heel, yanked her out from under Fili-Second, and tossed High Heel into Long Face, knocking them both off the roof. The sound of their impact was just like the sound of bowling pins falling. Saddle Rager pumped her hoof. “Strike!” Her voice was also in a transitional phase between her normal and muscle-bound form. Zapp, seeing how her former teammates had so brutally and efficently dispatched her new teammates, promptly rushed to the Mane-iac's side. “We have to get out of here. Now.” “I couldn't agree with you more.” Even the Mane-iac herself seemed shaken by the new direction the Power Ponies had taken. She wrapped Zapp in her extra appendages and jumped off the roof of the building to the next. Saddle Rager growled, her muscles beginning to firm up and cease their “swimming” state until Matter-horn held a hoof out to stop her. “Not yet.” Matter-horn told her. “Hold it off a little while longer. We don't want to play this card too early.” Saddle Rager, though disappointed, agreed. She took in deep breathes in and out, calming herself down enough her muscles quit bulging and she shrunk back to her normal size, though still ready to transform at the drop of a dime. “Power Ponies, after them!” Matter-horn commanded. Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do chased after the Mane-iac and Zapp, using their grappling hooks to swing from one building to the next. As the Mane-iac's only method of locomotion was also a form of building-hopping, Mare-Do-Well was quickly closing the gap between them. “Grr ...” The Mane-iac shot out her tentacles and grabbed the cables of the grappling hooks, surprising Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do. Mane-iac shook their cables and jostled them around before tossing them aside. Zapp couldn't help but notice bulges in Mare-Do-Well's costumes as she and Daring Do were dragged by their grappling hooks to the ground, almost as though they were multiple ponies in her costume. “Huh.” “Hahahahaha!” The Mane-iac laughed. “Without Mare-Do-Well's headstart, the Power Ponies will never catch up to us now!” Zapp peeked over the Mane-iac's mane. “You sure about that?” The Mane-iac looked over her shoulder and grimaced – Radiance was using her powers to create a bridge for the Power Ponies to walk on during the chase, adding in one section at a time. “Fili-Second, you're faster than the rest of us.” Matter-horn said. “Radiance, if you can make a fork in the bridge to let Fili-Second get ahead of us and tackle the Mane-iac. Fili-Second, don't worry about subduing her – just keep her busy until we get there.” “Right!” Radiance and Fili-Second saluted. “Say ...” Fili-Second added. “Is anypony else wondering why the Mane-iac is carrying a basket?” Fili-Second and Radiance saluted. Radiance's horn shimmered, a fork in appearing in the bridge as a curved section split off, Radiance controlling its direction so it would land Fili-Second right on top of the Mane-iac when she reached the end. Fili-Second took off, her hooves almost burning as she ran and ran. “Can't you do something?” The Mane-iac asked Zapp as Fili-Second gained on them. “Let me try ...” Zapp pointed her amulet up at the sky. Dark clouds appeared and swirled around, the wind whipping and howling as it formed a tornado on the bridge and sucked Fili-Second up. “Whooa-whooa-whooa-whooooa!” Fili-Second exclaimed before bursting out of the tornado and picking up her pursuit right where she left off. “Well, that was fun!” “Ah! I forgot she was fast enough to outrun a tornado!” Zapp lamented. The Mane-iac had a puzzled expression. “What about … two tornadoes?” “Two tornadoes?” Zapp asked. “What are you, crazy? That ... might be crazy enough to work!” Zapp got to work, twirling her amulet around and creating a second tornado on the bridge. Fili-Second saw the second tornado forming and braked to avoid, bringing herself to a screeching halt. She turned around and fled the other direction, only to be waylaid by the tiny fact the first tornado was still going strong. So Fili-Second went back and forth, constantly attempting to escape one tornado's pull only to be dragged in by the other. “Ha!” The Mane-iac and Zapp laughed and bumped hooves. Their mirth was not long for this world, as a lasso of rope and a chain made from pink energy came at them from both sides, attempting to snag them. “Ah!” The Mane-iac and Zapp looked down to see Radiance had created more forks in the pathway, with these ones being used to hold Radiance and Mare-velous as they tag-teamed from either, throwing their bindings in an effort to catch the Mane-iac. Mare-velous and Radiance attempted another try, throwing their lasso and chain combo a second time. The Mane-iac jumped high in the air to avoid them, causing the would-be bindings to fall back to earth. Mare-velous and Radiance partook in a shared scowl. “What do we do? We can't keep this up forever ...” Zapp realized. She looked at Mare-velous and Radiance, galloping to catch up with her. “Hang on … I have an idea.” “What's that?” “They're chasing us on a bridge made from Radiance's power, right?” Zapp asked. “So if we can disrupt Radiance's concentration ...” “The bridge should disappear!” The Mane-iac laughed. “Oh, I love having an ex-Power Pony around to tell me all their weaknesses!” “Heh heh.” Zapp chuckled. “Yeah. It's – it's pretty great, isn't it?” “And after you do that, I'll make a detour from all this roof-hopping and we'll find a place to hide.” The Mane-iac said. Zapp raised her amulet, calling to turn its weather powers against her friends once more. She summoned a single dark thundercloud. Sweeping her amulet through the air, Zapp zapped Radiance, right on the horn. As was predicted, Radiance lost her concentration and the bridge disappeared, sending Radiance and the flightless Mare-velous plummeting to their potential dooms. “Oh no, you don't!” Matter-horn snarled, lifting Saddle Rager, who'd been with her the whole time, Mare-velous, and Radiance up with her magic and setting them down safely on the nearest building. Once she finished ensuring their safety, Matter-horn flew under her own power after the Mane-iac. The Mane-iac, feeling confident the Power Ponies were dealt with, turned and jumped off the side of the building. Spotting another, shorter building which looked to be deserted not too far away, the Mane-iac shot out her tentacles, grabbing the window's ledge and pulling herself and Zapp inside through the window. Their moment meant when they landed inside, they went tumbling across the floor. “Whew!” The Mane-iac wiped her brow once she had come to stop. “Looks like we lost them.” “Yeah.” Zapp said, having difficulty believing as much after the dogged tenacity the Power Ponies had displayed. “What kind of building is this?” “Hmm.” The Mane-iac said. “Judging from the wide, open space and the easily-visible support pillars, I'd say it's either a rental or a yoga gym. Or both.” Their moment of quiet relaxation was cruelly, mercilessly cut short by the appearance of some sparkling, blinding white light, soon followed by the presence of a snorting Matter-horn. “I TOLD you ...” Matter-horn scraped her hoof, snorting. “This isn't a game anymore! Play time is OVER!” Matter-horn's horn lit up, and the support pillars of the building lit up with it, becoming encased in a magenta aura of magic and power. The Mane-iac and Zapp grimaced, not sure what Matter-horn was going to do. They got their answer when the entire building began to shake, and plaster fell out from the ceiling. She was going to bring down the entire building – with them inside! The support pillars shook, cracks forming from top to bottom. Matter-horn gave Zapp a harsh, bitter glare with an unspoken note of finality to it, as if she considered this goodbye, before teleporting out and disappearing. “Come on!” Zapp grabbed the Mane-iac's hoof and guided her back to the window they came in from. A pile of plaster fell from the ceiling in their path, cutting them off from the window pane. “O-kay. Not that way.” Zapp concluded. She steered the Mane-iac down the stairs of the shaking building, knowing they only had minutes at best before the entire structure came crashing down on top of them. They were able to reach the next floor down, though they knew the building wasn't going to hold out much longer. “We should be able to jump out the window from here.” Zapp said, opening a window – not to easy to do when the entire surrounding area was about to give way. Zapp got ready to jump, but soon abandoned any notion of the idea when she saw the surprise which awaited her on the ground. Matter-horn had figured out she could shoot lava and learned to control it, as she was outside the building, spraying lava from her horn like a hose and creating a moat of molten rock. Zapp could tell Matter-horn was leaving nothing to chance, knowing Zapp and the Mane-iac might find a way out from the building before it collapsed. Matter-horn, finishing her moat, looked up at the window at Zapp with a devious grin on her face. What happened next was a terrible choice – either they could stay in the building and get crushed, or they could try to escape only to be burned alive by boiling lava. “Now what?” The Mane-iac exclaimed. “We can't jump, or we'll be fried, but we can't stay in here!” Zapp looked at Matter-horn, the lava, the Mane-iac, and the building in turn. Watching more pieces of plaster and internal housing fall from the ceiling, Zapp knew what she had to do. “Mane-iac, do you trust me?” “What?” The Mane-iac blushed and twiddled her hooves, suspecting this was some kind of test. “O-of course trust you!” Zapp held out her hooves. “Wrap your hair around my hooves.” The Mane-iac gave Zapp a quizzical look. “Do it!” The Mane-iac quickly coiled her tentacles around Zapp's front and back hooves, wrapping them up tight in the Mane-iac's hairs. Outside, Matter-horn smirked to herself, quite confident she had given Rainbow Dash an impossible choice – either be crushed with the Mane-iac, or risk fatal burning. Perhaps, in her anger, Matter-horn had failed to consider a deathtrap a little more … survivable, one which might be more likely to end in the Mane-iac's and Zapp's shared arrests rather than collective deaths, but there was little she could do to change it now. Oh well. You live and you learn. She thought. So when Zapp came flying out the window, wings beating furiously to generate the lift necessary to carry both herself and the Mane-iac, who was hanging upside-down off Zapp's legs with her tentacles, Matter-horn was understandably floored. Matter-horn watched, slack-jawed, as Zapp carried the Mane-iac away from danger. Zapp dropped the Mane-iac on the curb, away from the street where mystified ponies braked their cars and pulled over to gawk. The Mane-iac pulled Zapp into a hug. “Thank you … Rainbow Dash.” She whispered. “I don't know what I would have done without you.” “Heh. It's nothing.” Zapp said. The Mane-iac turned around. Spotting a particularly tall apartment complex, the Mane-iac smirked. “Oh, do you see that building over there, Zapp? It's perfect for our needs!” “Uh, all right.” Zapp grabbed the Mane-iac and lifted her up, flying to the apartment complex. Matter-horn watched them go, making a note of their heading. She cleaned up her mess, using the powerful magic she gained from her Princess status to repair the damage she inflicted on the trembling building and blasted the lava moat with a beam of ultra-cold ice, creating a protective layer of frost over the lava to prevent it from spreading or burning anypony who came too close. Her clean-up done, Matter-horn teleported to retrieve the rest of the Power Ponies. Zapp reached the building and flew up the side of it, the Mane-iac grinning and laughing as her ultimate plan came closer and closer to fruition. A flash of light appeared at the bottom of the building, revealing the reassembled Power Ponies, sans the Mare-Do-Well team, as Matter-horn didn't know where they were after the Mane-iac dispatched them. “Uh, Matter-horn?” Mare-velous asked. “Was it really a good idea to put us all the way at the bottom of the buildin'?” “Well, I only knew the Mane-iac and Zapp were headed for this building. I didn't know which part, so I had to be cautious. I figure we'd teleport in on the bottom, figure out where they're headed, then teleport there.” Fili-Second helpfully pointed. “Looks like they're headed for the top!” “Then that's where we're going.” Matter-horn's horn shined. She grunted and strained with a visible tax on her body. “Uh, Matter-horn?” Mare-velous asked. “You all right?” “I'm fine.” Matter-horn insisted. “But all that teleporting has taken a lot out of me.” Matter-horn looked up at the building. “I can only teleport us up so far, or I won't have the strength left to fight.” “Get us as far up as you can, and we'll take the elevator from there.” Mare-velous put a hoof on Matter-horn's shoulder. “But Zapp and the Mane-iac -” “Have a head start, we know. We'll handle it.” Mare-velous assured her. Matter-horn smiled. Though still straining and grunting, Matter-horn was able to teleport them halfway up the building, where they dashed inside the elevator, pushing residents out of the way. Cries of “Sorry,” “Excuse me,” and “Official Power Pony business!” were exchanged as they climbed into the elevator, pushed the buttons … and were subjected to awful, terrible muzak music for the entirety of the ride. Outside, the Mane-iac and Zapp already reached the top, Zapp gently descending to let them down. The Mane-iac, still cackling widely, pulled out bottles of her brainwashing shampoo. She opened them up, one by one, and poured them into the basket until they were empty before sticking her leather-clad hoof in and mixing the shampoo up. Unfortunately for them, in the time it took to drain each bottle, the elevator was able to reach the roof, letting the Power Ponies catch them moments before they completed their scheme. “Stop right there, villains!” Matter-horn said, leading the group out. “Your evil scheme ends here!” “Oh, all right, you caught me.” The Mane-iac said. “But before you capture us and take us to jail, don't you want to hear what our evil scheme is?” “Not really, no.” Matter-horn answered. “That would sort of conflict with the whole “no more messing around” message I've been trying to get across.” “Aw, come on, Matter-horn!” Fili-Second said. “We can at least give the villains their fun before we arrest them! Besides, I've been wondering what the basket is for ALL DAY!” Matter-horn, with a sigh, relented. “All right. You can monologue.” Matter-horn glared sharply at Fili-Second. “Don't make me regret this, Fili-Second.” “Zapp.” The Mane-iac said. “Since you're the new villain on the block, why don't you do the honors?” Zapp hung her head. “Okay.” She lifted her head, sparing a look at the ponies she called her friends. Each of them were glaring at her, full of rightful anger and fury … except Fili-Second, who was waiting on the monologue with a big ol' grin. “The Mane-iac figured out trying to get ponies to use the shampoo at retail wasn't going to work.” Zapp explained, gesturing to the Mane-iac. She walked over to the pool. “So she came up with a new plan.” Zapp clutched at the weather amulet. “Our plan was, once we found the highest point for the best possible coverage, to mix the shampoo with water.” Zapp looked at her reflection in the shampoo-water mixture. “Once the shampoo was adequately mixed, we would use my amulet on the shampoo, turning it into rain which would rain down the brainwashing shampoo on the unsuspecting citizens of Maretropolis. Anypony who was outside and not covering their scalp would be turned into a brainwashed slave ... giving the Mane-iac almost complete control of Maretopolis.” “Wow.” Matter-horn said. “That's … actually kind of a clever plan. And kind of horrific. Just think, if you did that, the Mane-iac would have an army of slaves under her command.” Matter-horn chuckled. “Well, it's a good thing we were here to stop you.” Zapp backed away from the Power Ponies, still clutching her amulet. “Zapp?” Matter-horn questioned through gritted teeth. “What are you doing?” Zapp backed further away. “Zapp, don't do this.” Matter-horn said. Zapp began to flap her wings, lifting herself off the ground. “Zapp, I'm giving you one last chance to walk away.” Matter-horn said. “I mean it. This is your last chance. Come back to us, please. Don't do this.” Zapp bit her amulet and raised it up. Mare-velous shook her head. “Don't.” Saddle Rager shed a tear. “Zapp, please, don't – don't do this. Don't this to me. To us.” “Remember all the good times we had together?” Fili-Second asked. “Zapp ...” Radiance said. “If you cross this line, there may be no going back.” Each of the Power Ponies added in their own plea, begging Zapp not to go through with the plan, each of them reminding Zapp of the good memories they made together. A few of them couldn't handle the reality and began to cry. When Zapp's showed no reaction to any of their tears or pleas, Matter-horn shut them up. “FINE!” Matter-horn shouted, silencing all voices. “I can see you're going to go through with this, no matter what, so at least answer me one question. Both of you.” Matter-horn glared at the Mane-iac, who was resting on the edge of the building with a smirk on her face. “Is this something Zapp is doing willingly, or has she been brainwashed? Because she's clearly displaying some degree of autonomy, so did you just gave her a light brainwashing, where's she still her own person, just subservient to you, or is she doing this for you because she loves you? Answer me. Answer me.” Neither the Mane-iac nor Zapp deigned to give Matter-horn her answer. “ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU!” The Mane-iac ducked and Zapp swerved to avoid as Matter-horn shot red beams of heat out from her horn in twelve different directions at once, some of which clipped the edge of the building, right next to where the Mane-iac was sitting. Zapp lifted her amulet, aiming it at the heavens, and summoned a thunderstorm unlike any the city had ever seen before. Zapp pointed the amulet at the basket of shampoo-water, and the liquid inside lifted up, twisting into a pillar of water which shot like a rocket and went inside the clouds. Slowly but surely, the natural clear color of the rain Zapp had summoned was replaced with lavender as the shampoo spread its way through the clouds. The Mane-iac let out some evil laughter. “Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Well done, Zapp, well done!” Saddle Rager almost couldn't restrain her anger for a minute longer. “Now?” She asked Matter-horn. “Now.” Matter-horn said. “You don't have to hold it anymore.” “RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH!” The Mane-iac and Zapp turned around and were horrified to see Saddle Rager undergo a brutal metamorphosis, growing in size and causing rips in her clothes as she became a hulking, muscular juggernaut of a pony, her body growing to immense size – at least the size of small house, her biceps alone the size of bowling balls. To Zapp, what was even more horrifying was Saddle Rager appeared even more muscular and more enraged than usual, her eyes bloodshot to an extreme. Before the Mane-iac or Zapp could think of anything with which to counteract Saddle Rager, Saddle Rager grabbed them both and hurled them through the roof of the building, sending them crashing through three floors. “WE TRUSTED YOU!” Saddle Rager screamed, crashing through the roof herself to order to continue pummeling Zapp and the Mane-iac. “YOU WERE OUR FRIEND!” Saddle Rager picked them both up and slammed their bodies against the wall, over and over, before banging their heads together and dropping them, granting them a brief respite before Saddle Rager punched them both through the floor. “Aaah.” Zapp put a hoof to her lip, which she could feel bleeding. She looked at her body to see blood all leaking down her chest, and looked over to see the Mane-iac in a similar poor, bloody condition. It was now she realized how serious Saddle Rager was this time, not content with her usual smackdown. Zapp saw over Saddle Rager's shoulder to see Matter-horn and the others looking down from the hole in the roof. “M-Matter-horn! Radiance! Girls!” Zapp begged. “You have to do something! She's going to kill us if she keeps this up!” Matter-horn shook her head. “I'm sorry, Zapp. But this is the way it has to be now.” Matter-horn and the others turned and left. Zapp's jaw dropped. With those words, those simple words … they were all she needed to realize how much she had lost. Her friendships. Her relationships. Her history. She wouldn't be able to access so much as a single remnant of her old life. Zapp turned to look at the Mane-iac, the only one she had left. “Well ...” Zapp said. “I guess the only good thing is, we'll die next to the pony we love.” “Heh.” The Mane-iac chuckled. “I love you, Rainbow Dash.” “I love you, Tresemme.” Moments later after this heartfelt exchange, Saddle Rager once brought her hooves down to punish them. Author's Note Author's Notes for "In The Medusa's Grasp" The "comic solitaction" may not entirely match up the events of this chapter. All of the "solicits" were written well in advance of the actual chapters, so changes between the original idea and the execution could have easily happened over time. It's left intentionally vague so you could fill in your own headcanon, but Daring Do, acting as Robin, is alluding to her dead parents. And of course, the idea of Robin carrying a gun against Batman's wishes is something I know the Batman mythos has toyed with from time to time. Heck, you can even write your own story about it! It IS a comic book - sort of. And you know how comics can be. Now, some things I could have done better ... The subplot with the Power Ponies doubting themselves about living up to the Originals could have had more time dedicated to it. I did kind of ... mess up the story flow by rushing to make it so we got past that OBNOXIOUS Firefly element when we did. It could have made to last longer and have the part where the Zapp and the Mane-iac figure out each others' identities develop more naturally over time. And I seem to have had conflicting ideas regarding whether or not the Originals ever had one of their number brainwashed. One idea was that the current Power Ponies KNEW that the Originals had one of their number brainwashed, and it was this incident which caused the original Power Ponies to retire, so Zapp being brainwashing/betrayal wouldn't just be unfortunate - it would lead to this shadow hovering over Twilight and friends, worrying that Zapp's seeming brainwashing would drive them to retire, the same way it did to the Power Ponies. I like to think this would have gone some way towards explaining why they're willing to leave Zapp and the Mane-iac to DIE at Saddle Rager's hooves at the end of this chapter. I also had the idea to keep it ambiguous about what exactly happened with the Originals that caused the retirement, and attributing it to a brainwashed turncoat seemed to remove the mystique, if you will. But at the same time, when I wrote the paragraphs explaining how the current Power Ponies came to be, I said they the events involved both current and former groups of Power Ponies - so if those events involved a brainwashed member of the Originals, the current Power Ponies would have KNOWN about it, and it would be a lot less mysterious. In the finished product, where the events are still left mysterious, but the Power Ponies about IF there was a brainwashed member and IF it contributed to the Originals' decision to retire, was my attempt to reconcile these two ideas, compromising between the two. And quite honestly, I think it would have been better if I stuck to the initial idea - that an Original Power Pony was brainwashed, and the Power Ponies knew as much. If only to make the ending of this chapter more understandable. Oh, you know what I could have done? I could have Twilight go through the archives and discover, yes, a Power Pony was brainwashed, and yes, it contributed to the decision to retire. So it would have still retained the feeling of the original idea while still maintaining the mystique. Oh well. Like the chapter says, too late now.
Issue 7: To Save A Friend ... Issue 7: To Save A Friend ... Issue 7 Solicit: Don't miss the THRILLING CONCLUSION to the Mind Over Mane-iac Miniseries! THE THRESHOLD! With Rainbow Dash held tight in the Mane-iac's seductive grasp, how far will the Power Ponies and their allies go to get her back? How far will one go … TO SAVE A FRIEND? “RRRRR!” Saddle Rager growled, bringing her hooves to bear on the Mane-iac and Zapp, punching them through the floor and into the next floor down, where the a resident of the building was surprised to see some of the city's biggest costumed names come crashing down. The Mane-iac and Zapp saw they had a moment of respite from Saddle Rager beating them senseless. Neither of them knew how long it would be, but they understood it would not be for very long. The apartment resident halted and stared, thinking she should call the Power Ponies ... but … there was already a Power Pony here. Wounded and on the verge of cracking like an egg being crushed by an overzealous teen with a hammer, Zapp rose to her feet, struggling to move. Every movement was a like a series of a thousand burns shooting through her bones. Wincing and groaning with each step of her hooves, Zapp still put forth the effort to trudge towards the Mane-iac. “Zapp ...” The Mane-iac asked, her eyes half-shut, her body still stinging from the pain of Saddle Rager's blows. “What are you doing?” “I'm … ugh … coming towards you.” Zapp said, shutting one eye and biting her lip as she willed, as she forced one leg in front of the other. “Why?” Mane-iac asked. “You should … conserve your strength.” Zapp smiled, giggling before groaning and putting a hoof on her back. “Why?” Zapp moved forward, communicating clear as crystal she wasn't going to stop for anything. Not for the confused and uncertain resident in the room, not for the movement of the stars themselves … and most certainly not for the Mane-iac's own pleading. “Because that's what you do when you love somepony.” The Mane-iac smiled, touched by Zapp's answer. Even if it was kinda sappy. Understanding for her not to do the same as Zapp, despite how much pain they were both in, would be both an insult to Zapp and represent a failure on her part of the relationship, the Mane-iac pushed herself and begin to limp towards Zapp, cutting the distance between the two of them at the expense of the Mane-iac's own pain. With Zapp having done most of the walking already, the Mane-iac did not have to go far for them to meet. For each step the Mane-iac took, every ounce of pain she endured, put to rest even the smallest, littlest lingering sliver of doubt Zapp might have had about the Mane-iac's love for her. Standing inches away, Zapp and Mane-iac raised their hooves and tenderly touched them together. A crack appeared in the ceiling. It spread out through the tiles before the brutal form of Saddle Rager fell through, landing right next to the still confused resident. One could hardly blame the architects of the building for failing to brace their ceiling against wild rampaging mutants such as Saddle Rager. “OH, UH, EXSCUSE ME.” Saddle Rager turned to the resident, who shook her head and, deciding she had enough of this, bolted for the stairs. “Well ...” Zapp turned to Saddle Rager. “We both knew it couldn't last forever.” Zapp grabbed Mane-iac's cheeks and pulled her into a kiss before parting from Mane-iac, facing Saddle Rager and scraping a hoof against the floor to show Saddle Rager she was ready to fight. She tried not to show how the scraping made her wince. “Are you sure you want to fight me, Zapp?” Saddle Rager asked, wearing an expression of concern as Fluttershy's inborn kind personality bled through Saddle Rager's mask. “Look at yourself. There's no way you can win.” “I – ugh – have to try.” Zapp groaned, stepping forward. “I won't let you hurt the pony I love.” Saddle Rager scoffed, gritting her teeth. “We loved you, too, Zapp. Or was that just not GOOD ENOUGH for you, huh? Was it!? Fine. Fine.” Saddle Rager scraped a hoof. “I don't want to hurt you, Zapp ...” Saddle Rager banged a hoof on the ground. “Too much.” Zapp held her ground, even though she knew Saddle Rager had them as good as beaten already. Let's not skip facts; getting hit head-first by Saddle Rager's hooves was more or less like getting hit by a truck to the face. Zapp knew she and Mane-iac had little chance of making it out of the encounter victorious … if even alive, considering they had upset Saddle Rager badly enough to trigger her transformation. “We were friends.” Saddle Rager snarled, marching inexorably towards Zapp like a stagnant wind that heralding the coming of death itself. “We lived together. We were practically a family! But you – YOU THREW THAT ALL AWAY! AND FOR WHAT? A GIRLFRIEND WITH TENTACLES FOR HER MANE? WHAT DO YOU EVEN SEE IN HER? WHAT COULD SHE … POSSIBLY … ” At this juncture in her speech, Saddle Rager abruptly stopped advancing towards them and instead elected to vent her frustration on the poor floor of the building. “OFFER … YOU!?” “That's none of your business.” Zapp said. “Maybe if you had tried to break us a half a moment ago, I might have told you, but now ...” Saddle Rager roared. Bringing her hooves up, she brought them swinging down on the floor, sending a massive tremor rippling through the building and causing Zapp and Mane-iac to lose their footing. “DON'T YOU DARE TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME! NOT AFTER WHAT YOU DID. JUST FOR THAT, I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU EXTRA PAINFULLY!” Zapp looked up at Saddle Rager's frothing, frightening visage. She couldn't focus on anything other than the deranged, angry look in her eyes – the look of a scorned mare if Zap had ever saw one. The little bits of saliva slipping through the spaces between her teeth, which were arranged in a massive snarl. This is it. Zapp thought. This is the end. Her time with Tresemme was over. Her time as a member of the Power Ponies was long since past. And her time on this plane was soon to come to an end. Their time was over. Finished. Close the book and stick a fork in them; they were done! Until a most unlikely save came from the most unlikely of objects! A thrown shoe, sent whirling into the room through the holes Saddle Rager punched into the roof. It hit Saddle Rager in the side of the face, distracting her moments before she would have caused another earthquake to rattle the building's delicate infrastructure. “Ow!” Saddle Rager rubbed her cheek. “Who threw that?” There was, of course, but one answer to the question of who would throw a shoe – High Heel, of the Sinful Six! Saddle, Mane-iac, and Zapp looked up to see the rest of the Mane-iac's teammates poking through the roof, riding on the back of the shape-shifting Smudge, his snake-like form rising up like the spirits of departed souls who've come to wreak their vengeance on the living. The Sinful Six were battered and bruised … but not yet broken. “What the?” Saddle Rager questioned. “Didn't we take care of you already? And how did you get on the roof?” “To answer your questions; we recovered and we rode Smudge up to the top.” High Heel pulled out another shoe. “Now let's get her!” To the battle chorus of agreeable cheers, the Sinful Six descended through the holes in the roof, High Heel tossing another shoe at Saddle Rager. Saddle Rager was ready this time, catching the shoe and tossing it back at them, only for Smudge to intervene and catch it in his mouth like a dog playing fetch. “Shadowmane and Long Face will get you out of here.” High Heel told Zapp and Mane-iac, running up to them with Shadowmane and Long Face. “What about you?” Zapp asked as Long Face hoisted her onto his back. “We'll distract Saddle Rager so you can escape.” “What?” Mane-iac and Zapp asked. “You can't!” Zapp protested. “You don't know how angry she is! She'll crush you like a bowl of cereal and turn you into wheat paste, and then she'll turn that wheat paste into more wheat paste!” High Heel smiled. “Well, I'm not sure how she would do that, but all we have to do is just give you enough time to get away.” “But what if she realizes you're just a distraction?” The Mane-iac asked. “She'll get even madder.” “Yes.” High Heel turned a gaze towards Smudge. “But we have a secret weapon. Now go. Get out of here.” High Heel made shooing gestures at them. Long Face and Shadowmane rushed towards the elevator, trying to slip away unseen by Saddle Rager. But if they were, they had it covered. And they were. “HEY!” Saddle Rager shouted, noticing them. “WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?” Saddle Rager prepared to gave chase, only delayed by the odd sound of Smudge whinnying behind her. “Huh?” Saddle Rager turned around. Smudge twisted and contorted his form, stretching and shifting, changing from the snake-like shape he took to a bulky, monstrous form that was a match for Saddle Rager in both musculature and raw bulk. Letting out his unique kind of growl, Smude tackled Saddle Rager. Saddle Rager pushed him off and punched him in the head, though this only succeeding in pushing him back some. Smudge raised his limbs. Saddle Rager, accepting his challenge, got into a grappling match with him, each titan struggling push the other out the building and out the window before the other did. “RRRRAAAAH!” Saddle Rager swatted Smudge's limbs away. She grabbed by the midsection and lifted him up, pulling on his stomach and tearing the sludgy pony in half down the middle. To an invertebrate ooze such as Smudge, this kind of bifurcation was a minor setback. Maintaining control over the separate halves of his body, Smudge swirled around the air like a carnival ride going out of all control, eventually reconnecting his two halves in the form of a giant circle which bound Saddle Rager's front hooves together. Saddle Rager shook her hooves, attempting to fling the Smudge-cufflink from her hooves. When simple shaking proved not to be enough, Saddle Rager did what she did best, and that was to smash. Namely, smashing her hooves into the ground. It worked, as Smudge's body lost cohesion and was splattered all across the room in the form of little droplets. The bits of Smudge begin sliding along the form, snaking their way towards Saddle Rager. Saddle Rager grimaced, not sure what to do. At this rate, they would just be caught in an infinite loop of Smudge reforming and Saddle Rager smashing him again. "Okay." High Heel pocketed a pink cell phone. “Smudge! Phetlocke!” High Heel shouted. “Long Face just gave me the signal! Zapp and the Mane-iac are safe at base!” Smudge steered his component droplets away from Saddle Rager, forming into his relatively normal pony form. Smudge nodded, shifting once again into his snake form, allowing High Heel and Phetlock to ride him. He shot himself up through the hole in the roof, sliding away. “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” Saddle Rager boomed, galloping after them. “GET BACK HERE!” Saddle Rager jumped through the hole in the roof after them, landing on the rooftop. She looked around for the villains, but they were nowhere to be seen. A quick glimpse over the edge of the building offered no clues to their whereabouts; they could be anywhere, going any direction by now. Realizing she there no way she could catch them now, Saddle Rager turned and walked to the elevator, all the while slowly losing her muscles and returning to normal. The Power Ponies, having departed and leaving Zapp and the Mane-iac to contend with a furious, merciless Saddle Rager, were half-way down the building riding on the elevator. They could hear the beat of the shampoo raindrops drumming against the outside of the building, the only noise inside the otherwise silent elevator. The dim, quiet space gave the Power Ponies a moment to calm down, and in this calm, some of them began to reconsider their actions. “Do any of y'all think letting Zapp deal with Saddle Rager by herself was a little harsh?” Mare-velous asked. “Ah mean, Ah know she abandoned us, betrayed us, switched sides, and carried out an evil villain's plan even though she didn't have to ...” Mare-velous adopted an expression of scowling, her fury rekindled as she recounted Zapp's crimes. “You know what? Ah just answered my own question.” Matter-horn levied a gaze to the elevator floor. “Maybe letting Saddle Rager loose on her was a little much … Saddle Rager wouldn't hurt a fly as long as she's in control, but … we all know how quickly she can lose control when she's rampaging. I know we were all mad at her ...” “'Were'?” Flil-Second said. “I'm STILL mad!” “Maybe we should have stayed behind.” Matter-horn said. “You know, to make sure Saddle Rager didn't completely annihilate them.” The elevator reached the bottom floor, letting out a ding as it opened its doors. The Power Ponies all avoided the others' gaze, each of them beginning to have second thoughts about letting Saddle Rager roam free. Mare-velous and Matter-horn scratched the back of their necks while Radiance hummed innocently. Silently, they all concluded it was too late now and went on their not-so-merry way, wandering into the lobby of the building. “Huh.” A stallion observed the rain outside. “Looks like rain. Anypony have an umbrella I could borrow?” “Halt, citizen!” Matter-horn shouted as the Power Ponies got off the elevator. “That is no ordinary rain. That is brainwashing shampoo-rain, brought to you courtesy of ...” Matter-horn paused, thinking about Zapp. “One of the Mane-iac's dastardly plots!” Matter-horn addressed everypony in the room. “We, the Power Ponies, ask that you all stay indoors until we can disable the scheme. Please inform anypony you come across of the situation and remain indoors until we tell it's safe to come out. Thank you for time, and for being upstanding citizens in doing your civic duty. Power Ponies, move out!” As the Power Ponies raced out the door, Radiance manifested umbrellas and full-face helmets for the Power Ponies. Granted, most of them wore cloth already, but it was better to be safe than to be sorry. “Brainwashing … shampoo … rain.” The stallion rued. “That does it; I'm moving to Phillydelphia!” The stallion took a bold step toward the door before seeing the rain and remembering what it was. “Just as soon as this rain passes.” The Power Ponies marched down the street, the clip-clop of their hooves splashing against the thin layer of water the rain was spreading across the asphalt, like the spread of a buttered knife against bread. Everywhere the Power Ponies looked, citizens had fallen victim to the sinister shampoo. Most of them simply stood in place while wearing the expressions of dullards, awaiting a command input from their master. Some gathered together and began fawning over and complimenting the others' manes. “I, like, love your hair!” A brainwashed mare said to her friend, running a hoof through said friend's mane. “How do you get it so soft?” “Thanks! I like your hair, too!” “Ugh.” Radiance shuddered. “Normally, I'm all for complimenting a fellow mare's coiffure, but that is just creepy.” “Girls! Girls!” The Ponies turned around to see Saddle Rager galloping up to them, holding a lampshade (borrowed from the building she had just left) against her head for protection from the rain. “The Mane-iac's friends … they came and rescued her and Zapp. I tried to catch them, but they escaped … oh, I'm sorry!” “What? Why?” Matter-horn pulled Saddle Rager into a hug. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Saddle Rager. Nopony can blame you for the villains pulling off one of their big escapes.” “Here.” Radiance conjured another umbrella, floating it over Saddle Rager's head. “So you don't have to carry that lampshade everywhere.” “Thanks.” Saddle Rager took the umbrella, lowering the lampshade down. “I suppose I better go give this lampshade back to the pony in the building I borrowed it from.” “There's no time for that!” Matter-horn said. “Come on! We need to get back to base to call the Mayor and let her know what's happening!” The Power Ponies raced down the street, going unnoticed by the brainwashed ponies, of which there were no shortage of. The ponies stayed where they were, their eyes blank and their bodies still. If they made any motion, it was to compliment the manes and hair of a passer-by. “Huh.” Fili-Second said. “Now I know what ponies mean when they talk about being 'alone in a crowd'!” The Power Ponies soon arrived to their mansion, still preferring to take the secret entrance. It was unlikely that anypony would be around to see them, as the citizens were brainwashed and the Mane-iac had retreated to lick her wounds, but to let their guard down would be a foolish thing to do, under any circumstance. Spike greeted them as they came into the house. “Hey, girls.” Spike was temporarily blinded as he found a big ball of cloth thrown into his face. “Ah! Pfft! What's this?” Spike pulled the cloth off. “My Hum-Drum costume? What's this for?” “Gear up, Spike.” Matter-horn told him. “We've got a busy day ahead of us.” Matter-horn galloped to the phone, dialing the mayor's number. “Hello? Is the mayor there? Oh, good. Yes, mayor, we're aware of the rain. That's what I'm calling about, actually. That rain is comprised of a brainwashing shampoo devised by the Mane-iac. Do not go outside until we call you back. Start putting out warnings on the local news station that everypony is to remain indoors and not to let anypony in, especially if those ponies try to convince them they're not brainwashed, because that's probably a trick.” Matter-horn hung up the phone and turned to the rest of the Power Ponies. “Okay, Power Ponies, listen up! Whether she's brainwashed or acting of her own free will, we've seen how far Zapp's gone in her descent into villainy. She has gone too far, and we're not going to put up with it, are we?” “Mm-mmm!” The rest of the Power Ponies shook their heads. “Absolutely not!” “No way, no how.” “I wouldn't dream of it, darling.” “Good. So we're all agreed. We're going to find the Mane-iac's hideout and we're going to beat her this time. No more games. No more fooling around. We're going to throw everything we have at her and bring her down like a stack of cards. I don't want anypony holding anything back. Zapp may have been our friend once, but I think she's made it plenty clear that's longer the case, so don't hesitate. If you see a chance to take her out, I want you to take it.” “Don't worry.” Saddle Rager said with a growl. “We won't.” “Somepony go find where Mare-Do-Well and Daring Do went. We'll need their help. Spike, have you finished dressing?” “Oh.” Spike held up the cape and domino mask Humdrum used. “You were serious about that?” Matter-horn glared at him. Somewhere out on the fringes of her subconscious, Matter-horn realized she was taking her anger at Rainbow Dash and taking it out on Spike, but that didn't stop her. “Yes, Spike. I'm serious. Dead serious.” The Sinful Six retreated to their headquarters, blissfully unaware of the complete and total DOOM the Power Ponies were now planning for them. After Shadowmane and Long Face helped carried the Mane-iac and Zapp inside to a bed, Shadowmane had taken up the task of bandaging the Mane-iac's wounds, applying medicinal sprays and wrapping bandages around her legs. The Mane-iac grunted, lifting an eye to see Zapp had gone untouched by Shadowmane's almost motherly attention. “Shadowmane, dear, make sure you get Zapp, too ...” “Oh … yes.” Shadowmane glared over Mane-iac at Zapp, not quite trusting of the former Power Pony. “Of course. How could I forget?” Soon wrapping up her business with the Mane-iac, Shadowmane tended to Zapp as well. Though, Zapp noticed, with a distinct lack of tenderness like she'd seen Shadowmane exhibit to Mane-iac. “Get well soon, Mane-iac.” Shadowmane said, leaving the room. “Oh, and, uh, you too, Zapp … I guess.” She closed the door. The Mane-iac let out a chuckle, slowly rolling onto her side to get a good look at her bedfellow as well as giving her bedfellow a good look at her. “Well, Zapp, it looks like we're alone now.” Zapp said nothing, merely nodding as she sat up and wrapped her bandaged front legs around her chest. “Zapp? What's wrong, dear?” “Nothing.” Zapp answered with the clear, facetious tone which expressed everything was wrong. “I just … after what happened on the roof with Saddle Rager, it made me realize … I've lost the trust of my friends. I've lost my place as Power Ponies. I'm not even sure if I still have a sense of self, with all this stuff about brainwashing shampoo. And the worst part is ... I've lost my friends. I … I don't have anything anymore.” Zapp shamefully buried her head into her hooves. As Zapp sat there on the verge of breaking down and crying, she suddenly felt a comforting presence on her shoulder, expressed via means of a tender hoof. Zapp pulled her face out of her hooves to see Tresemme – not the Mane-iac – looking at her, though still wearing the Mane-iac's black and purple outfit. “You have me.” Zapp wiped a tear from her eye. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do.” Tresemme closed her eyes and leaned into Zapp's chest, giving Zapp a hug which Zapp reciprocated, despite her usual aversion to any form of contact she might consider “sappy.” “Let me ask you something, Zapp.” Tresemme raised her head up, meeting Zapp at eye-level. “If the only thing you have is me … was I worth it?” She gave Zapp a seductive look and smile. Zapp sighed. She placed her hooves on Tresemme's shoulder. “I'm gonna be honest with you, Tresemme … I don't know.” Zapp shook her head. “You're pretty great … but they were my best friends for … years now.” Zapp placed a hoof on her chin. “By Celestia, has it been that long? It seems it was only yesterday when I met them and we -” Zapp paused, noticing Tresemme's curious look and motioning for her to go on. "Nothing." Zapp said. “We did nothing.” Love her though she did, Zapp was not about to divulge anything which would help the Mane-iac deduce the Power Ponies' secret identities and make them vulnerable. “So, you mentioned the Power Ponies have a base.” Tresemme snuggled her nose into Zapp's chest. “Care to tell me where it is?” Zapp gave Tresemme an unamused, disapproving glare. “What?” Tresemme shrugged. “Cute as I may be, Rainbow Dash, I'm still part-supervillain. It's only natural for me to want the information I can use to beat my enemies!” Zapp's glare continued, with her bared teeth now joining on the displeased expression. Tresemme nodded. “You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't make you have to choose between me and your old friends. You shouldn't have to betray them. Not like that. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.” Zapp's expression finally softened. “Thank you, Tresemme.” Zapp emphasized the name, making sure Tresemme understood it was Tresemme, not the Mane-iac, who had Rainbow Dash's thanks. Tresemme resumed cuddling into Zapp's chest. Zapp looked up at the ceiling, imagining possibilities long since past and ones yet to come while dreaming about flying into the endless sky, where she didn't have to worry about any of this superhero tomfoolery. “Tresemme … have you ever thought about, you know, getting treatment?” “What do you mean, Rainbow Dash?” “You know … like therapy. Maybe if you found the right therapist, they could help you and you wouldn't have to be a supervillain anymore?” Tresemme gave Rainbow Dash a bewildered look for a few minutes, before bursting out into laughter at the realization Rainbow Dash was being completely serious. “Oh, Rainbow Dash … I doubt it would be that easy.” Tresemme said. Tresemme looked to the side. “It would never work.” “How do you know? Have you ever tried?” “Come to think of it … no, I haven't.” They both spent a long time staring into each others' eyes, with Rainbow Dash's magenta orbs silently pleading for Tresemme to at least give the idea some thought. “Ah ha ha ha ha!” Tresemme laughed airily – nervously, even. The same of airy laugh used by a pony who was desperate to switch the topic of the conversation after being particularly embarrassed by either their significant other or their parents when trying to introduce one to the other. “Say, Rainbow Dash? You know what I've just realized? We've barely been ... you know … intimate without me putting you into a trance since we found out about the whole 'you're secretly my archenemy' thing. What do you say we fix that?” Tresemme suggestively wiggled her hips. Rainbow Dash crossed her legs. “Tresemme, what have I told about you using sex to avoid talking about our issues?” “I know ...” Tresemme whined. “But still, now that I've brought it up …” Tresemme began to push Zapp down on the bed. “Doesn't it sound like fun to get under the covers without you going crazy about my hair ten-” Tresemme turned her head and coughed, noticing Rainbow Dash's eyes shrinking. “Sorry. Trigger word.” “Yeah.” Rainbow Dash agreed, before taking a look at her bandages. “Are we sure having sex while we're both recovering is a good idea, though?” “No.” Tresemme said with a disarming smile. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Well, that's good enough for me!” Rainbow Dash got onto her back, letting Tresemme crawl all over her. As Tresemme leaned in and gave Rainbow Dash a kiss, Rainbow Dash was powerless to resist the shiver that went through her spine. The shiver was soon replaced by a different experience. The bed they were shook as an explosion from outside rocked the building, causing some of the tiles on the ceiling to begin to fall out. Tresemme and Rainbow Dash both sat up, each a little disappointed their moment of intimacy had to be interrupted by this rude thing, whatever it was. “What was that?” Rainbow Dash asked. An answer came forth as Shadowmane barged into the room. “Mane-iac! It's the Power Ponies! They've found our base!” “What!?” Tresemme exclaimed. “How?” “I don't know, but they're here now, and they're knocking on the door! And by knocking,' I of course, mean “blow up'!” “Aaaagh!” Tresemme pulled at her mane, squinting her eyes shut as she let out an enraged whinny. “Why do those Power Brats have to ruin our special moment? … Very well. Hold them off, Shadowmane. We'll be right there. Just give me a moment to change.” Shadowmane saluted. “Will do.” She closed. Tresemme turned to Zapp, offering a hoof as her skin began to fade from Tresemme's soothing bluish colors to the Mane-iac's frightful and shadowy purple. “Shall we?” Despite some lingering reservations about fighting her once-friends, Zapp took the hoof with a smirk. “We shall.” Though still far and away from peak condition, Zapp and the Mane-iac headed to the main lobby to confront their foes. Besides, their choices were to either stand up and fight in their weakened state, or sit down and let the Power Ponies steamroll right over them. Hardly much of a choice! The Sinful Seven gathered, huddling together by the front entrance where the Power Ponies had come a-knockin' on their doorstep. “MINIONS!” The Mane-iac and Phetlocke shouted, Phetlock shaking his staff for the summoning. Goons in identical green haircuts and mummies swarmed around the room, tensing up for combat. “Boy, this is some sturdy brick!” Fili-Second's voice said from outside. “Blast it again, Matter-horn!” shouted Mare-velous. “Mind if I pitch in?” Mare-Do-Well joined them, and the Seven could a click from outdoors. A click, belonging, no doubt, to a bomb! The Sinful Seven could do little other than wince and brace themselves as they heard the hum of Matter-horn charging up a destructive spell, fueled equally by both Matter-horn's rage and her sense of justice. Matter-horn's beam impacted the building, triggering Mare-Do-Well's bomb to explode in addition to Matter-horn's explosive special effects. The entirety of the front wall was ripped out, brick upon brick being thrown out of the wall, like blades of grass fed into a hungry lawnmower to be chopped up, stirred around, and spat back out in any and all directions. The Sinful Seven took defensive positions to shield them from tossed rubble. When the smoke clear, the Power Ponies, including Mare-Do-Well, Daring Do, and even Humdrum, were standing tall and proud on the piles of rubble they had just created. “Humdrum?” Zapp and the Mane-iac shared a laugh. They had brought Humdrum, one of the weakest Power Ponies with the fewest powers, along. “You actually brought Humdrum?” “Surely you must be desperate.” The Mane-iac said. “To bring along a teammate so … oh, what's the politically correct way to say it nowadays? Bereft of superpowers.” “Yeah!” Zapp laughed. “What can he do?” Humdrum pointed – rather accusingly, one might add – to Matte-horn. “She made me eat ghost peppers!” “Ghost peppers?” Zapp nearly doubled and fell onto her back with laughter. “What are you going do with ghost peppers? Fry us all to death with your bad breath, ha ha?” As Matter-horn's lips curled into a smile, Zapp's laughter begin to die. As did some of her hope. “That's exactly what we're gonna do.” Matter-horn picked Humdrum by the hooves, aiming his body like a shotgun with the head pointed towards them, and tugged on his tail. Instantly, Humdrum's mouth opened and the henchman could barely avoid the wide spread of jade fire that burst from Humdrum's jaws, Matter-horn sweeping Humdrum back and forth, using him as a flamethrower. “The girls and I have been talking.” Matter-horn said. “And we're agreed that we'd like out of the superhero business.” “Oh?” The Mane-iac raised an eyebrow. “Will you hand down your titles to promising recruits like your own predecessors did?” “Nooo.” Matter-horn. “We'll be going out and taking every costumed crook we find off the streets for GOOD – including YOU!” The Mane-iac let out one of her fits of cackling for which she was so well-known. “A bold statement, Power Ponies, but look around you!” The Mane-iac made a sweeping gesture to her minions and Phetlock's mummies. “You're outnumbered.” “Let's see ...” Matter-horn took a look around the room. “The Sinful Seven, plus their goons … I'm going to estimate forty each of Phetlocke's mummies and Mane-iac's barbers … divided by nine Power Ponies equals ...” The Masked Matter-horn's tune changed to a furious growl. Her horn fire multiple pink beams of force, which rotated and swirled around room like the flashing lights of a police siren, knocking down both Phetlocke's mummies and the Mane-iac's hired help en masse, clearing the way for the Power Ponies to take the fight directly to their opposite numbers. “Equals 25-to-life, which is exactly long you're ALL going to jail for!” Matter-horn and the others stepped down the pile of rubble. “Wait ...” Zapp took a scrutinizing view of her former companions. “One, two … subtract me, add Mare-Do-Well, Daring Do and Humdrum … that makes eight. Hey, Matter-horn! I think your math is a little off!” Matter-horn took this insult, which might could be one of the most insulting insults one could ever insult Matter-horn with, with pride and a self-assured smile. “No it isn't. My math is never off.” Zapp raised an eyebrow. The Mane-iac lifted her hoof and pointed to the Power Ponies, encouraging her newest, most loyal minion to forget about the mathematics and attack. Zapp went to her task with a fervor unmatched, flying into the air. The Power Ponies and the Sinful Six charged each other at the field of battle, each Power Pony taking on their foil. Shy, quiet Saddle Rager took on the seductive High Heel, bright and cheery Fili-Second ran full-speed at her gloomy and sullen Long Face. The honest, hardworking Mare-velous threatened the shadowy, thieving Shadowmane with a lasso. Clean and tidy Radiance, who could construct objects with her mind, took on the messy, gooey Smudge, who could reshape his body. And Matter-horn, the leader, of course took on the enemy leader, the Mane-iac. With the Power Ponies down one member, though, it fell to Humdrum to be the one to take on Phetlocke. It was a surprisingly even match, as Phetlocke wasn't much without his minions and gadgets, meaning Humdrum had to contend with little more than Phetlocke's staff – which was easily melted with a breath of ghost-pepper enhanced dragonfire. Zapp raised her amulet at the ceiling, preparing to call forth a storm of such thunderous wrath the likes of which had never been seen before or since! Fortunately for the Power Ponies, Daring Do flew up and tackled Zapp to the ground, bringing the wayward turncoat back to earth. Zapp tried to fight her off, but Daring Do soon proved herself the superior hoof-to-hoof combatant. “You've been relying too much on your amulet!” Daring Do insulted Zapp before striking her in the face. High Heel produced a large boot and charged at Saddle Rager, waving the boot around like a berserker pony gone mad with rage. “Hi-YAH!” High Heel was overcome and taken by surprise when Saddle Rager charged back at her, grabbing High Heel's hooves and wresting away the boot from High Heel's possession, soon followed by Saddle Rager slapping High Heel across the face with the boot. High Heel halted, starring wide-eyed at Saddle Rager after her vicious attack, rubbing the injured cheek. “Oh, I'm sorry!” Saddle Rager dropped the boot to the ground in horror at the pain she so clearly inflicted. “It's just that, well, my friends really wanted me to do everything I could to make this a final battle, so I did. I'm sorry!” She squeaked. “It's okay.” High Heel reached over and cupped Fluttershy's chin. “But … you know how you could make it up to me? Over a nice, quiet dinner. What do you say?” “Um … I don't know.” “Ah, come on! It'll be fun, you and me ...” Saddle Rager was spared from having to commit to an answer by Mare-velous coming to her rescue, galloping and headbutting High Heel before following by tossing a lasso around her. Mare-velous threw High Heel into the air and spun her round and round before flinging her into the wall. Saddle Rager and Mare-velous watch High Heel slide the wall and curl over one herself. “Saddle Rager, y'all know when she's flirting with ya like that, she's just trying to distract and confuse you, right?” “I know that.” Saddle Rager whined. “But in the heat of battle, it's, um, easy to forget … she's … quite sultry.” “Uh-huh. You ain't gonna do what Zapp did and switch sides to be with her, are you?” “Oh, no!” Saddle Rager shook her head, giving Zapp a glare and not doing anything to help as Daring Do delivered to punch after punch to Zapp's face. “Never.” Matter-horn and the Mane-iac spared. Matter-horn fired blast after blast, which the Mane-iac avoided by sliding around the room on a bed of tentacles, not unlike a slimy squid on the floor of a disco rave party. “Ha ha ha!” Mane-iac laughed. “What's the matter, Matter-horn? Does the great Power Pony leader need glasses? Ha ha!” “Grrr.” Matter-horn showed an uncharacteristic amount of teeth in her growl. She fired another beam at the Mane-iac, who simply ducked, allowing the beam to pass harmlessly over her head. “THAT'S IT!” Matter-horn teleported, a flash of light being the only thing Mane-iac could see before the Matter-horn manifested herself on top of the rubble from earlier. “POWER PONIES, I'M BRINGING THE HOUSE DOWN!” Energy collected and swirled around Matter-horn's horn, little bubbles of pure magic gathering together for one big blast. Matter-horn cut loose, firing a laser from her horn which begin to shred the ceiling like a blender, bringing down a rain of roofing on the Mane-iac and her friends. She could simply grab a hold of the builder's foundation as she'd done when chasing the Mane-iac and Zapp across town, but this way afforded her a more direct control over the destruction. “She's going to bring the entire building down!” Zapp exclaimed. The Mane-iac slithered up to her, using a tentacle to knock Daring Do aside before picking Zapp up. “Yes, I do believe she just said as much. There's an emergency exit in the back. Now RUN!” The Sinful Seven picked themselves up and rushed towards the back. Phetlocke went around and made sure to pick up High Heel, carrying her on his back. The Mane-iac held the door open with a tentacle while Zapp directed the evacuation of the others to hurry up and get out before leaving themselves, shutting the door behind them. “Matter-horn, the Sinful Seven have left.” Saddle Rager said, gently poking Matter-horn's shoulder to get her attention, though somewhat afraid of turning Matter-horn's anger on her. “I don't think destroying the building will help any.” “It'll keep them from returning.” Matter-horn proceeded to continue with her cutting beam, swiping it across the roof. "It's one less place for them to hide." “But, um, what about the minions?” Saddle Rager pointed. “Surely they don't deserve to be buried them under tons of rubble ...” Matter-horn examined the minions left behind by the Mane-iac. Phetlocke's mummies, scared speechless by the Matter-horn's display, and the Mane-iac's goons, too injured to be much of a threat to anypony. Injured by Matter-horn, in fact, and realizing this was a major part of why Matter-horn acquired to Saddle Rager's request to stop. “You're right, Saddle Rager.” Matter-horn said. “Besides, we'll want this place intact so we can investigate it later, after we capture the Mane-iac.” “Speaking of which, how are we gonna do that?” Mare-velous asked. “They've already escaped and got a head start on us.” “Oh, I wouldn't be too worried about that.” Matter-horn said, walking up to the emergency exit door the Mane-iac used to flee. “We've got an agent out there, remember? With the math problem?” Matter-horn smirked as she opened the door. “We'll find the Mane-iac waiting for us, neatly wrapped up in a box of chocolates ...” The Sinful Seven galloped through the streets, their hooves becoming soaked as they paraded through the still-wet streets. Zapp looked left and right, observing the blank-eyed, mindless slaves standing on the sidewalks. “Wow.” Zapp murmured. “I didn't realize the shampoo-rain would be so effective. Almost everypony out here looks totally brainwashed.” “Yes!” The Mane-iac cheered. “That was the plan all along!” “Huh.” Zapp said. “You know, maybe if we had remembered we had the whole city under our control, we could have used them against the Power Ponies.” “Zapp, I'm impressed! Volunteering the use of citizens for our ends and means? Congratulations. You're well on your way to becoming a qualified supervillain!” The Mane-iac complimented her. “I ...” Zapp stammered. “I only meant – I know how the Power Ponies work. I used to be one, remember? And I know they would hesitate to harm an innocent civilian – even a brainwashed one – WHOOOOA!” All of the Sinful Seven were caught totally off-guard as the asphalt underneath their hooves suddenly gave way to slippery liquid chocolate, causing their hooves to loose friction and send them skating on the chocolate road, each of them flailing and struggling to grab onto something – a stop sigh, a traffic light, a lamppost, perhaps, anything to regain control of themselves. “What the ...” The Mane-iac expressed, losing her balance and falling, where her body continued to slide until it hit a roadblock in the form of a huge powder-covered brownie in the middle of the road. “Fudge?” Shadowmane, Phetlocke, High Heel, Zapp, Smudge, and Long Face suffered similarly, only coming to a stop when they bumped their heads or other appendages up against brownies on the ground, laid out as though somepony was trying to build a brickhouse out of brownies. “Yes!” A confident voice answered. “Fudge! Isn't it wonderful? The recipe's not mine, but the road is my own creation.” Zapp pushed herself, jaw dropping at the sight. The being she recognized as Discord descended into view, wearing a costume which looked very much like Humdrum's, with the addition of a black stealth suit and a different belt. Zapp understood the Power Ponies had decided to dedicate everything in their power to the pursuit and capture of the Sinful Six-ni-Seven, but this was a whole other level of determined, desperate, and deranged. They were pulling out all the stops on this one. “What are you doing here?” Zapp snarled, defiantly punching a hoof through one of the brownie-blocks. “You know him?” The Mane-iac asked. “Oh, nothing much.” Discord answered. “I'm just here to capture you and all of your little friends and put them in a box.” Discord did indeed conjure a wooden fruit box, the kind used for apples. “Oh, excuse me. These ARE your friends, aren't they, Zapp? It's getting a little hard to tell with all the betraying recently. Or are these six just a phase until you find the NEXT group who gives you a better offer?” Zapp flew up to him, incensed. “YOU, of all ponies, have NO RIGHT to talk to ME about BETRAYAL!” “Maybe not.” Discord admitted, frowning. “I've done some things I know I'm not proud of. Still, for the time being, at least, I (somewhat) have the moral high ground, and I'm going to milk it ...” A cotton candy cloud appeared next to Discord with a string hanging out of it. Discord pulled on the string, causing the cloud to rain down chocolate milk. “For all it's worth.” “Fine.” Zapp admitted. “Zapp?” The Mane-iac asked with concern, not recognizing this bizarre creature or understanding why Zapp recognized it. “What's going on?” “It's nothing.” Zapp held her hoof. “Just stay there. Let me take care of this.” Zapp turned her attention back to Discord. “All right, you. Let's go. Just me and you, one on one.” Discord tilted his head back and laughed. “Oh, Zapp, we both know you couldn't beat me in a real fight.” Zapp was offended by this, ego intolerant of the idea she didn't excel at something, but she realized Discord was right and decided to play to his one weakness; his ego. “You're right.” Zapp said. “So why don't we make this a little more fair?” Discord leaned forward, a claw on his chin. “I'm listening. What do you propose?” “Hmm.” Zapp's eyes darted to the cotton candy cloud, lingering by Discord's shoulder. “That's a nice cloud you got there. How about a weather control contest?” Discord offered a claw to Zapp. “Deal. But who will be the judge?” “Oh, I think we'll know who wins.” Zapp shook his claw for a split-second before rocketing into the skies and summoning a huge massive of clouds with her amulets. Discord followed suit, flapping his wings and creating a mass of cotton candy clouds, which shoved Zapp's clouds out of the way so they could hog the spotlight. Zapp was visibly frustrated, though she didn't lash out. She had a plan. She summoned several smaller clouds and made them swim around in circles. Discord, somewhat impressed by Zapp's amusing trick, felt the need to upstage her and created a bundle of cotton candy clouds. He grabbed the clouds and smushed together, forming them into the rough shape of a dog. The Mane-iac, watching from below, thought the dog-cloud was rather cute. Okay. Zapp thought. Now for the Coup de Grace … or whatever it is Rarity says. She had Discord feeling comfortable, convinced this was a contest and not a trap. Zapp dotted the sky around Discord's with precisely five clouds arranged an equal distance from each other. Discord noticed the unusual cloud formation. He laid onto his back (in mid-air) and scratched his chin as he contemplated what Zapp was making now. “Say ...” Discord grew suspicious. “What's the big idea here?” Zapp swung her amulet through the air. Lightning bolts appeared from each cloud at once, zeroing in on Discord and electrocuting him. As powerful as Discord was, even he couldn't shrug off the millions of amperes running through his system. When the lightning finished frying his body, Discord remained in the air with a comical burnt crisp on his skin. He coughed, letting out a little puff of smoke. Discord weakly raised his hand as though he was a student asking the teacher a question. “I thought this was a contest?” “It was.” Zapp smugly answered. “And I won. Isn't that right, Mane-iac?” The Mane-iac smiled and made an approving gesture with her tentacles. “Hey!” Discord shouted. “You can't have your girlfriend be the contest judge! That creates a conflict of interest!” “Aw, shaddup.” Zapp primed her legs and bucked a cotton candy cloud at Discord. It hit him in square in the face, binding to his muzzle and blinding him. Discord tried in vain to pull the cotton candy off with his claws. All he ended up doing was pulling out long stretches of the candy, only for it to snap back into shape. “Ah! Ow! Oof! Oh, why did I make these things so sticky? Well, I know why, it's because cotton candy is sticky, but anyway … ” “Come on.” Zapp flew down, hovering next to the Mane-iac. “Let's get out of here.” “Not so fast!” Zapp and the Mane-iac turned around to see the Power Ponies, steadily gaining on them. Zapp dealing with Discord had given them all the time they needed to catch up, which Zapp suspected was their plan along! Clever. Sneaky. “The only place you're going is maximum security prison!” Matter-horn shouted. Zapp clutched her amulet and reared up, ready to fight, but the Mane-iac held out a tentacle and held her back. “Let me handle this.” The Mane-iac confidently walked towards the Power Ponies. “I remember what you said earlier, Zapp, and I agree ...” The Mane-iac cleared her throat. “ATTENTION, SLAVES!” The Power Ponies became unnerved when all around them, the brainwashed townsfolk, who up until were as motionless as statues in the wind, turned to face the Mane-iac. They recognized the call of their mistress and they obeyed. “We are on the cusp of a new era!” The Mane-iac announced. “We are about to revolutionize the field of hair care! We are going to enter a new society, a society where we'll have all the time we like to fawn each others' manes and compliment our lovely, luxurious locks!” “Yeah!” The brainwashed crowd cheered, unnerving the Power Ponies further. “A society where we can brush our names to our hearts' content until we've removed every last cowlick, every trace of imperfection, and can spend time coming up with news to improve our shampoos! Think about it, shampoos which promote healthy hair, prevent hair loss, annihilate dandruff, and really bring out the inner shine of our manes ...” The Mane-iac sighed lovingly, losing herself to her fantasies. “Doesn't all it sound so lovely?” “Hey.” High Heel patted Mane-iac on the back. “Listen, I get that you're excited about the whole “improve our shampoos” thing, but don't you have something to deal with?” She pointed at the Power Ponies. “Oh, right.” The Mane-iac said. The Mane-iac directed the attention of her slaves to the Power Ponies. “My fellow ponies, do you see these seven ponies and one dragon before you now?” The crowd gave a collective nod. “Well, these heathens seek to prevent our new world from coming into being! These heretics do not believe seeking to improve our manes is a worthy cause! Are we going to let them get away with that?” “No!” Matter-horn gulped as the Mane-iac smiled. “Get them.” With those two simple words, the Power Ponies found themselves under attack by a mob of brainwashed citizens, all convinced they would soon be living in some sort of … hair-based utopia based on the Mane-iac's words, and her words alone. The Mane-iac gave Matter-horn a flippant wave of her tentacles before exiting, stage left, with the rest of her team. Though they still had to navigate the mess of chocolate Discord had placed in their path. Incensed at the idea of the Mane-iac getting away again, Matter-horn raised her hoof and prepared to slug the nearest pony in front of her. “Matter-horn, don't!” Saddle Rager protested. “They're innocent! It's not their fault they're brainwashed. We can't hurt them!” Matter-horn sighed, knowing Saddle Rager was right. “Well, then what can we do?” “Doesn't seem like there's much we can do, other than take defensive positions and hope they don't hurt us!” Mare-velous expressed. Matter-horn growled, furious about being forced into a defensive position when they were so close to the final capture of the Mane-iac and her gang. She wanted to simply blow away any obstacles in her path. But these weren't obstacles, they were ponies. They were innocent civilians. Mostly harmless, powerless, innocent civilians for whom even the smallest display of the Power Ponies' considerable power could cause potential permanent damage. There was nothing they could do. The Sinful Seven made their way through the town, under the oppressing gaze of a coming twilight as the sun set. It seemed a little too appropriate, as though celestial entities and all-powerful pony princesses were carefully crafting the stage of the play so the world itself would reflect their situation – a twilight hour. The Sinful Seven made their way down a street. With most ponies in the city either brainwashed or hiding indoors from said brainwashed ponies, the Sinful Seven were free to stroll at their leisure. After wandering into a side street, they found what appeared to be an abandoned building. Crafted from carmine bricks, guarded by a gate rusted red, with gargoyle embellishments at the top of the building. “This looks like a good place to hide.” The Mane-iac said. “Looks dark. Wide open space, plenty of vantage points to see a lookout. Okay.” The Mane-iac gestured a hoof. “Everypony in there.” “Aw, do we really have to go in there?” High Heel asked. “It looks creepy. Like a mansion from those old cartoons where you just know something bad – or at least creepy -is gonna happen.” The Mane-iac narrowed her eyes. “Do you have a better idea?” High Heel had no answer. “Everpony in!” The group made their way inside, dusting off the occasionally cobweb with their hooves. Long Face seemed to quite enjoy getting the silk on his hooves, though High Heel couldn't care less. “Okay.” The Mane-iac announced once they were all inside. Phetlocke made sure to close the doors behind them. “Sinful Seven ...” The Mane-iac said. “Gather around. I have something I want to say to you. All of you. I think it's pretty clear by now that the Power Ponies are serious this time. That they're determined, and they will not stop hunting us until we're either behind bars. Do you understand? They. Will. Not. Stop.” The Sinful Seven nodded. “So, I say we stop running. No more villainous escapes. No more 'exit, stage left.' No, here ...” The Mane-iac pounded a hoof into a creaky floorboard. “Here is where we make our final stand. Here is where the battle lines are drawn, and they'll be drawn no further than THIS very building! And in case the outcome is … unfavorable to us, I want you all to know ...” The Mane-iac became teary-eyed. She reached a tendril to wipe the tear away. “You're some of the best villainous friends I've ever had, and it's been my pleasure to work with you in evil. Sure, we tried to betray each other a few times, but what villain doesn't? I am … happy that I have gotten the chance to call each of you … my friends.” Everypony was touched by the Mane-iac's sentiment. Even Smudge, normally emotionless, seemed on the brink of tears. High Heel cried a little. Shadowmane and Long Face's expressions softened. Zapp smiled, though a bit nervously, given her brief time with the group. Phetlocke, though, proved the most touched of the lot, letting out gushers of tears which sprayed High Heel and Shadowmane and got them sopping wet. “Yeesh! Okay, okay!” High Heel grabbed Phetlocke's head in the hopes of stemming, or at least redirecting his tears. “And I thought I was being sappy!” “Group hug!” Phetlocke declared. Everypony could tell his emotions were in a volatile state, so they obliged him. Each pony gathered around the Mane-iac, who wrapped her tendrils around all of them. Like the wing of a hen mother wrapped around her baby birds. “That's enough.” The Mane-iac separated. “Everypony, split up and cover the building. Find whatever supplies you can, and we'll use it and whatever you have on you to make traps for our guests. Move!” The Sinful Seven nodded. They split up and ran off in different directions, High Heel and Phetlocke taking the east wing while Smudge, Shadowmane, and Long Face took the west. Zapp flew up to cover the upper portions, but was pulled down by the Mane-iac's tentacle wrapping around her leg. “Not you, Zapp.” The Mane-iac said. “I want to talk to you in private.” “Okay.” Zapp gently shook her leg out from the tentacle and got on the ground. “What's this about?” “Zapp ...” The Mane-iac looked aside. “You're lovely. I think you're wonderful.” Zapp blushed. “But … I think you and I both know this isn't going to end until the Power Ponies capture us.” The Mane-iac said. “And I want you to be able to go back to them. I've committed too many heinous acts, done far too much evil, broke too many laws … but it's not too late for you. You can still have a good life. A life on the strait and narrow. Just because I'm going to go down doesn't mean I have to take you with me.” “Mane-iac … Tresemme, what are you saying?” The Mane-iac used a tentacle to reach into her back pocket and pulled out a bottle of brainwashing shampoo. She held it in her hooves. “There's still some shampoo left at the bottom of this bottle. I'm going to use it on you. When the Power Ponies arrive and see you as a giggling pile of mush wrapped up in my coils, they'll be more likely to forgive you when all is said and done.” As she spoke, the Mane-iac extended her tentacles and began to wrap them around Rainbow Dash's limbs. “Tresemme …” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “You don't have to do this.” “I do have to do this. For you.” The Mane-iac said. She looked at the shampoo bottle, opened its cap, and looked at Rainbow Dash. “I'm doing this because I love you. It'll trick the Power Ponies into thinking you were brainwashed the entire time, from the moment we left my apartment. We'll know the truth, of course. We know what choice you made in the hotel. And I promise, we will be the only ones who will ever know what choice you made that day.” Ranbow Dash looked into the Mane-iac's eyes. For the first time, Rainbow Dash could see the two 'halves' which comprised Tresemme united. United in purpose and united in spirit, as a united … being for the first time in what must have been a very long time. Oh, sure, there was always some of the other bleeding through, but those were more like compromises. Sometimes it was 87% Mane-iac, 13% Tresemme, others it was 75% Tresemme, 25% Mane-iac. But this was the first time Rainbow Dash could see it being 50% Tresemme and 50% Mane-iac. No – it was more like 100% Tresemme, 100% Mane-iac, even though that wasn't mathematically possible. But Rainbow Dash had never been good at math. “Do you remember when we first met?” The Mane-iac asked, speaking with Tresemme's voice. “In the grocery store? You were so taken in with me. Things seemed so simple then. Who would've guessed we would've gone on this crazy adventure?” Tresemme rolled her eyes. “All right. Enough dallying. Let's get this show on the road.” Tresemme lifted the shampoo over Rainbow Dash's head, peeling off Zapp's cowl. Rainbow Dash looked up at the shampoo bottle before tearfully returning to Tresemme. “Tresemme … don't.” “Shh.” Tresemme leaned forward, holding Dash's head in place she placed a kiss on Rainbow Dash's forehead. “I love you, Rainbow Dash.” The Mane-iac's tentacle squeezed the bottle, squirting a dollop of shampoo onto Rainbow Dash's mane. “What are we gonna do?” Mare-velous pondered as she was forced to grab a citizen by the front hooves, tie said hooves together, and hurl the citizen away from her. “Ah'm not sure how many of these folks Ah can neutralize before they wear us down!” Matter-horn backed away, trying to put some distance between herself and the enthralled crowd who were out for her blood. Grimacing and at a loss, Matter-horn sent out the first spell she could think of to buy them some time. A force field spell. A beam of light rose from her horn before expanding and surrounding the Power Ponies inside a transparent, purple dome. “A force field spell!” Mare-velous marveled at Matter-horn's magic. “That was a great idea, Matter-horn.” “Yeah.” Matter-horn blushed at the praise. “Unfortunately, it still doesn't solve our real problem!” Matter-horn watched in horror as the brainwashed swarm pounded and banged on the force filed, trying to break in. “Hmm.” Mare-velous scratched her chin. “Think we could use the force field to push these folks out of our way?” “No. The force field is stationary. It can't move. “Matter-horn explained. She tapped at her head, quite racked her brain for ideas. A 'ding!' sound from no discernible source happened as she had an idea. And it was a good one. “There's nothing that says we have to be on this side of it, though.” Matter-horn said. “Er, pardon?” Matter-horn projected a small screen which equations swam across as she worked out all the variable factors she would need to take into account to make their plan work. “Radiance, can you ...” Matter-horn leaned over and whispered. Radiance nodded. Matter-horn's horn shimmered and the force field was dispelled, fading away. As the hordes of mind-controlled ponies ran up to their targets, Radiance conjured a giant shovel the size of a small office building. Using the shovel, Radiance scooped up the townsfolk, shoving them to adjacent side streets and clearing the way for the Power Ponies to move forward. “Come on!” Matter-horn beckoned a hoof at the Power Ponies to move, galloping down the road. Once they reached what Matter-horn thought was a good distance, Matter-horn turned around and re-activated the force field spell. Only this time, the crowd was on the inside of the force field, trapping them in the bubble. “What? Hey! You can't do this to us!” One pony protested, banging on the forcefield. Ignoring his protests, Matter-horn helped herself to a smirk before she and the Power Ponies continued on their way. “Discord, are you coming?” Saddle Rager stopped to ask. Discord, still struggling with the cotton candy cloud stuck to his face, waved her off. “Oh, go on without me! I'll catch up.” He resumed his efforts to pry free of the cloud's sticky grip. Saddle Rager nodded and joined the others. “How are we gonna find the Sinful Seven?” Radiance asked. “Their distraction worked long enough, they could be anywhere by now.” “Hmm.” Matter-horn thought about this as they came upon an abandoned construction site. It was a good bet the workers had been doing their business when the shampoo-rain hit. Matter-horn levitated up a few steel i-beams, eying them with the sort of scientific curiosity that led to the creation of Frankenstein's monster. “I think what we need … is a bird's eye view.” “Uh, Twi?” Mare-velous asked. “Are y'all sure we can take those?” Matter-horn shrugged. “It's not like they'll be using them. Besides, I'll pay to replace all the parts we used after we've caught the Mane-iac.” Matter-horn set about affixing the beams to each other. “While I work on this, Mare-Do-Well will go and find where the Sinful Seven are hiding.” Inside the abandoned building, the Sinful Seven had returned to their foyer after setting up all the defenses they could manage with the limited supplies they had available to them. They were surprised and amused to find the Mane-iac cuddling with Zapp, whose hair was covered with foamy, bubbly shampoo. Some of the bubbles dripped off her scalp to the floor. “Getting in some quality time, I see.” High Heel observed. The Mane-iac didn't seem to hear her. “Who's a good slave? Who's my good little, brainwashed slave?” Zapp giggled. “I am.” The Mane-iac laughed, tickled by Zapp's child-like demeanor while under the influence. She, along with the rest of the Sinful Six, was surprised when the ground beneath their hooves shook. “What was that?” “I don't know!” High Heel shrugged. The ground shook again, becoming louder as the source of the noise came closer, or so Long Face would venture to guess. It shook again, and again and stopped. The Sinful Six looked around the room, wondering if the noise stopping meant they could let their guard down a little. The answer to that was a loud “NO!” as an enormous hoof made of metal punched a hole through the building, knocking rubble and plaster on the floor, a scant few feet away from crushing the Sinful Six underneath it. The Sinful Six were greeted by a truly monstrous sight, one which could render the hardiest villain speechless. A series of interconnected i-beams and some other scrap metal, bent around and glued together into a twisted shape roughly matching that of a pony. “Ha!” Matter-horn laughed, riding atop the iron beast. “Good work, Mare-Do-Well; you led us straight to them!” “Well, it wasn't hard.” Mare-Do-Well said. “I noticed a tripwire set on the lawn and said to myself, 'say, now what would an ordinary citizen be doing with a tripwire in their lawn?' Seeing Long Face walk around the yard only confirmed my suspicion.” The metal pony creation stuck its head into the hole it made, lowering its head so the Power Ponies could slide down its neck and land on the floor. “This is how it's gonna work.” Daring Do said. “You give yourselves up nice and quietly, and Matter-horn won't use her giant robot to smash you into pieces.” Matter-horn laughed. “Well, it's not a robot. It doesn't have any circuitry or wiring, it's just metal. Really, it's more like a golem or a homunculus – and you don't really care, do you?” Daring Do clutched at her face in mock-horror. “Holy pedantic distinction, Mare-Do-Well! That answer your question?” The Mane-iac chuckled. “I would love to take you up on that offer, but I'm afraid my slave and I are going to have to decline. Isn't that right, dear?” The Mane-iac stroked Zapp's mane with a tentacle. Zapp nodded in agreement. “Mm-hmm. Right ...” Matter-horn gasped. “What have you done to Zapp, you green-maned monster?” “Oh, nothing much.” The Mane-iac said. “I just used a little bit of my brainwashing shampoo on her, like I've been doing all along!” The Mane-iac burst out into evil laughter without missing a beat, allowing the Power Ponies to believe Zapp had been brainwashed the entire time. Even though both the Mane-iac and Zapp knew Zapp had only been brainwashed some of the time. “ATTACK!” The Mane-iac ordered her teammates. The Sinful Six sprang into action, ready to fight the Power Ponies for what they thought would be the last time. Fili-Second used her powers of speed, running up to High Heel and smacking over the face with the same boot Saddle Rager used. With Fili-Second's speed behind it, the boot hit High Heel at fifty miles-per-hour, enough to leave a bruise on High Heel's cheek and send her sliding across the floor. The monstrous golem wrought by Matter-horn stuck its hoof into the building. It attempted to stomped the Sinful Six, which would surely have turned them into a fine, mushy smear on the floor. It locked onto Long Face, trying to squash him. Phetlocke was just nimble enough to avoid the giant hoof, using his wings to assist in jumps and backflipping to get out of the way. “I grow tired of this.” Long Face said. He galloped up the Mane-iac and Zapp. He grabbed Zapp's amulet and pulled it over her head. “Hey!” The Mane-iac protested at this intrusion of privacy. “You won't mind if I borrow this, will you, Zapp?” Long Face said. “I thought not.” Placing the amulet into his teeth, Long Face pointed the amulet up and swirled it through the air. Thunderclouds manifested inside the building. At Long Face's bidding, the thunderclouds sent struck Matte-horn's golem with a lighting bolt. Amidst the list of conductive elements in the world, metal was near the top of the list. The entire structure of the golem, from its head to its hooves, was soon subject to a self-perpetuating vicious cycle of electrocution. Each piece of iron formed a conduit which fed it on itself, multiplying the lightning's strength before it jumped to another part of the body. As the creature's consciousness was only as complex as it need be to follow commands and input from Matter-horn, its 'brain,' such as it were, was totally fried beyond repair. The pieces of steel which made up its form now lacked the primitive mind that held them together, and so they seperated and fell apart into a pile of scrap metal. “Now that Matter-horn's homunculus taken care of ...” Long Face gently slid the amulet back onto Zapp and pulled out a vial filled with black, inky liquid. Long Face stared the Power Ponies down. “I would like to introduce you, Power Ponies, to my old friend … FEAR!” “You think fear is your friend?” The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well tossed one of her signature black discus, knocking the vial out of Long Face's hoof. It fell to the floor and shattered, creating gaseous black clouds around Long Face. “No!” Long Face gasped, holding a hoof up in horror. He knew the effects of his vial, and he knew they would wear off if he could get out from the cloud. But the smoke around him was so dark, black as night, that he couldn't see clearly. “Let's get one thing straight between you and me.” Mare-Do-Well said. Long Face whipped around, trying to find where her voice was coming from. “Fear is not your friend. It's my friend. I was born from fear. I was cast by it. Fear does not work for you.” Mare-Do-Well descended from above like a bat out of Tartarus. Having to inhale his own concoction, Long Face's mind and perception of reality was warped. When he laid eyes upon Mare-Do-Well, his vision was distorted to the point Mare-Do-Well appeared be bat-like demon, come to swoop upon him and take him away, where his soul would be weighed against a feather to determine his sins. “Fear works for ME.” Mare-Do-Well bucked Long Face in the chest. Long Face stumbled, grasping at his chest and coughing from his smoke, before collapsing onto his side. “Ugh ...” High Heel rubbed her head as she regained consciousness. Looking around, she saw the black smoke and Mare-Do-Well triumphant over Long Face. “Grr ...” High Heel saw Phetlocke and Shadowmane were still standing. High Heel rallied them. “Come on, guys! Let's go get them!” Phetlocke and Shadowmane shared a glance, both of them fearful of losing. But they braced themselves. Together with High Heel, they charged at the Power Ponies, screaming like excited football players on the night of a big game. Seeing their display of bravado, Radiance rolled her eyes. Horn shimmering, Radiance created two walls on either side of High Heel's group. Her expression of utter disinterest, Radiance brought the two walls together, trapping High Heel, Shadowmane, and Phetlocke between them. “You're … crowding me!” High Heel complained with Phetlocke's hoof stuffed into her cheek. Radiance had not left them a lot of room. “Well, sorry!” Phetlocke responded. “There's not much I can do about it!” “Now that's what I call a villain sandwich!” Fili-Second joked. “Eh? Eh? “Villain sandwich'?” Fili-Second found, to her dismay, nothing but questioning glares in her direction. “Wow, tough crowd. Well, I thought it was funny.” Mare-velous observed the fact Radiance had caught and disabled three of the Sinful Six in one swift movement. “Huh. Not a bad day's work. At this rate, we'll capture this whole criminal lot in no time – MARE-DO-WELL! LOOK OUT!” “Huh?” Mare-Do-Well turned around a second too late to react to Smudge sneaking up on him. Smudge growled and wrapped his hooves around her, pulling her towards his chest with the intent to absorb her into his body. Although not exactly clear on what would happen to Mare-Do-Well if she were absorbed, Mare-velous was determined not to see it happen. Leaping into action, Mare-velous tackled Mare-Do-Well, freeing her from Smudge's clutches and landing her on the ground. “Got'cha!” Mare-velous said. “Don't y'all worry now. Yer in safe … hooves?” Mare-velous paused. In the process of rescuing Mare-Do-Well from Smudge, Mare-velous had knocked Mare-Do-Well's hat off. Not only that, but she had knocked loose Mare-Do-Well's mask, and she thought she recognized the face poking out from it. Mare-velous, failing to think about the fact they were villains in the building, went ahead and peeled the rest of Mare-Do-Well's mask off. Revealing … “Apple Bloom?” “Hi.” Apple Bloom said, smiling sheepishly. “Hi!” Sweetie Belle poked her head out, shoving Apple Bloom up. “Hi!” Scootaloo followed, pushing up Sweetie Belle's head. Radiance galloped over to confirm what she was seeing was real. “Ah don't believe it.” Mare-velous said. “Mare-Do-Well, one of the most feared, competent crime-fighters in all of Maretropolis … is secretly run by my sister and her friends.” “Yup.” Apple Bloom said. “We knew you went out to fight crime, and we wanted to help.” Scootaloo said. “But we knew you would never let us join you on your secret mission, so we went and made our superhero identity.” “We all stuffed ourselves into this Mare-Do-Well costume and began our super-secret superhero training!” Sweetie Belle explained. “That way, we could help you if things got really bad and make sure you came home on time. No pony ever realized it was behind Mare-Do-Well. Not even you, sis!” “We've gotten pretty good at beating up bad guys and taking them to jail.” Scootaloo said. “But … if you want us to stop, we understand.” Sweetie Belle said. “Oh, Sweetie Belle.” Radiance had tears in her eyes. “I never realized … you cared about me so much that you were willing to risk life and limb as a vigilante to see to it I returned home safely every night … that's so selfless of you!” “Really?” Sweetie Belle asked. “So you're not mad?” “Oh, I'm furious. How could you be so irresponsible as to dress up as a masked hero and then not tell your big sister?” Radiance placed a hoof on Sweetie Belle's shoulder. “But … I'm also touched, too.” “Hmph.” Daring Do watched and turned away, feeling betrayed and hurt her mentor had turned out to be a trio of school fillies. She turned her attention to the Mane-iac. The Mane-iac had opted to stay out of the fight the whole time, instead simply cuddling with Zapp while calling her cute pet names. The Mane-iac was rubbing Zapp's chin with a tentacle when she noticed Daring Do. “Who's my good little pegasus? You are. Yes, you are! … Oh.” The Mane-iac turned her attention to Daring. “Hello. What are you going to do, then? Try in vain to snap Zapp out of it? Well, let me save you the trouble. You can't. She's too far gone.” The Mane-iac smirked. “I'm not here to save Zapp.” Daring Do reached into her back pocket. “I'm here to finish you. I'm removing you from the picture, Mane-iac … permanently.” Hearing this surprisingly menacing statement, The Power Ponies all turned their attention to Daring Do. “Is that …” Matter-horn stammered. “Is that A GUN?” Daring Do did indeed have a gun on her person. She aimed it square at the Mane-iac. “The Power Ponies have let you get away from them one time too many.” Daring Do said. “And they've been trying to fix that lately, I'll give them that … but still. I'm not convinced they can do what needs to be done.” "And you do? Well, go on then! Do it!" The Mane-iac encouraged Daring, a tear dripping down her cheek as her voice distorted, blending between the Mane-iac's and Tresemme's. "I don't want to be a villain anymore ..." "What?" Daring asked. "Could you speak up?" "Nothing." The Mane-iac used her tendril to wipe a tear from her face. "Do it. Show the world how high and mighty of a superhero you are that you would be willing to use a gun." “Daring, don't!” Sweetie Belle protested. “Why not?” Daring Do reached for the trigger. “Zapp's too far gone, and you need to accept she's never coming back. Just like – just like … how somepony I loved is never coming back.” Daring Do's grip on the gun became shaky, but she righted herself. “This is what you wanted, isn't it? To put an end to the Mane-iac's schemes for good?” “Well, yes.” Matter-horn admitted. “But not like this! Using guns is against superhero code!” Daring Do scoffed. “Code? What code? We have no legislative body. No … secret superhero council, or anything like that. No, we don't have a code. We have a bunch of guidelines we've all politely agreed to follow. There's nothing in writing which says I can't do this. When I pull this trigger, the only ponies who will have any legal grounds over me will be the police. And honestly, I'll doubt they'll arrest for putting an end to the Mane-iac.” “You mean … if you pull the trigger.” Matter-horn said. “No, I mean when.” And 'when' was 'now,' as Daring Do pulled the trigger, over the protests and objections of everypony in the building. The Mane-iac closed her eyes, accepting her fate. To everypony's surprise, it was Scootaloo who came closest to saving the day, as she jumped, using her wings to gain flight time and tackling Daring, throwing her aim off. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Matter-horn tried in vain to grab the bullet before it reached its target. The Mane-iac closed her eyes and held onto Zapp tightly before pushing her away so the bullet wouldn't hit her. Zapp, her mind reduced to child-like levels from the brainwashing shampoo, had no understanding of what was going on when she heard the pop of the bullet leaving the barrel. She had no understanding of why, after being so lovingly wrapped around her for so long, the Mane-iac's tentacles suddenly unwound from her body. She had no understanding as she heard the thud of a body hitting the floor. Zapp moved her hooves around, trying to find some piece of her lover to hold onto. After some flailing and stumbling, she saw the Mane-iac and got down to her knees. She placed her hooves on the Mane-iac's body. The Mane-iac's … cold … unmoving … unresponsive body, "T … Tresemme?" “Mmm ...” Rainbow Dash groaned. “Ugh ...” She opened her eyes to see she was on a bed. A bunk bed, in particular. She recognized this bed. It was the same bunk bed she and Pinkie Pie shared at the mansion, but for some reason, she was on the bottom when she usually slept on top. Turning her head to one side, Rainbow Dash saw Twilight Sparkle sitting in a chair by her bedside. “Hey.” said Rainbow Dash. “Hey.” Twilight turned her head away, crossing her legs. Rainbow Dash rolled onto her back. She rubbed at her temples and covered her face. “Boy. I really messed up this time, huh?” “Yes.” Twilight said. “But I'm not here to tell you things you already know.” Rainbow Dash removed her hooves from her face. She turned back to Twilight. “What happened?” “Well ...” Twilight tapped her hooves together. “After the Mane-iac was dealt with, you were left lying on the floor with brainwashing soap on your head.” “Shampoo.” Twilight glared at her. “The girls and I figured we couldn't just leave you there, so we figured we might as well take you home. We rinsed the shampoo off and put you in Pinkie's bed, hoping you would be back to your senses when you woke up.” “Mmm.” Rainbow Dash was grateful for her friends' kindness, especially after everything she put them through, but she noticed something. “Twilight?” “Yeah?” “You said the Mane-iac was 'dealt with'. How … how, exactly?” Twilight bit her lip and sighed. “Daring Do … pulled a gun on the Mane-iac.” Hearing this caused Rainbow Dash to bolt upright. “Sweet Celestia! Did she – really – a gun? Like, a real gun?” “Yes.” Twilight nodded. “She made this big speech about how there weren't 'rules' in the superhero community, and how we didn't have the guts to do what 'needed to be done.' She … fired the gun at the Mane-iac. I tried to talk her out of it, and when that didn't work, I tried to catch the bullet with my magic, but it was too fast and – oh, Rainbow Dash, I'm sorry.” Twilight closed her eyes. “Mm-hmm.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “What about her? The Mane-iac? Is she … is she dead?” Twilight refused to answer. “Answer me, Twilight!” Rainbow snapped. “Is she dead?” Twilight continued to dodge the question, only answering after a long silence. “I'm sorry. You may not have made the best choices these last few days, but I could tell you really loved her. I'm so sorry.” Rainbow Dash grimaced, taking a hoof to her forehead. She cried, letting tears stream down her face. “That's it.” Twilight said. “Let it all out.” Rainbow Dash sniffled. She uncovered her face. “And … what about Daring? What happened to her?” “Daring Do is in custody.” Twilight said. “She may have been wrong about a few things in her speech, but she was right about a few things, too. We're petitioning Princess Celestia to create a superhero legislative body. For superheroes, run by superheroes. As for Daring, we're putting together a formal inquiry to decide whether her shooting the Mane-iac was justified. We got so busy with trying to subdue her after she shot the Mane-iac, the rest of the Sinful … Five got away with the Mane-iac's …” “It's okay, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash said, sniffling and holding back tears. “You can say it. I'm a big girl.” “With the Mane-iac's body.” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash cried and sniffled some more. “You know ...” Rainbow Dash said. “I never liked her. Daring, I mean. From the moment we first met ...” Twilight chuckled. They could at least wring some good humor out of the situation. “Yeah, I know. Oh, and Mare-Do-Well is actually the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “As in – as in, our Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Twilight nodded. “Mm-hmm.” Rainbow Dash a put a hoof to her cheek. “You know, in a way … I'm kind of not surprised. Figures they would do something stupid like that.” “Mm-hmm.” Twilight looked away. “So, I'm curious … through the whole thing, how … brainwashed were you, really?” “A bit.” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I see.” Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to look away. “Twilight, listen … I have a confession to make. While the Mane-iac and I were on the run, we went into a hotel, and … she made me make a choice.” “Go on.” “My choices were to either defect willingly, try to bring her in and present her to you guys, or let myself be brainwashed so I didn't have to choose for myself.” “Okay.” Twilight said. “Since it seemed like you never tried to bring us the Mane-iac, that leaves one of two options … unless, of course, I want to be generous and assume you did try to bring her in, only for the Mane-iac to subdue you and brainwash you anyway.” Twilight nodded. “In fact, it might be easier to just pretend that was what happened.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “Yeah.” Twilight frowned. “But we know the easy thing isn't the right thing. So … what choice did you make?” Rainbow Dash glanced to the side. “Well, that's the thing … I want to tell you. But the Mane-iac promised me only two ponies would know what choice I made – myself and her. I don't want to betray her trust … I don't want to break that promise. You understand, don't you?” Twilight Sparkle nodded. “I do.” Twilight was silent once again for awhile, until she said ... “Write a letter.” “Huh?” “Write a letter describing what choice you made.” Twilight explained. “Go outside of Martropolis. Find a wide, empty field, and bury the letter there. In five years, if you haven't earned our trust back by then, we'll go out and dig it up. I think that's a fair compromise after everything we've been through ... maybe even a little too forgiving.” Twilight levitated a pencil and a piece of paper to Rainbow Dash. “Okay.” Rainbow Dash wrote on the parchment. When she was done, Twilight levitated an envelope to her. Rainbow Dash folded the letter up to fit it inside said envelope. After the envelope was finished, Twilight took it from Rainbow Dash. “Well … I guess there's not much we can do now other than accept you back into the Power Ponies until those five years are up.” Twilight said with a smile. “But until then, you're gonna have to work really hard to prove to us we can trust you from now on.” Rainbow Dash blushed and smiled. “Yeah, I know. Don't worry, Twilight. I promise, I'll do everything I can to make it up to and prove I'm still a Power Pony, through and through. Even if I got a little lovestruck for awhile. Pinkie Promise.” “Good. Believe me, Rainbow Dash, I want this letter to stay buried just as much as you do. Oh, one more thing.” Twilight said. “The next time you suspect somepony you're in love with as secretly being one of our enemies … tell us first, before you go confront them alone.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Deal.” The doorbell to the mansion rang. “I'll get it!” Pinkie Pie announced, zipping through the hall. She returned moments later to Rainbow Dash's bedroom. “It's for yoooou!” Pinkie said in sing-song. “Me?” Rainbow Dash pushed off the covers and got out of bed. She went downstairs to greet whoever it was. It was a pony. A doctor, if Dash to guess, going off his white coat and blue shirt. “Uh, yes. Hello. I'm looking for a Rainbow Dash?” The doctor said. “I've been led to believe she lives here.” “That's me.” Rainbow Dash said. “What do you want?” The doctor, as it turns out, worked at the local hospital. Rainbow Dash had become a pony of interest in the case of an unusual patient. “We have no idea where she came from.” The doctor said. “We were finishing up the night shift when we suddenly found her lying outside the front entrance, like somepony had just … dumped here there. She's quite the unusual case. With some surgery, she survived a bullet wound to the head.” “A bullet wound ... to the head?” Rainbow Dash asked, incredulous. “Yes. It's quite remarkable, really. Almost a miracle. The odds of this happening … well, statistics say it'll be another ten to fifteen years before anything like this happens again!” The doctor said. “The bullet hit her head at just the right angle for her to survive, if she got appropriate medical care in time. Somepony made sure she did. It's funny. If the bullet had been so much as one centimeter either way, she would have never made it. If she had gotten her care a second later, she wouldn't have made it. The universe must have really been smiling on her today.” “She's suffered some head trauma.” The doctor went on. “Heavy memory loss. She can only remember two things, one of which was your name – that why's I went looking for you, by the way. I'm hoping if she sees you, it'll jog her memory some. But other than that, she's fine! She has full cognition, motor functions … everything but her memory. Ah, here we go!” The doctor stopped and opened the door to the patient's room. “Please, go in.” The doctor nodded. Rainbow Dash went in, not expecting to find much of interest to her. What she did find made her jaw drop. “Tresemme?” Tresemme was on the bed, reading a book. Her cranium was wrapped in bandages, but otherwise, she looked fine. “Oh, hello.” Tresemme said to her. “Tresemme? Is that my name?” “Uh, yeah.” Rainbow Dash said, nervously walking up to her bed. Dash put a hoof on the guardrail. “Do you … remember me?” Tresemme shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe. Are you Rainbow Dash?” “Uh, yeah. That's me.” Rainbow Dash still couldn't believe it. Here was Tresemme, alive and mostly well. Dash wanted somepony to come pinch her to be sure this wasn't a dream. “I remember two things.” Tresemme said. “Hairs. Lots and lots of hair … and your name.” Tresemme said. “So, since I can't remember anything, why don't you tell me how we know each other?” “I'm, uh, I'm your girlfriend.” Rainbow Dash said. Tresemme's was taken aback. “Really?” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yup!” “Huh.” Tresemme looked at Rainbow Dash's mane. “I absolutely love your mane. It's so vibrant and colorful. How do you get like that? What dye do you use? What's your regimen?” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “This? This is all natural.” Tresemme's stared in shock. “No way.” “It's true.” Rainbow Dash said. She presented her mane to Tresemme. “You can feel it if you don't believe me." Tresemme took a hoof to Rainbow Dash's hair, curling a stand of hair around her hoof. “Wow … I don't believe it. It really is natural!” “I told you!” Rainbow Dash said. The two of them shared in delighted laughter. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe. She not only had a second chance with the Power Ponies, but she also had one with Tresemme. She could help Tresemme build her life back up. Get her back to apartment, get her back her old job. Though hopefully without the part about falling into a vat of acid. She could train Tresemme to be a hero instead of a villain. She could teach Tresemme to control the dormant Mane-iac part of her Dash knew was still in there. Rainbow Dash paused to wonder … was it right for her to take advantage of Tresemme's memory loss? Was it ethical to try training her to be a hero when Dash knew Tresemme was a villain at heart? Isn't that no better than what the Mane-iac was trying to do to me? To Maretopolis? "Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?" Tresemme asked. "You looked troubled." "Yeah, fine." Dash assured. "You just keep playing with my mane." Rainbow Dash resolved a compromise. She would get Tresemme to where she could stand on her own hooves. After which, as soon as both she and Tresemme felt they were ready, she would tell Tresemme about her past and let her decide if she wanted to go back to being the maniacal Mane-iac … or if she would like to start anew, as a hero. But that was going to take awhile. For right now, Rainbow Dash was determined they were just going to have some fun, lying here in the hospital while Tresemme flicked and poked at Rainbow Dash's hair bangs. Author's Note And with that, another story comes to a close. I wanted to include another scene of the Mane-iac and Rainbow Dash being 'intimate' after the Power Ponies cut them off at the HQ, but I realized it would disrupt the flow and pacing of the chapter. I also wanted the steel I-beam golem Matter-horn made to last longer in the fight, but it kind of disrupted the balance of power. So away it went. And the speech Mare-Do-Well makes to Long Face is a spin on the speech Bane makes to Batman early into The Dark Knight Rises film. Originally, it was just going to BE the speech with the word "Darkness" substitued with "Fear," but I decided to give it a bit more variation than that. And of course, in the same scene, Long Face seeing Mare-Do-Well as a demon also references multiple occurences when the Scarecrow becomes victim to his own Fear Gas and sees Batman as such. That "weighing a soul against a feather" thing mention in the narration? Totally real. Well, "real" as far as mythology goes. That's the end of it, for now. I've discussed with DarknessRising and toyed with the idea of writing a spin-off or "What If?" issues with alternate endings, but I won't write those until I really feel comfortable with spending my time in that manner. Don't expect any sequels anytime soon, either. But hey, it's a comic book. I've always approached this story as thinking it was a comic book, fitting into a long series of publications involving the Power Ponies, with other Power Pony related stories being released by the same 'company' over a period of years, taking place in alternate universes, or being reboots of each other ... it's fun to think of that way. And it's fun to think some reading this might want to do their own Power Pony stores with the same approach.
Issue 1: "Arrows of Love!" Issue 1 Solicit: After a routine mission beating the Mane-iac, The Power Ponies have to deal with another frustrating foe; being out of groceries. But while at the store, Rainbow Dash struggles with an even more worrying predicament: being struck by Cupid! IN a desolate and lifeless foundation made from steel and iron, lit only by the smooth gleam of the silver moon and what little light peeked from the building's windows, the shadow of a figure crept in the pitch-black night. It rose up like a budding flower from the edge of an old ventilation machine. The shadow ducked and rolled, moving from the cover of one dinged-up useless machine to the next. It raised its hoof and made the motions of a beckoning signal. Out from the machine the shadow had whence emerged from, crept out five more shadows which joined the first. Most ponies might question the wisdom of going to a forsaken facility in the dangerous dark. Most ponies might decide it best to stay home and leave the rest of the world alone to its own devices. Not these six. For these six were not most ponies. No, they were special. They answered the calls no one else would, to do the jobs no one else could. They were lights in the darkness. They were defenders of truth, justice, and the Equestrian way. They were calm protectors against an ever-present, ever-changing mass of chaos, a chaos which was always just out of sight but always looming overhead. They were (and are) ... the POWER PONIES! Including The Masked Matter-horn, able to send out beams ranging from the most scorching heat to the coldest frost. Mistress Mare-Velous, who wields an enchanted lasso in combat. Radiance, with the power to make anything she can think of into a solid construct. Fili-Second, able to run at several hundred-thousand miles per hour (and who the Masked Matter-horn would be quick to point out, was not a real measurement of seconds. Milliseconds, yes, microseconds, yes, nanoseconds, yes, but not Fili-Seconds). Zapp, with her enchanted amulet that could bend the weather to her will. Last and least was Saddle Rager … who was too shy and timid to do much. Unless she got angry, which triggered a transformation in her into a monstrous rampaging beast! But she was just so gosh-darned scared all the time, getting her angry was too much of a hassle. On this dim and starry night, the Power Ponies had received a tip-off about suspicious ponies in barbershop outfits who were going in and out of an abandoned shampoo-making factory. A description which perfectly matched the modus operandi of their bitter nemesis, THE MANE-IAC! A former hair product sales-ponies turned superpowered criminal, the Mane-Iac was a mutated pony whose hair was green, pliable, and extendable, the long reach of her tentacles working without end to fuel her plans for world domination! Hair-based world domination. The factory having its lights on at this late hour was in itself suspicious enough, but the Power Ponies needed to only the faintest echo of the Mane-Iac's distinctive cackle for the confirmation of their suspicions and the validation of the anonymous tip-off. The Masked Matter-horn found an air-duct and directed the other Power Ponies to it. Using her power the way a construction worker uses a welding torch, she melted the metal of the duct and tore the door off. It was too small for their bodies to fit in, but they were prepared. Radiance created a large hammer to chisel out enough space for them to get through. “Oooh.” Saddle Rager whined as they crawled into the dusty, abandoned space. “Do we have to be here? I'd much rather be at home with my animal friends.” “Tough it up, Rager!” Zapp snapped. “We've got a job to do, and that job is kick the Mane-iac's flank into next week! If you don't wanna do it, fine, but we'll just carry on without you!” “Zapp, there's no need to be rude.” Radiance said. “Saddle Rager is simply stating she would prefer to be at home. I would prefer to be at the spa, but we chose to take this duty as our own and we will fulfill it. Isn't that right, Rager?” Rager sighed. “I guess ...” The Masked Matter-horn, at the front of the pack, turned around and gave the order for silence. They had arrived at the end of the ventilation shaft, where they could spy with their little eyes the Mane-iac and her goons, attempting to reactive the disused machinery, no doubt for their nefarious plans to create shampoo. EVIL shampoo. “Tonight, minions, we shall take Maretropolis!” The Mane-Iac shouted, using her tentacles to give herself a perch at the highest point of the machinery. “And I know I say that every time ...” The minions murmured amongst themselves in agreement. “But I really mean it this time! We SHALL take Maretropolis through that most beautiful of natural accessories – hair! Think about it. Who doesn't love hair? Who doesn't wake up and brush their mane first thing in the morning? And with my new scheme, minions, we shall use the natural beauty of hair to convert the world to our way of thinking! We will show them the LIGHT! … of hair!” A minion raised their hoof. “I have a question.” “Yes?” “What if sompony's bald? What do we do then?” “That's a good question.” Saddle Rager said. “I mean, what if they have a condition that prevents them from growing hair?” “Yeah.” Another minion muttered. He turned to his fellow, who nodded. “That's a good point!” The Mane-Iac stiffened like a hound taking point. “Who's there? Who is talking over my grand moment uninvited?” Matter-horn put her hoof to her face. “Um ...” Rager muttered. “Nopony! Nopony is there. Pay no attention to the mares behind the ventilation shaft.” The Mane-Iac looked upward, tapping her chin with a tentacle. She pointed upwards. “Minions, I'm not sure why, but I think you should check that ventilation shaft.” “Oh, forget it.” Matter-horn used her horn to blast the ventilation grate off the wall, blowing it into smithereens – A MOST DRAMATIC ENTRANCE! “Power Ponies!” Mane-iac swore. “Yes, it's us.” Matter-horn growled. “And Mane-iac … you're late for your haircut.” The Mane-iac was not so easily cowed. She reared up and pointed her tentacles at them the way a porcupine bared its needles at predators. “Minions, GET THEM!” The minions tensed up to pounce on their prey, but the Masked Matter-horn proved far more reactive than them, dispatching a large number of them with a single laser beam of heat which she swept over the room. She jumped down from the grate, allowing Radiance to materialize a set of stairs for the others to climb down on – after all, safety was first. The Power Ponies now on the ground level with their opponents, the minions lunged and charged at the masked team. However, them being thugs and mooks with no powers or abilities of their own, and the Power Ponies equipped with the special abilities to bend nature and defy science, the fight was a lopsided one at best. Zapp raised her amulet up and created a cloud, which rained down ice and snow until the floor was too slippery for the hooves of the minions to get any traction on. They slipped and fell. Radiance created three walls of energy, which she placed on the ground around the minions, cornering them like cattle ripe for the slaughter. That “slaughter” being the Matter-horn blasting them all with a freeze ray, binding their iced-over hooves to the iced-over floor. Meanwhile, Fili-Second was going through the machines of the factory, opening panels, unplugging wires and disconnecting circuits, much to the frustration of the Mane-iac. “Oh, what does this button do?” Fili-Second asked as she ripped out a cord from a machine. “No! Stop that!” Mane-iac hissed, snapping her tentacles at Fili-Second. Fili-Second was unto a flash of lightning – here one minute and gone the next as she sped through the complex, dismantling machinery bit by bit to foil the Mane-Iac's evil plan, whatever it was going to be. “What's the matter, Mane-iac?” Mistress Mare-velous teased as she used her lasso on another mook. “Don't like sharing yer toys?” “NO! No, I don't! Oooh, I'll get you pesky Power Brats!” “Ah doubt it!” Mare-velous shouted as another minion got the drop on her, trying to attack her rope with a pair of scissors. “Git … off!” Mare-velous struggled with the determined mook until Matter-horn took care of him with a laser blast. To the FACE. Mare-velous turned to Matter-horn. “Thanks, hon. Yer a doll.” “Don't mention it.” Matter-horn waved her hoof. “Now, to put the Mane-iac behind bars once and for all!” She looked up to the Mane-iac's perch. The Mane-iac herself had vanished and gone, no doubt having fled while the Power Ponies were distracted by her mooks – a sure sign of her disregard for their safety and health. “PINKIE PIE!” Matter-horn screamed. “YOU LET HER GET AWAY!” “What?” Fili-Second, or Pinkie Pie, questioned as she enjoyed tugging on more wires. “I'm sorry, I was more focused on playing with all the fancy doodads inside of the machines and their doohickies!” Zapp shook her head. “Pinkie Pie, what are we going to do with you?” In truth, the Power Ponies each had a secret, civilian identity which they used their costumes to hide from the world. Zapp was the weatherpony and aspiring Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie, Super-Duper Party Pony, was Fili-Second. Radiance was Rarity, a fashion designer,farmer pony Applejack was Mistress Mare-velous, and Saddle Rager was Fluttershy, a timid animal caretaker. The Masked Matter-horn was Twilight Sparkle, envoy of Princess Celestia. They took up the costumes to protect themselves and their loved ones from enterprising villains who might be tempted to take hostages or strike them when their guard was down in the safety of their home. Said home was a shared mansion in Maretropolis. After thwarting the Mane-iac's scheme, even if they failed to apprehend the Mane-iac herself, the Power Ponies returned to the mansion. They went inside through a secret entrance, so nopony could see them enter and make the connection between their vigilante selves and their secret identities. Inside the mansion, a portrait lifted up and swung to the side, exposing an elevator chute. The elevator which accompanied the chute rose up soon after and dinged before opening. One by one they went inside, each of them taking off their costumes and stuffing them behind another portrait which had a secret compartment. “Hello, ladies!” A deep voice greeted them. A whirl of colors moved through the air like a serpent of living paint, until it stopped and made itself into a mix-and-match creature with features of a mule and a serpent – Discord. A spirit with reality-warping powers who Twilight's group had befriended and reformed from his evil ways. They preferred he didn't join them on Power Pony missions to avoid giving hints about their identities. “Enjoy any good heroics last night?” “Nothing much.” Twilight answered, trotting past him. “We stopped the Mane-iac from doing her scheme, but we didn't catch her.” Twilight jumped and halted when an arcade game appeared in front of her out of thin air. “Don't worry!” The game said. “You'll get them next time!” It bleeped and blared victorious music like Twilight had won a game on it. Twilight noticed the game was colored like Discord's fur and relaxed. She sighed. “Thank you, Discord. That's nice of you to say.” She walked past him to the living room and threw herself onto the plush couch with a thump. She used her magic to pull out the television remote and turned the T.V on. It was set to a news channel, showing a police report on the crime scene the Power Ponies had left last night. “In conclusion, we have the Power Ponies to thank for stopping yet another of the Mane-iac's schemes before the police were even aware of it.” The officer on the screen said.“ However, we would have appreciated if they could left less collateral damage in their wake.” The officer pointed to the factory's machines, which Pinkie Pie had sabotaged. Pinkie Pie blushed and shirked as the others gave her disapproving glares. “Why do we even have police?” Rainbow Dash shrugged as the officer continued to espouse praise for their heroics. “I mean, we're stronger, better, faster ...” “The police do a good job with normal criminals, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said, sipping a teacup she had acquired. “The Mane-iac and her friends aren't normal criminals, though, so they need special teams like us. On top of that, if we didn't have the police, we'd have to go out all the time to deal with regular criminals who do things like steal watches. Do you really want to have to bother with small time petty crooks like that?” “I guess not ...” “It's mutually beneficial, darling.” Rarity said as she opened the fridge and looked inside. “We make their jobs easier by dealing with the powered brutes, they make our jobs by making it so we don't have to deal with the petty thugs … hmm. We're out of milk, darlings. We need to go to the store.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Rarity, we're not going to the store just because we're out of one thing.” Rainbow Dash flew into the kitchen and came back through with an empty soda bottle. “We're also out of soda.” “Fine! Two things. Still not worth a trip to the store.” The rest of the girls went into the kitchen and spread out, searching for anything else they might have needed. “And oranges.” Applejack added. “And sugar!” Pinkie Pie held up an empty bag for the sugar. “And animal feed for Angel.” Fluttershy said. “You know, darling, I have made back a large investment with my dresses.” Rarity tapped her chin. “It would be nice to go and spend a little cash on a few indulgences ...” Twilight sighed and put a hoof over her forehead, the way exhausted mothers do. “Fine. We'll go to the store.” “Yes!” Rarity clapped and ran about the room like she was Fili-Second instead of Pinkie Pie. “Oh, it's been awhile since the last time I allowed myself to spend away like the rich mare I am at heart” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh … that's nice!” So, Twilight's group did go to one of the most danger-wrought places in the entire city of Maretropolis: THE GROCERY STORE! Danger and fear was around every corner, as the store was full of awful, awful things … things like … Somepony bumping into them at the register! Somepony bumping into them in the aisle! INDECISION as they tried – no, not tried, STRUGGLED with what brand they wanted to buy! Oh, the calamity! The indignity of it all! “I'll head straight to the fashion aisle.” Rarity said. “I simply must let my fellow fashion designers know I still approve of their work!” She sped off down the aisles. “Oh, good.” Twilight dryly mumbled. “Anyways, I'll go down the paper aisle and see if there's anything we need. Applejack, you're on produce.” Applejack saluted and hurried off. “I'll get the animal feed.” Fluttershy flew away. “Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, you're on soaps and shampoos.” Twilight said. “Rarity complained about being low on her “special moisturizing agent,” so make sure you get that.” “Can do, boss.” Rainbow Dash answered, strutting towards the aisle with Pinkie Pie. “Come on, Pinkie Pie.” Dash gestured as they walked down the bath supplies. “We need to stop to get me some deodorant. Fluttershy's been complaining about me stinking up the bunk beds.” “Okay!” Pinkie Pie bounced around, picking up deodorants and handing them to Rainbow Dash. “What about this one? Or maybe this is better? No, wait! I think this is on the best! Rainbow Dash? Wait, wait, maybe this one?” “Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash snapped, swatting the accumulated pile of deodorants from Pinkie's hooves. “Slow down! Let me look at them one at a time.” Rainbow Dash picked up one bottle of deodorant and walked down the aisle with it as she examined it. As a result, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and bumped into somepony, knocking them both down. Rainbow Dash got up. “Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and I … I … I-I-I-I-I ...” Sitting on the floor, rubbing her head, was a light purple mare with cyan hair, a tail with split ends, and a purple neck-tie. And she was the most beautiful mare Rainbow Dash had ever seen. The way she got up from the floor and tilted her head back played in slow motion like an over-dramatic shampoo commercial, allowing allowing Rainbow Dash to lap up every smooth motion of her hair as it flowed back and forth. The pony stopped and stared at Rainbow Dash. “I-I-I-I ...” The beautiful pony regarded Rainbow Dash and her stammering with curiosity, raising an eyebrow. Pinkie Pie popped up next to Rainbow Dash, holding another bottle of deodorant in front of her face. “What about this one, Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie Pie noticed Dash's non-stop stuttering, then noticed the pony in front of her. “Hi!” Pinkie Pie waved to her. “What's your name?” “Tresemme.” The pony answered. Her voice was soft, like the sweet chime of a gentle dinner bell. “Oooh, that's a funny name! I'm Pinkie Pie, and this is Rainbow Dash! Say hello, Rainbow Dash.” “I-I-I-I-I ...” “Hmm. That's funny.” Pinkie Pie observed. She leaned over to Tresemme and whispered in a scratchy voice while pointing at Rainbow Dash's bouncing chin. “She doesn't normally do that.” “I see.” Tresemme giggled – a sound Rainbow Dash thought sounded like Celestia's celestial kin had descended to grace the world with their presence. “Your friend was just apologizing for bumping into me.” Tresemme said to Pinkie. “At least, before her tongue fell out of her mouth.” Come on, Rainbow Dash! Rainbow thought as she slapped herself to regain her senses. Play it cool! “Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Uuuh … I have a friend who would like to meet you!” Dash blurted out. Inside the confines of her mind, Dash did a facehoof. Shoot! You moron! You just blew your chances with her! Wait. Wait, I can still make this work. “Oh, really?” Tresemme asked. “When?” “Yeah, Rainbow Dash, when?” Pinkie asked, staring at Rainbow Dash with innocent eyes, oblivious to what was going on inside Rainbow Dash's head and heart. “Maybe tomorrow night?” “Yes!” Rainbow Dash nodded. “No, no, wait, what about next week? What about next month?” Rainbow Dash's breathing became labored. “Next year? Next decade? NEXT CENTURY!” Tresemme chuckled, amused by Rainbow Dash's verbal fumbling. She had a pretty good idea about what was causing Rainbow Dash to stutter, and what “friend” Rainbow Dash was referring. “I have a simple solution. How about tonight?” “Tonight?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yes, tonight.” Tresemme nodded. “I'm available tonight. I have a clear schedule. Does your … “friend” have time off tonight?” Rainbow Dash shook her head hard. “Yeah, yeah, she does.” “YAY! It's tonight!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “Well, I'll see your … friend tonight. Say, at the restaurant just down the street from here?” Rainbow Dash nodded again. Tresemme gave her a wink and walked past her. “Oooh my goodness ...” Rainbow Dash groaned. She stumbled back and forth before collapsing into a shelf, knocking all of the bath products off it. She didn't feel she had been struck by an arrow from Cupid. She felt someone had emptied the whole quiver of arrows and stabbed her with every arrow from it, like a pincushion. “Clean-up on aisle eight.” An employee said over a P.A. “So, who's friend of yours?” Pinkie Pie asked Rainbow Dash. “What? No!” Rainbow Dash got up and grabbed Pinkie Pie by the cheeks. “Don't you get it, Pinkie? The friend is me!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Well, that doesn't make any sense. How can you be your own friend? Oh wait, maybe it makes PERFECT SENSE! OH MY GOSH! Rainbow Dash, you're going to revolution the field of friendship-ology!” Rainbow Dash sighed at Pinkie and her antics. “No, Pinkie Pie, I mean that the friend who shows up for the date is going to be me. Do you follow?” Pinkie Pie gave Rainbow Dash a big, wide grin. “Absolutely …. not! Nope! Not at all. Not a single thing.” “Okay, wait, so run this by me again?” Pinkie Pie asked as Rarity applied make-up to Rainbow Dash's face. “Rainbow Dash is too shy and insecure of herself to go an actual date with Tresemme face-to-face.” Rarity explained as she dabbed Rainbow's eyes with eyeliner. “So she made up a story about a friend wanting to meet Tresemme. But the friend will be Rainbow Dash in disguise, so she can face Tresemme with the security a fake identity affords her.” Rarity said. “Not that I approve.” “Oh, okay. NOW I get it. Isn't that dishonest, though?” “Extremely.” Rarity answered, applying more blush to Rainbow's cheeks. “Rarity, if you disapprove of what Rainbow Dash is doing so much, why are you helping her?” Twilight asked – a reasonable question. “Well, just because I don't approve of the occasion doesn't mean I'm going to pass up the chance to show off my make-up skills.” Rarity said as she brushed up Rainbow Dash's hair. “You don't understand, guys.” Rainbow Dash said. “She's beautiful, so I have to get this perfect to get her to like me. If I went as myself, I'd only one chance. If I messed up, then my chances are gone. But if I show up as somepony else … that gives me an extra chance. You know, like an extra life in a video game.” “Are y'all shore she wouldn't accept y'all for ya are, faults and all?” Applejack asked. “The way you and Pinkie put it, she shore sounds like a nice gal.” “Yeah.” Dash made a dreamy exhale of breath. “Nice and pretty. Prettier than you, Rarity.” Rarity huffed. “Well, excuse me! You DO want my help on this, don't you?” “Prettier than Celestia, even.” Rainbow Dash continued. Discord decided to muscle in on the conversation. He flew over Rainbow Dash's head. “Prettier than moi?” “Yeah ...” Discord scratched at his beard. “Pretty enough to rock my – if I may so, impeccably well-groomed – goatee?” “Absolutely.” Rainbow Dash said with her eyelids fluttering. It was clear she wasn't paying attention to whatever Discord was saying. Discord laughed and slapped his knee. “Ooooh! Oh – ho! Oh … she's got you falling hard, doesn’t she?” Discord reached over his back and pulled out an arrow with a heart-shaped tip. He poked the blunt weapon onto Rainbow Dash's head until Fluttershy got on to him and scolded him for it. “Discord! Stop that! That is not nice!” “Yeesh, okay, teacher.” Discord made the arrow disappear in a puff of smoke and floated away. “Besides,” Rainbow Dash said as Rarity went to work on her wings. “This way, she'll get extra protection from our enemies. A secret identity within the secret identity!” “But managing a double life is hard enough, Rainbow Dash. How are you going to manage a triple life?” Twilight asked. “Relax.” Rainbow Dash dismissed Twilight's worries with her usual arrogance. “I can handle it.” “Okay ...” Twilight shrunk into the couch, her worries far less than calmed. “If you're sure that's what you want do to do.” “It is. Are we done, Rarity? Thanks! I owe you.” Rainbow Dash headed for the door. “I'd say “wish me luck,” but I don't need it. Don't wait up.” Rainbow Dash made her way to the store and the restaurant down the street from it, as Tresemme had said. It was a pretty swanky-looking establishment, with pink and gold and black all over it. There was a line out the door, so Rainbow Dash expected she needed a reservation to get in. Wait. She didn't make a reservation. Darn it all! There goes her plans right down the drain. Or so she thought, until she saw a light-purple hoof in the line waving her over. Spellbound by the thought of seeing Tresemme again, she flew over the line, not even bothering to excuse herself to the waiting patrons she was being disrespectful to with her fly-over. “Hey.” Tresemme greeted. “You must be Rainbow Dash's friend.” “Yup!” Rainbow Dash nodded. “That's me. I'm, uh ...” Rainbow Dash pulled a random name from her memory, having a vague recollection of a Wonderbolt who used the name. “Firefly.” “Firefly. I'm Tresemme. I'll be honest, I thought the friend Rainbow Dash mentioned was just going to be herself in a costume.” Rainbow Dash laughed. Tresemme was much too close to the truth, but she seemed to be fooled by the disguise – Rarity had dressed up Rainbow Dash up with a thick, leather coat, body paint which made her appear to be a much lighter shade of blue, and an orange and yellow slicked-back mane. The end result was – or was at least intended to be - a “punk” look. “Hahahaha, yeeeaaaah. That would be silly, wouldn't it?” Rainbow Dash said. “Shall we go inside?” Tresemme said. “I had the waiters hold my place at the table.” Tresemme moved to the door and gestured her head at it. “Well?” “Well, what?” “Aren't you going to open the door for me?” Tresemme asked. “It's customary for the stallion of the hour to open the door for his date.” Oh man! Rainbow Dash thought. She called me “the stallion of the hour!” This might not seem like much, but it meant a lot. It meant Tresemme was recognizing her as the male presence and not just the male presence, but the authoritative male presence. The yang to Tresemme's yin. Which meant Tresemme was respecting her. And for Rainbow Dash, an ego-boost like that meant all the money in the world. “Of course, my lady.” Rainbow Dash moved and opened the door for her. Tresemme trotted inside, “Firefly” following her in and closing the door behind her. Tresemme led Rainbow Dash to a table which already had one drink and two menus set out. “I didn't order a drink for you because I didn't know what you might like.” Tresemme said, which made Rainbow Dash smile. She was so considerate. “Thanks, but I'm sure whatever you ordered would have been fine.” Rainbow Dash, or rather, Firefly said, trying to lay on the charm. Tresemme giggled. Oh, that sound. That wondrous, sweet sound of her laughter! What Rainbow Dash wouldn't give to have the sound recorded and immortalized for her pleasure. “Waiter!” Tresemme hailed. A garcon was at the ready, speeding towards their table. Tresemme ordered a salad. Firefly was too enamored with watching Tresemme's luscious lips move to realize the waiter was trying to get her attention. “Firefly?” Tresmme asked. “The waiter is trying to take your order.” “Oh.” Firefly said. “Um, I'll have whatever she's having, food and drink.” She handed the waiter the menu. Tresemme raised an eyebrow. “Firefly, are you sure you'll like the salad I ordered?” “Yeah.” Firefly said, admiring Tresemme. “I trust you have good taste.” Tresemme laughed again. “You're such a charmer.” “Yeah ...” “What do you do, Firefly?” “Yeah ...” Wait, no, that was a question! Answer it answer it answer it … “Um … what do you do?” “Oh. I am a hair product salespony.” “Really?” The waiter returned with Firefly's drink. Firefly took it without even paying attention to him. “That's interesting.” “Oh, you think so?” Tresemme cooed. “Not a lot of ponies would find hair care all that interesting.” “Oh, well, yeah!” Firefly went on. She pulled on her own mane to show her support. “I mean, who doesn't love hair, right? We all have hair!” Tresemme squealed, fiddling her front hooves. Firefly made a mental note about how adorable she was when she was excited. “It's so nice to have like-minded company! Not a lot of ponies understand the passion, the culture that involves hair. But as nice as that is, you still haven't answered my question. What do you do?” “Me? Oh, I'm a ...” Firefly's first instinct was to say “weatherpony,” as Rainbow Dash was a weatherpony. She couldn't tell Tresemme Firefly was also a weatherpony. Weatherpony was a common job for pegasi, so both Firefly and Rainbow Dash working at the same job wouldn't be suspicious by itself. But if Tresemme visited the facility where Rainbow Dash worked, hoping to find Firefly, she would catch on to the fact Rainbow Dash and Firefly were never there at the same time (since they were the same person). “I'm, uh, super into … motorcycles.” “Oh, a grease monkey, eh?” Tresemme leaned her hooves on the table as the waiter brought their salads. “Yeah.” Firefly nodded. She made a note Rainbow Dash would have to find a way to study motorcycles. “Love the sound of a good engine running! Can't get enough of it.” “Like you can't get enough of me?” Tresemme fluttered her eyelids. Firefly stammered, even as she felt an arousal heat up inside her from Tresemme's suggestive eyes. “I – I don't know what you mean.” “Oh, Firefly, you don't have to hide it. You haven't taken your eyes off me all night.” Tresemme picked up her fork. “We should eat before our food gets cold.” Firefly, eager to move on from the embarrassing (but true) part of the conversation, swept her silver and began shoving bites of salad into her mouth. Tresemme giggled, eating her own salad at a much more reasonable pace. They finished the salads. Firefly rubbed her chin. “What are you thinking about, Firefly?” “Thinking about getting a slice of cake. I remember reading they had them on the menu.” “Hmm, are you sure?” Tresemme asked. “Well, yeah. I keep track of my calories.” Rainbow Dash was an athlete, and meant making sure her body was in good shape. “I can afford a little treat. Why? What's wrong with that?” Tresemme gave her a smirk. “Oh, nothing. I just thought you might want a parfait … for us to share.” The way she said “share” sent tingles up Firefly's spine. So they got a parfait and finished before leaving. They trotted to just outside the restaurant before Tresemme turned and stopped. “I can get home by myself.” Tresemme said. “But I had fun with you tonight, Firefly. Can I see you again sometime?” Firefly nodded. “Yeah! Just give me a call and we can work something out.” “Excellent. I look forward to it.” “Yeah, me too.” “Hmm.” Tresemme tilted her head and smiled. She leaned forward and gave Firefly a smooch on the cheek before turning and walking down the street. Rainbow Dash stood there for a few minutes as she attempted to process the surge of emotions inside her from Tresemme kissing on the first date. It was as though somepony had fed her an active firework, the burning fuse traveling down to her stomach with its burning spark. “YAHOO!” Rainbow Dash yelled, drawing the attention of passing citizens. She descended to the top of a building and laid down on her back. Rainbow Dash began making a mental checklist. Go on first date with Tresemme? Check. Have the date go off without a hitch? Check. Get a kiss from Tresemme? Check. Rainbow Dash exhaled into the night air. Her plan had worked and she was going to see Tresemme again. See, Rarity? There was nothing to worry about. Everything had gone fine. Surely, there was no way stringing Tresemme along and leading a triple life as not just two, but three different ponies could possibly go horribly, horribly wrong. Right? Author's Note So, with that, I'd like to formally welcome you readers to Mind Over Mane-Iac,an AU romance-smut fic involving Rainbow Dash, Zapp, the Power Ponies, and a lot of hair. This story was an idea by Fimfiction User DarknessRising (he has a different name on Fanfiction, but I forgot what it is) which I was willingly to take up after he Favorited my story, Unto This White Poison, (which also involved tentacles). I did my best to try to make it read like a comic book from the 80's at the beginning, but as the chapter went on, I toned it down because I wasn't sure how to CHEESY DRAMATIC NARRATION in a scene as low-key as the Power Ponies realizing they needed to go the grocery store. In keeping with the comic theme, I will be calling the chapters "issues" and giving little comic-book style solicit boxes at the start of each chapter. I also used bolding in some cases where I might have used italics, and bolded the first word of the actual chapter. I also tried to make the scene where Rainbow Dash first meets Tresemme in the store homage the scene in the Powerpuff Girls episode, "Mommy Fearest" where the Professor first meets Ima Goodlady. Who was actually Sedusa. Who, as we know, had something to do with the creation of the Mane-iac, hmm? Anyways, see you next time! Probably more than two weeks from now, as that's when another My Little Pony annual is due to be released which features the Mane-iac, the Power Ponies, and other villains from the Power Pony universe. I intend to use said other villains in this story.
