Hum Drum was nervous, very nervous in fact. And not just because he was doing this alone, out of fear of what his friends and fellow superheros, the Power Ponies, might say. Hum Drum was nervous, specifically because of who he knew would be waiting for him inside Maretropolis Mane Care.
As Hum Drum knew all too well, that shampoo factory had been in the hooves of a power hungry mare named Lily Dent for a very long time. The Power Ponies despised her, but reluctantly tolearted her prescence because they knew they couldn't touch her. Plus, Lily often tended to have inside knowledge of Maretropolis' underworld and she was always willing to provide her knowledge to the Power Ponies, for a price.
Despite this, Hum Drum couldn't help but feel sorry for Lily. He personally believed that there was still good inside her, buried deep down. And at least whenever he was around, Ivy seemed rather sweet, even when Hum Drum or one of the Power Ponies caught her in the act of increasing her power.
But it had been weeks since Hum Drum had heard anything from Ivy, though he easily forgot this fact. His life of crimefighting with the Power Ponies kept him very busy. So it came as a shock when he recieved a mysterious note in the mail. The letter had simply been signed "A Friend" and had asked Hum Drum to meet "At Maretropolis' largest shampoo factory.".
Knowing that his friends would object, Hum Drum had snuck off on his own to meet the mysterious sender. But now, he was starting to have second thoughts about this. What if he was facing off against a new supervillan, and his feelings for the owner of this factory were being used to blackmail? He quickly dismissed that idea, as well as the idea of ransom. The note specifically would've mentioned any sort of bribe or demand. So then, who could've called him to this factory? And what did he, she, or they, want from him?
"Well Hum Drum, no point in turning back now." Hum Drum thought to himself, as he gazed up at the door. "You came here for a reason. And whoever's waiting for you inside, you can handle. After all, you have superpowers of your own. Even if you rarely use them anymore." Reluctantly, Hum Drum opened the door, and went inside.
It was very dark and quiet inside Maretropolis Mane Care, and this only made Hum Drum even more nervous. If someone wanted to ambush him, they could easily do so. Even with his superpowers, Hum Drum couldn't see in the dark. Not to mention, his bright red cape and blue boots and gloves made him stand out quite easily.
"Hello?" Hum Drum called, hoping that he might get an answer from someone. Alas, there was no reply. Only silence. Then, suddenly, the lights flickered on!
"Ah Hum Drum, I see you got my letter. Good, it looks like you still haven't forgotten about me after all this time." a voice suddenly replied.
Hum Drum knew who that voice belonged to, but when he saw the figure standing before him, he gasped. The figure had a familiar purple coat, but it was much darker for reasons Hum Drum didn't know. The figure was also clad in a purple vest, and black boots for some reason. But the thing that struck Hum Drum as must odd was the figure's mane, which was sickly green in color, and looked like a mess of tentacles. "Lily?" Hum Drum asked.
"Correct, although that name no longer suits me." the figure replied "From now on, everypony shall know me as, The Mane-iac!"
"The Mane-iac?! That sounds like a superhero name to me." Hum Drum commented.
"I know. It's very fitting considering what has happened to me." The Mane-iac explained "Now I've got superpowers, just like you Hum Drum."
"What do you mean 'just like me'?!" Hum Drum asked crossly "And what are you talking about?"
"It's simple really." The Mane-iac explained "Poor old Ivy had a bit of an accident involving a vat of chemicals and some electricial wires. And as a result, she was transformed into the mare you now see standing before you. A mare with a mane with octopus like tentacles. Incredibly functional wouldn't you agree?"
"I'm not impressed." Hum Drum said dryly. This made The Mane-iac cross.
"What do you mean you're not impressed?" The Mane-iac asked furiously "Now I finally do what you and your 'friends' the Power Ponies, having been doing for ages. Take the law into my own hooves, and crush anyone who stands in the way of progress! I can finally bring this city back to its former glory! Or is that not good enough for you?!"
"Don't you see Lily?" Hum Drum asked "You may have superpowers, but you don't understand the difference between using them for the good of all, and using them for your own personal gain. Yes, my friends and I may fight crime from outside of the system, but we don't decide who lives and who dies. We're not gods, it's not our place to tell the world how it should live. We only use our powers to help other ponies, never to better ourselves. And we could easily do so."
"That heroic nonsense has blinded you to the reality of the world itself Hum Drum!" The Mane-iac snapped "If there's one thing I've come to learn, it's that the world is crazy and broken beyond belief. You can try to bring order, but it does you no good when that order collapses under ponies who find ways to fight back against you. Throwing them in jail and just assuming they'll change their ways isn't enough! The sad truth is, when ponies are given the choice, they'll always resort to evil! So if the only way to get rid of said evil, is to ensure that the thiefs learn their lesson, then so be it. From how far the world is as far as I'm concerned, it's just one bad day. And it only takes that one bad day to make everyone wake up, and realize what's wrong with the world."
"I know you don't truly believe that Lily!" Hum Drum stated "And no one knows you better than I do."
"Hmph! I thought I told you already that my name is The Mane-iac!" The Mane-iac shouted "Perhaps you need to be reminded just who you're dealing with!" And with that, The Mane-iac grabbed Hum Drum with her mane, and proceeded to tie him up.
"You'll never get away with this!" Hum Drum said crossly "Just wait, the Power Ponies will come! They'll stop you! And you won't be smiling then!"
"Oh, I know your friends are coming." The Mane-iac said with a fiendish smirk "In fact, I'm counting on it."
"What do you mean?" Hum Drum asked nervously.
"Patience Hum Drum, patience." The Mane-iac smirked "But first, I think it's time you finally understood just what makes me tick. You and I, we're not so different."
"Oh really?" Hum Drum said sarcastically "I find that hard to believe."
"Oh, but it's true I tell you." The Mane-iac replied "We've both had a bad day, a day that changed our lives forever. For me, it was the day when I had that faithful accident. And for you, well I don't know what exactly made you into what you now are, but I know you had a bad day once. I mean think about it, why else would you dress up in a cape and mask, and run around figthing crime? You had a bad day, and it drove you as crazy as everypony else. The only thing is, you refuse to admit it. You and your 'power pony' friends like to pretend that life still makes sense. You like to think in the end, all your struggling has a point. But deep down, you know the truth. You know that no matter what you do, your sense of justice only ensures that nothing will change."
"That's what you think Mane-iac. But from where I stand, if someone doesn't take the higher ground, then there's no point in fighting back against the evils of the world." Hum Drum boldly stated "Without justice, the Power Ponies and I would be just like the supervillans we've strove to defeat. We'd simply be taking our vision of the law, and using it to suit our own needs. And that is something we could never do."
"Ugh! That heroic crap of yours, it makes me want to puke!" The Mane-iac said, pretending to gag "What is with you Hum Drum?! What made you what are you today?! What was that tragic event that changed your life forever?! Maybe you had a loved one who got caught in the line of fire, and you couldn't save them. Or maybe you knew someone who got in too deep with the sharks, and when they bit back there was nothing you could do. It was probably something like that, I bet."
"I'll never tell you!" Hum Drum hissed.
"I didn't expect you to!" The Mane-iac said crossly "And you know what? Something like that... happened to me once. I'm still not exactly sure just what it was though. I mean, sometimes I'll remember it in one way. And sometimes I'll remember it in a completely different way. Sometimes I'm an innocent victim of fate. Sometimes I'm getting what's coming to me. But it's always unexpected and tragic. The point is, when I realized just how messed up the world I went crazy. I admit it, so why can't you do the same?"
"I'm not crazy!" Hum Drum shouted.
"Oh really? I wouldn't exactly call what you and the Power Ponies do NORMAL." The Mane-iac teased "Besides, you must see the reality of the situation in the same way that I do. I mean, do you know how many times we've come to close to international war in the past few year, all because of one small, insignificant detail? Do you even know what the latest international dispute was about? Nothing more than an arguement over how many telegraph poles Maretropolis owed to its allies across the border. Don't you see Hum Drum, it's all just a sick joke. Everything, you, I, the Power Ponies, and everypony else, has ever valued or struggled for, has all been part of a gag. The ultimate punchline, courtesy of the world as we know it. So how come you can't see this side? Why are you still so stotic and serious?"
"Because I've heard that all before Mane-iac." Hum Drum replied "And it gets old when you hear it as often as I do. Especially when it wasn't very funny to begin with."
"You just don't get it!" The Mane-iac shouted.
"You're right, I don't." Hum Drum said smuggly "And I never will. I can't understand how one event, however tragic it might be, could ever make you think that it's okay to just turn your back on the world and care only about yourself. It's pretty damn foolish if you ask me. All it's done is convince me that you've changed, and not for the better. I should've listened to Masked Matterhorn and the others, the only pony you've ever cared about is yourself. I thought that you could change, that there was still some goodness inside of you. But it's obvious that I thought wrong! I'm sorry, but the Lily I once knew and loved is dead! And in her place, I see nothing but a heartless monster! A mare who thinks that just because life has been a bitch to her, she's entitled to be the same to the world!"
Those words struck The Mane-iac very deeply. After all, Hum Drum had been the only one who had ever gotten to know her. And she had thought for sure that Hum Drum of all ponies would agree with her on how the world was. Alas, all that time he had spent with the Power Ponies had given him an inshakeable sense of justice. And now, he had gone and done the one thing that life itself had not been able to do to The Mane-iac. Break her heart.
"So, you think I'm just a 'heartless monster' huh?" The Mane-iac asked Hum Drum "Well then, perhaps its time you see just what this MONSTER can do!"
"Do your worst Mane-iac, I'm not afraid of you!" Hum Drum hissed.
"Oh, but you should be." The Mane-iac said with a sadistic grin "Especially once you see what I have in store for you friends." She used her mane to remove a tarp, revealing several large canisters of an unknown substance. "These canisters hold a special chemical!" The Mane-iac explained "They're part of my newest line of mane care products, The HairspRAY of Doom! Once I've sprayed these onto your friends, The Power Ponies, they won't have their superpowers anymore. Leaving them completely helpless, and at my mercy! And the best part is, I'll then get to decide how I want to get rid of them!"
Hum Drum gulped, but then he plucked up courage. As long as he and his friends still believed in justice, nothing could stop them. Superpowers or no superpowers! He looked down at the ropes that kept him tied down, and began to cocnetrate. He knew that if he thought hard enough, he could use his telepathic powers to set the ropes on fire.
"Hum Drum has gotta be in there!" Masked Matterhorn cried.
"Yeah, but there's no way to get inside." Zapp replied "The factory's completely weather proof."
"And that door won't budge, even with my trusty lasso." Misstress Marevolus stated "Trust me, I've tried."
"I don't know how Lily's done it, but she's somehow made the door resist everything I throw at it." Radiance added "Even a full fledged battering ram."
"So, what are we gonna do?" Saddle Ranger asked "We can't just abandon Hum Drum."
Suddenly, Fillisecond spotted something on a nearby rooftop. "I have an idea." she said suddenly "There's an airduct that leads into the factory. I'll climb up to the roof, work my way inside, and let you guys in."
"That's crazy, even for you Fillisecond." Misstress Marevolus replied.
"And I suppose you have a better idea?" Fillisecond asked. Misstress Marevolus didn't answer "I thought so." Fillisecond said firmly "My decision is final."
"But what if Lily catches you?!" Zapp asked.
"That's a risk I'll just have to take." Fillisecond said, plucking up courage "Besides, I'm the fastest mare in all of Maretropolis. I doubt she'll catch me."
"There's no way to convince you otherwise, is there?" Saddle Ranger asked. Fillisecond shook her head.
Masked Matterhorn sighed "Well, alright. But be careful."
"Don't worry, I will." Fillisecond nodded, and she raced away. It wasn't long before she had made her way inside the factory and unlocked the door.
"Never fear, the Power Ponies are here!" Zapp shouted boldly.
"Guys, up here!" Hum Drum shouted, having just freed himself.
"Hum Drum! You're okay!" Masked Matterhorn said happily.
"Of course I'm okay. Thanks for worrying about me though." Hum Drum replied, and floated down to join his friends.
"Power Ponies?! So you've come!" an evil voice shouted.
"Who is that?!" Radiance asked.
"Bad news for us." Hum Drum replied.
A moment later, The Mane-iac made herself known. "Right you are Hum Drum. Especially considering what you did to me!"
"Lily?" Saddle Ranger asked "What is the meaning of this?! What's going on here?!"
"I'm not Lily anymore! I am The Mane-iac!" The Mane-iac shouted "How many times am I going to have to say it?!"
"The Mane-iac?" Fillisecond asked, looking at Hum Drum.
"It's a really long story." Hum Drum replied "If we make it out of this in one piece, I'll tell you."
"Whoever you are, you're going down!" Zapp said fiercely "Nopony kidnaps our little buddy and gets away with it!"
"That's right!" Radiance chimed in "So surrender now and we might let you off with a warning."
"Oh please, do you think I'm stupid?" The Mane-iac asked "You're not taking me without a fight!"
"Bring it on!" Masked Matterhorn shouted "Okay guys, stay close to me. TIME TO POWER PONY UP!"
"Man, I love that catchphrase!" Fillisecond said, as she and the other Power Ponies charged into battle.
"Okay boys, I've paid you off good enough for this." The Mane-iac said to her henchponies "Get them!"
"Yes boss!" the henchponies replied, and charged into battle. They were no match for the Power Ponies however, and were quickly defeated with little effort.
Little did the Power Ponies know, that The Mane-iac had planned for her henchponies to be defeated. All she needed was a diversion to buy enough time for her to slip away. Unfortunately for her, Hum Drum wasn't about to let her escape.
"You're not getting away that easy Mane-iac!" Hum Drum shouted, and chased after her.
"You?!" The Mane-iac gasped, when she saw Hum-Drum tailing her "I should've known my henchponies would overlook you. And to think I paid them."
"Mane-iac please." Hum Drum pleaded "It's not too late."
"Oh yes it is! You broke my heart Hum Drum!" The Mane-iac said crossly "So if you won't love me, then you'll learn to fear me!"
Hum Drum sighed. He had not wanted it to come to this, but The Mane-iac had left him no choice. "I'm taking you down, and this time, it's for the last time!"
"You won't beat me so easily Hum Drum!" The Mane-iac boasted "But I've longed for a chance to use my powers to their fullest extent. Let's go!"
In no time at all, all of The Mane-iac's henchponies had been defeated. The Power Ponies, suspecting nothing, felt relieved.
"Now all that's left is to take care of The Mane-iac." Saddle Ranger stated.
"Sounds easy enough if you ask me." Zapp boasted "We'll just have Masked Matterhorn over here, freeze her mane!"
"I don't think that will be necessary." Radiance said with a smile.
"And why is that?" Zapp asked.
"Take a look for yourself." Radiance said, pointing a hoof. The Power Ponies looked off into the distance, and saw Hum Drum and The Mane-iac going head to head.
"Come on Hum Drum. You can do it!" Masked Matterhorn cheered.
"Give her the old one-two!" Misstress Marevolus shouted.
"Show her what you're made of!" Zapp added.
"You're making this too easy Mane-iac." Hum Drum said with a grin, dodging another swipe of her mane.
"That's what you think, but little do you know Hum Drum, that I have lured you and your friends into a trap!" The Mane-iac proclaimed.
"What do you mean?!" Hum Drum asked.
As if to answer his question, The Mane-iac swung over to canisters containing The HairspRAY of Doom. "One spray from these chemicals and all you won't be able to call yourselves Power Ponies anymore!" she shouted.
"You won't get the chance!" Zapp shouted, and flew towards the canisters before The Mane-iac could open them. Seeing an opportunity, The Mane-iac tried to grab Zapp's pendent and use it against her.
"Hey, let go of that! Get your own pendent if you want one so badly!" Zapp shouted, tightening her grip on the pendent.
"But this pendent is a one of a kind." The Mane-iac chuckled "With it, I can control the weather! And I'll use it to literally rain down destruction on anyone who stands against me!"
Then, disaster struck. Zapp, in an effort to hold onto her pendent, held it up to the sky. A bolt of lightning struck it, and energized the pendent. The Mane-iac was pushed back a bit, and lost her grip on said pendent, but was otherwise unharmed. Unfortunately, her newly electrified mane began to discharge electricity at an alarming rate. One bolt hit some of the chemicals used to make the mane care products, and a raging fire broke out.
Despite Radiance and Zapp's best efforts, the fire continued to spread. The chemicals could not be cooled down fast enough to prevent them from catching fire. Before long, the flames began to spread upward.
"It's no use! We've got to fall back!" Masked Matterhorn shouted.
"But what about the factory?!" Fillisecond asked.
"There's nothing more we can do!" Masked Matterhorn said glumly "We've got to get out of here while there's still time! Let's move it!"
Hum Drum tried to flee with his friends, but The Mane-iac grabbed him by his cape and pulled him back. "What are you doing?!" Hum Drum asked "Let me go or we'll BOTH die!" he shouted
"That's the point!" The Mane-iac said sadistically "Except, I'll be making a hasty escape, while you stay behind and burn up!"
"Did you forget Mane-iac, that I have superpowers of my own?" Hum Drum asked.
"Of course not!" The Mane-iac smirked "Which means, you will be the first pony to fall victim to the HairspRAY of Doom! And unfortunately for you, the effects are permanent!"
"NO!" Hum Drum shouted, and tried to run away.
"Say goodbye to your superpowers Hum Drum!" The Mane-iac said, and sprayed the canisters full of the HairspRAY of Doom onto Hum Drum. Hum Drum tried valitantly to resist, and in one final act of self scarifice, he managed to set the canisters on fire. Thus ensuring that The Mane-iac couldn't use their contents on his friends. He then collapsed onto the ground. The Mane-iac laughed wickedly, and using her mane, swung away before anyone was any the wiser.
"Whew! That was close!" Masked Matterhorn said, wiping sweat from her brow.
"I'll say. It was getting hot in there. I don't think I could've lasted much longer." Misstress Marevolus replied.
"Sorry about all of this guys. This one's my fault!" Zapp admitted glumly "If I hadn't been such a moron this never would've happened!"
"You had no way of knowing what was going to happen." Fillisecond reassured her.
"Yes, it could've happened to anypony really." Radiance added "Don't be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes."
"Uh, not that I mean to interrupt, but aren't we forgetting somepony?" Saddle Ranger asked.
The Power Ponies gasped, as they suddenly realized they'd forgotten all about Hum Drum.
Without even waiting for anypony else to come up with a plan, Fillisecond raced back into the burning factory. "Oh please, please let him be okay!" she thought to herself.
"Fillisecond, come back!" Masked Matterhorn shouted.
"Not til I find Hum Drum!" Fillisecond replied.
"She's gonna get herself killed!" Zapp facehoofed.
"Not if we can help it!" Radiance said firmly "Come on Zapp! You,and I are gonna give Fillisecond a helping hoof!"
"Hum Drum?! Hum Drum?! Hum Drum where are you?!" Fillisecond called, searching the entire factory as fast as shecoudl. All the while, Radiance used her jewlery to bring forth a fire horse, and Zapp used her pendent to bring forth rain clouds. They could barely keep the pace going however, and started to tire out.
"If Fillisecond doesn't find Hum Drum soon it's gonna be too late." Radiance panted "I can't keep this up much longer."
"Me neither." Zapp said, also panting.
"Come on Hum Drum, answer me!" Fillisecond cried "I know you're here somewhere! This isn't funny!" Then, suddenly, she spotted a familiar red cape.
Not only had the HairspRAY of Doom taken all of Hum Drum's superpowers, but it also left him completely imoblized. Needless to say, he was overjoyed when Fillisecond came to his rescue. "You, didn't have to risk your life for me. I would've been alright." Hum Drum said weakly.
"What happened to you Hum Drum?! Why didn't you fly out of here with your superpowers?!" Fillisecond asked crossly.
"The Mane-iac took them away." Hum Drum replied, the thick smoke causing him to cough.
"Tell me about it later, for now we've got to get you out of here!" Fillisecond stated, observing her surroundings "And from the looks of things, we don't have much time!" Fillisecond quickly scooped Hum Drum into her arms, and ran back to where Radiance and Zapp were waiting.
"Well it's about time!" Zapp said crossly.
"Why are you carrying him like that?" Radiance asked, as they headed for the exit.
"He says The Mane-iac took away his superpowers." Fillisecond explained "Don't ask me how that's possible."
"There's the exit!" Zapp shouted "We're going to make it!" Then suddenly, a pile of debris came down and blocked the exit. Fillisecond, Radiance, Zapp, and Hum Drum were all trapped.
"No, not my friends!" Saddle Ranger gasped, her anger rising "I can't lose them! NOT LIKE THIS!" Masked Matterhorn and Mistress Marevolus stood back as Saddle Ranger transformed into a huge monster. This was her superpower at work, and it was about to come handy once again. Using her newfound strength, Saddle Ranger smashed through the debris and cleared a path to her friends. Luckly, they weren't hurt, and they quickly escaped.
"Hum Drum!" Masked Matterhorn gasped once everyone was safe.
Hum Drum still couldn't move, he just looked up at his teammates, and smiled.
"This isn't good! We need to get him to a doctor, now!" Masked Matterhorn shouted. Out of all the Power Ponies, Masked Matterhorn had the closest bond with Hum Drum, and had convinced him to join back when he first discovered his superpowers. The two of them were like brother and sister, and although they never admitted it, they cared deeply for each other.
Hum Drum was quickly rushed to Maretropolis General Hospital, but not before he filled his friends in on what had happened to him. For a long time, Hum Drum was in critical condition. Each of the Power Ponies grew worried. And some, like Zapp, grew frustrated with themselves. Beliving that there was more they could've done to save him.
Eventually, Hum Drum recovered enough to be able to walk and run on his own power. But the victory was bittersweet, for although Hum Drum survived, his superpower were gone for good. This crushing revelation took a heavy toll on the Power Ponies morale, and only a last minute pep talk from Masked Matterhorn kept Hum Drum from quitting the team. Even so, things would never be the same, and everypony knew it.
What about The Mane-iac, you ask? Well, she eventually managed to rebuild her factory. But she still harbored a deep hatred for the Power Ponies, and vowed to someday destroy them once and for all.
Author's Note
Considering that IDW's 2014 annual will feature the Power Ponies, I don't think it's that much of a stretch to have them be part of their own universe. Though, since I haven't read the annual yet I can't make any assumpations about whether or not all of the members (except Hum Drum) are female.
And The HairspRAY of Doom is a predecessor to The Hairspray Ray of Doom, in case you were wondering.
