The Power Ponies (and Humdrum) entered to the max-security jail and after salute the governor; a guard guided them to the max-max-security area, where the most dangerous criminals of the city were guarded. Between them, their ultimate enemy, the one who after battle after battle they finally defeated: Mane-iac.
The doctor saw them coming and let them pass. Like the last time they saw her, they saw the Mane-iac behind a heavy glass wall prison, in an specialized environment that kept her crazy mane under complete control.
But instead of trying to get out and cursing the guards and the Power Ponies, she only lowered her eyes to saw them and sighed moving her sight back to the roof completely emotionless.
“And well?” Asked Matter Horn.
The doctor showed them several tomographies.
“She started to complain about headaches. At the beginning we thought it was another one of her stupid tricks but at the end we made several exams to her and… well, I don’t want to discredit your victory, but…
“The only reason you defeated her it was because she’s dying” added a guard.
“What? I don’t understand!” Yelled Mare-Velous. “I don’t understand”
The doctor sighed.
“Her powers are killing her. Until now, we never understood how it worked, her mane I mean, but after the tomography, we found that the experimental shampoo and the lighting accident somehow made he hair’s root penetrated through her brain. That allows her to control her mane as any other limb of her body, but during the years the roots are penetrating more and more; destroying her brain in the process. Again, she’s dying”
Humdrum shivered.
“No! IT CAN’T BE!!”
“Sorry” mumbled the doctor.
“How much? How much time does she have?” Asked the dragon.
The doctor sighed:
“No more than a week and a half. The only reason we called you is because her last wish is to talk with you, Power Ponies. We’re leaving you now”
Said that, the guards and the doctor left the room where the Mane-iac just shrugged emotionless.
“Humdrum, you better wait outside” asked Matter Horn.
Humdrum was about to obey when Mane-iac talked for the first time:
“I want to speak with him, Matter. I want to speak alone with him but since anyone trust me, I allow you to stay. Humdrum, Drake, I’ll ignore they’re here and speak only to you, okay?”
The shy assistant nodded and approached. Mane-iac smiled sadly.
“My friend, what do you know about euthanasia?”
“WHAT?!” Yelled the Power Ponies.
Mane-iac let escape a small tear.
“Eutanasia, assisted suicide. I’m dying, Humdrum, dying. And it’s painful as hell!! Please Drake, I can’t stand it anymore. Let me die before my own hair turn my brain into mush! HELP ME!! FINISH MY SUFFERING!!”
Humdrum was astonished.
“Why me?”
“Yes, why him?” Asked Radiance shivering at the idea.
Mane-iac closed her eyes sighing and crying.
“Because you’re my last friend, Drake Fangs, the last I have. Thanks to you this bunch of idiots frustrated my last plans, because I underestimated you. And you, you always believed in me, firmly believing your childhood friend was still under this hair; and that’s why you never wasted a chance to lecture me and offer me the chance to reform. It was annoying, but I also was happy about it because you always believed in me Drake. But it’s too late now and you’re the last friend I have. Please help me, save me from this agony”
Humdrum started to cry, punching the glass.
“You can’t ask me this, Hair Beauty!! You know you can’t!!”
“Drake, I’ll die anyway. This is an act of mercy; mercy for a former friend”
At the end, the young dragon cried with his nose attached to the glass while the Power Ponies exchanged concerned looks. It was too much for the young one, but finally the old friendship spark that he shared with Mane-iac was stronger. Cleaning his tears he looked at his old colleague and former best friend.
“When do you want me to do it?
“As soon as you can, Drake”
Humdrum sobbed and sighed looking at the glass sadly. Filly-Second had to run to speak with the governor. But finally, several guards along with the doctor arrived at the secotr in silence and looking at the underestimated Power Ponies’ ally, they gave him a needle with a suspicious-looking green liquid, the same they used at the executions.
With slow movements, the guards deactivated the security measurements of Mane-iac’s cell and freed her allowing Humdrum to approach and prepare the needle.
“Wait” asked the dying mare. “Remove your mask, I want to see your eyes for a last time, Drake”
Humdrum obeyed ready for the last game. But at the end, the criminal screamed with fury and captured Humdrum with her mane ready to escape.
The first one to react was Radiance, materializing a huge hammer ready to knock down the Mane-iac but the crazy criminal used the dragon as a living-shield and smirked. It was enough to make Radiance hesitate, giving Mane-iac the opportunity to took her by the neck and smash her head directly to the pavement of the floor.
Zapp flew to the criminal and sent a powerful lighting, that impacted directly on the hair. Unfortunately, hair was a great electricity conductor and the beam of pure energy hit directly to Humdrum, who screamed in pain.
“Humdrum!” Said both Zapp and Mane-iac, who carefully placed the dragon in her back before taking Radiance with her hair and approach a piece of broken glass to her neck.
“Give me a reason and I’ll do it”
Enough. Saddle-Rager roared in anger and turned into that muscle mass ready to attack the crazy mare. Taking the criminal’s own bed, tried the attack the Mane-iac but she intercepted the attack and broke the structure on Rager’s head. It was enough to irritate the muscle-mare and tried to launch herself to the criminal but Mane-iac’s mane caught and immobilized her before pressing with expert precision a point between the column and the neck, forcing Saddle to relax and get back to normal.
“I was a masseur before getting in the cosmetic business” explained Mane-iac a little bored.
Matter Horn grumped.
“I knew it, this was just a farce, right?
Mane-iac shrugged.
“I’m truly dying Matter Horn. And yes, I want to finish my agony tonight but I won’t die here in prison. This will be the last night of Mane-iac, but I’ll die under my own terms!!”
“And what about Humdrum?” Asked Filly-Second. “You lied to him too?”
“No, I was always serious. He is my last friend I want him to my side my last day. I have friends, but not true friends”
And then Mane-iac hit Radiance and Saddle Rager one against the other and used her tentacles to get out of the prison while the rest of the Power Ponies just watched. That didn’t stop Mare-Velous who jumped from here to there ready to finish Mane-iac and rescue Humdrum, but the small dragon stopped her.
“It’s okay, Mare-Velous. I want to go”
That took the mare out of guard and remained in silence allowing Mane-iac to escape.
“I’LL GO, BUT THIS CITY WILL REMEMBER THE NAME OF MANE-IAC FOREVER AND EVER! YOU CAN BE SURE OF THAT, POWER PONIES!!”
And left, just left, taking Humdrum with her.
Zapp kicked the wall.
“Damn it! She’s a terminal patient and all, but this psycho is about to do something, something big!”
“What I don’t understand is why Humdrum decided just go with her. Really, why?” Asked Mare-Velous worried about her little friend.
Matter-Horn sighed, perhaps it was time so she looked at her friend.
“Let’s go back to the headquarters. I have something very important to tell you, alright?”
The Power Ponies nodded and followed their leader in expectance. And once they were back at their hidden headquarters, activated their magical localizer.
“Seriously? Again the shampoo factory?” Asked Filly-Second. “Seriously guys, with all the money she makes at her cosmetic and hair products empire can’t she buy a new place? It’s kind of boring to always fight on the same old factory; we memorized all the tricks and secret entrances! Come on!!”
Matter horn glared at her as well the other Power Ponies.
“This is serious guys” said the leader of the Power Ponies. “First: do you remember when Humdrum first joined us, first financing the team and then, joining us in battle as Humdrum? Have you ever asked where Drake’s fortune came from?
Now that Matter-Horn mention that… yeah. The guy was pretty much useless but their leader still allowed him to stay with them and help them fight the evil, especially Mane-iac. At first they thought it was a favor for an annoying fanboy but now that they thought about it, it was probably much more in the background. Matter-Horn spoke again:
“You see: Drake’s fortune came from cosmetics. He started the company known as Mane & Shoulders along with his best friend of all times, Hair Beauty alias…”
“You have to be fucking kidding me” mumbled Zapp.
“I’m afraid that’s the truth” sighed Matter Horn. “The only thing Humdrum really wanted was to get his friend back; but know is too late for her. The only thing we can do is to stop Mane-iac’s last plan and be there for Humdrum; I mean Drake. Is not easy to lose a close friend as Hair Beauty was for him"
Nopony said more and began to work, ready to stop Mane-iac for the last time. Some kind of nostalgia could be felt on the air.
Back to the shampoo factory, Mane-iac revised (from a bed) the last details of her evil plan, before to start the real thing. During the last week, she had her henchmen preparing several bombs around the city, that will emit a powerful fragrance (the new Mane & Shoulders unisex deodorant but only stronger) that will make everypony to fell into a deep sleep because of the scent of lavender.
“It’s time!” She announced making her henchmen prepare the machines.
And in their way to the evil lair, the Power Ponies smelled the strange scent on the environment. Flying; Zapp, Saddle and Matter soon saw the ponies falling asleep on the middle of the street thanks to that strange cloud of deodorant that were covering the whole city. Zapp quickly created an small tornado to get the cloud away from her friends, but couldn’t do more. The specialized bombs were all over the city making the situation really difficult for the young heroines.
“Great! Okay everypony, activate your breathing masks and separate. Let’s finish this before somepony gets hurt!”
They obeyed their leader.
In the meantime, Humdrum looked at the bed where his friend was lying.
“Okay, your plan starts good. Now, what’s next Beauty?”
“Nothing” she said with sadness.
“Come on Beauty! You’re better than this! Your plans are always masterpieces! You’re much more smarter than this!”
“In a matter of days I’ll as stupid as shit… and then, I’ll die horribly. But now, my plan was designed to maintain those six occupied with something while you and I finish our thing”
Humdrum nodded and approached to the Mane-iac. The dying mare smiled gently and pressed a button to call all her henchmen to her bed, who came in silence to present their respects the crazy criminal who was their leader.
“Drake, I’m letting you my half of the Mane & Shoulders franchise and the most important to me: my empire of evil. Please accept it”
The silence henchmen bowed to Humdum who only looked at his friend confused:
“Beauty, you can’t be serious! This is too much…”
“We both know why you joined the Power Ponies, Drake, it was to save me from myself. And I truly appreciate it Drake, and I’m sorry making you waste your precious time and support all the humiliations for not being as strong as them (and I’m talking about Zapp). I never thought I meant that much for a friend but you still fought for my mental sanity. Thank you Drake, you were annoying but still very sweet. Drake, thank you very much”
“Beauty, you know I’m a good guy!” Protested Humdrum. “You can’t lent me your evil empire just like that!!
“Remember when we were children, Drake?”
Drake cried, of course he remembered. The shy and sweet filly who never had friends and the young dragon living among ponies; two lonely souls who understood each other and became the closest friends of all times. Their friendship was only natural, and swore to be always there for the other no matter what happen. Always together started the greatest cosmetic and hair products company, Mane & Shoulders.
But them the accident that turned Hair Beauty into Mane-iac came and Drake tried everything to recover his partner and friend; but the new power was too exciting and amazing to let it go and the shyness and sweetness that characterized Hair Beauty went gone under the hairs of the Mane-iac.
“Being the new me was too good to let it go, Drake; and that’s my present to you. My friend: I’ll not force you to do anything that you don’t want, but I’ll love if you turn into a new you; not because of me, because of you. Drake, I changed and you changed to save me; now it’s time to change because you want to. It’s amazing, Drake, I promise”
“Beauty” Cried Humdrum.
“I developed a machine that can repeat the conditions of my accident when I turned ino this, Drake, but in a controlled environment. It’ll give you a superior intellect as mine, but since the dragons doesn’t have hair you’ll be free of this horrible side-effects that are finishing my life. Like I said, I won’t force you, but I know if you use it, you’ll never regret. But again, the choice is all yours”
“Beauty” kept crying the dragon.
The crazy pony kissed him on the cheek.
“It’s time. Would you do the honors, Drake?”
And without hesitation, the dragon took the needle and injected her friend on the leg while the henchmen remover their hats in sign of respect for their former leader and the new one to come. Humdrum cried more than ever.
“Good bye Humdrum, and think about my offer. You always wanted to save me, be my hero. You are my hero now Drake, you saved me from a horrible death. Thank you my friend. And by the way, I left a list with my funeral requests in my office, do you mind?”
And then, she died.
“BEAUTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!” Cried Humdrum
When the Power Ponies finally arrived, they found the old factory with open doors. No traps, no tricks, not a welcome committee, nothing. Confused they arrived only to see all the Mane-iac’s henchmen gathered around a coffin with Drake on the middle, crying on the lifeless body of his best friend, presiding the ceremony.
He smiled to his friends.
“Hi, and good bye”
“Humdrum, what happened?”
“Nothing, I… I killed her. The last favor she asked me, the only thing I could do to save my friend… as useless as ever as a hero. But perhaps as a villain I could really be someone”
Humdrum pressed a button from a remote he had making a huge machine to spray the Power Ponies with the Mane-iac’s especial paralyzing formula.
Then he walked out of the factory followed by the henchmen leaving the coffin with the Power Ponies.
“Humdrum! Drake!” Called Matter-Horn.
“Not anymore. I’m not Drake; not even Humdrum. As a last favor to Beauty, I’m Ultimate Drum, your new nemesis. Bye, and don’t worry; I’m pretty sure you’ll survive to this”
Said that, he walked away… pressing another button activating the time-bombs all over the factory.
Author's Note
A small sad one-shot I made as a Spin-Off of my sequel of Spike Lord of Disharmony of Chaos. I know I haven’t publish the sequel yet but all the chapters are too long to translate just like that, besides I’m looking for an editor.
Any offers?
Read ya’ later!!
