Crisis of Infinite Trixies

“Okay, I’m in position, boss,” Northern Lights said from his walkie-talkie.

“Perfect. Don’t alarm her to your presence,” Shade replied.

Beside Shade, Razzle fretted. They all knew how dangerous this Trixie was. Her symbiote power were beyond anything they’d ever seen, even the more veteran Trixie used to combat and danger.

Spider-mare had explained how Venom had an exact duplicate of her powers, which included her spider-sense, a preternatural ability to detect danger. Since they didn’t know how sensitive the ability was, they weren’t taking any unnecessary risks. So far, the native Trixie seemed unaware somepony was trailing her.

“Keep with her,” Shade ordered.

While they weren’t confident about the ‘defeat the symbiote plan’ yet, they could at least learn where the native Trixie dwelled. Any intel was better than nothing.

“She’s entered a building,” Northern Lights said. “An apartment complex in a rather slummy area of the city. Dang, what a dump.” With quiet steps, their group followed Northern Light’s direction, doing their best to remain inconspicuous. His instructions lead their group to a row of shabby buildings, and they ducked into a nearby ally to observe it.

“What a dump.” Guard said with a snort. “She lives here?” The fourth building in the row Northern Lights indicated wasn’t a looker, it’s bricks shabby and worn out. It sat swat and tall against other almost identically grungy buildings.

“She did mention she lost her job because of that Spider-mare murder case scandal,” Guard said. “I wonder how she pays the bills now?”

“I doubt it’s anything legit.” Iron Will stroked her chin. “Her name is mud now in the journalist circle, I wager.” Jade, the last member of their team, listened with interest but remained quiet. Instead, she fiddled with her tool belt, an unconscious tic.

“A light just lit up on the third floor.” A pause and then Northern Lights continued. “I see her in a window. Oof!”

“Lights?” Tense seconds passed as when no reply came, but Shade released a breath as Northern Lights’ voice returned.

“Sorry, I slipped off my perch. Everything looks clear,” the pegasus said.

“Okay. Careful Lights, you aren’t usually this clumsy.” Shade said. “Come back. I’m going in alone.”

“No way. I’ll come with you,” Guard said automatically.

“One lone figure won’t draw as much attention.” Shade replied, resolute. “I’ll get a layout of the land. I’ll sneak inside if she leaves again.” With it still being midafternoon, that seemed a distinct possibility. While none of her allies sounded pleased, they agreed to hide in the background as backup.

Invisibility cloaking her approach, Shade entered the apartment complex. The place looked run down, even by Manehatten standards. Though the windows, Razzle saw sickly, peeling wallpaper in the halls. A rat scurried by, dashing into the nearest hole in the building.

“Charming place,” Northern Light’s commented as he returned to the alley his friends had been hiding in.

They waited in silence as Shade commenced her infiltration. Some ponies entered and left the building, but none were their target.

Minutes later, Shade confirmed that the native Trixie, who they code-named Black, wasn’t in her apartment. “I’m going inside. Watch for any trouble.”

Black had left already? Where did she go? They continued to wait until an angry voice broke the silence.

“You’re late on your rent again,” the stallion said, his gruff voice full of menace.

“You’ll get it by the end of the week,” Then Black came into view. She’d been trying to sneak out unnoticed until her landlord had caught her. An overweight unicorn stallion with a bald spot stood on the pavement outside the building, wearing a peeved expression.

“No, I want my money by sunset.” The stallion eyed the mare with contempt. “You think you can cheat me? Four months you’ve been late. I’ve had it.”

“Times have been tough.” Black forced a smile.

“Cry me a river. In Manehatten, money talks. Don’t have any, you’re nothing. Go live in a dumpster if you want somewhere free.”

Despite being an unhinged maniac, Razzle sympathized with the mare. Life in Manehatten wasn’t easy, many not as lucky as she’d been. Even on her decent actor’s salary, her apartment wasn’t even close to luxurious. Still, she’d made the cramped quarters she’d been stuck with home.

“I said I’d get your money by the end of the week,” Black said with forced patience.

“Boys, throw her stuff into the streets.” The stallion yelled to somepony unseen.

“Wait, you can’t do that!”

“This isn’t a threat. I’m getting my money, or else.”

“You!” The native Trixie gritted her teeth. “No, we can’t just kill him.”

“Sorry?” The stallion said, taken aback.

“I’m not talking to you,” Black snapped, but then a cruel smile extended across her lips. “But we won’t mind that idea. We don’t particularly like this stallion very much. We don’t like how he stares at our flank.”

“Um, Boss. You better get here quick. There might be trouble.” Northern Lights said, his tone anxious.

“Roger.” Shade said though her walkie-talkie.

“Right.” The stallion backed away, unnerved by his tenant’s unusual behavior. But he regained his confidence. “You know what? I’m kicking you out right now. I’ve never liked you, anyway. Boys.”

Four burly stallions emerged from a nearby doorway, each carrying a heavy-looking weapon. Backed with these tough-looking ponies, the landlord regained his confidence. He smirked as his goons gathered around him.

“You can’t just do this,” Native Trixie said, coolly eying the goons.

“Can’t I?” The landlord laughed. “It wasn’t like our little arrangement was even legal. You're living in this dump to hide from the law. What? You plan to sue me?”

“No, we’ll do much worse.”

“Like what, little filly?” The biggest of the goons said, walking forward. He tapped his heavy-looking wrench against a hoof.

“Oh, ponyfeathers. This could turn bad,” Razzle said, alarmed. A fight seemed inevitable.

“Must we help these guys?” Guard seemed reluctant to come to Black’s aid, not that Razzle blamed her.

“Boss?” Northern Lights added, an unspoken question in his voice.

“We can’t stand by and do nothing.” Shade said through her walkie-talkie. Though she didn’t sound comfortable siding with these slimy jerks, either. Still, Venom was unpredictable. That creature was like a wild animal, hungry and unpredictable.

“You’re making a big mistake,” Black eyed her assailants as they surrounded her, blocking her path of escape. Yet, they kept a healthy distance, sensing something amiss.

Detecting their hesitation, the sleazy landlord broke into a tirade. “I’m paying you boys. Get to work!”

“Sorry, filly, but you heard the boss. Get going, or else there will be trouble,” the largest goon placed a threatening hoof on Black’s shoulder.

“Get your hooves off us,” Black snarled.

The goon blinked as he suddenly found himself sprawled across the creaky wooden floor. He moaned and struggled to his hooves. “Get her.”

“Your funeral.” Black grinned as the goons charged her at once. Her body rippled as the symbiote suddenly came to life. The goons froze like frightened rabbits as they suddenly faced a towering black behemoth.

“That emblem? Spider-mare?” A goon said, realizing he might have picked the wrong fight.

What seemed like a formidable fighting squad descended into chaos as the beastly alien creature decimated them. They tried to fight back, but Venom dodged them with liquid grace. Bones cracked as hoof met limb. None of Venom’s attackers could even touch her. Soon, the goons were a groaning mess of limbs and pain, but thankfully, nopony seemed that badly injured.

“What were you saying about kicking us out?” Venom said, stalking toward her landlord.

“Please, Spider-mare, don’t hurt me!” the landlord said, backing away.

“We are not Spider-mare,” Venom said, testily. “We are Venom!”

“Okay, I understand. I’ll let you pay at the end of the week.” Sweat trickled down the landlord’s bald head. “Heck, the end of the month is fine with me!”

“Good.” Venom’s fanged mouth spread back to reveal Black’s face. “Never bother us again.”

“Right!” The landlord fled in fright, almost tripping over his hooves as he ran. Razzle released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Things might have gotten ugly, but Black had restrained her more dangerous side.

“Did you like the show?” Black said to the world at large. From her position behind a corner of a nearby alley, Razzle grimaced. But they should have guessed it wouldn’t be so easy to fool the supervillain.

“Well?” Razzle asked into her walkie-talkie.

“Stay there, I’m coming out.” Their leader replied. “Stay hidden, just in case. I’m not risking anypony else.”

With a sigh, Shade revealed herself, appearing from behind an open doorway. She faced the towering supervillain with a resolute expression on her face, showing she wouldn’t be scared easily.

“You really thought you could fool us?” Venom said, smug.

“I suppose not.” Shade grimaced. “Still, I’m glad you left those jerks alive.”

“What? What do you take us for? We aren’t wanton killers!” Venom said, outraged. “We’ve never wanted to hurt anypony!”

“But!”

“You’re clones. You don’t count.” Venom said, reading Shade’s question.

“No, we aren’t! We’re from another universe, like I said earlier!” Shade snapped. “And what about Spider-mare? She told us what you did! You framed her for murder and blamed her for the job you lost because of your mistake! You printed lies to make her appear guilty!”

“That’s not what happened!” Venom snapped back. “We were lied to! Somepony gave us information we thought was reliable!”

“Really?” Shade said, surprised.

“Yes, they tried to use us to ruin Spider-mare’s reputation! We suspect the Kingpin, but we have no proof!”

Razzle blinked. Maybe they’d misread the situation somewhat. It made sense. The arachnid superhero was a serious thorn in Bayou Runners’ side, no doubt.

“Then he’s the real bad guy here, not Spider-mare!” Shade said.

“No! We still have a score to settle with that bug! She’ll get hers once we destroy the Kingpin!”

“Then, let us help you! The Kingpin killed my mother. I have a score to settle with him, too.”

This caught the parasitic costumed villain off guard, and she considered Shade’s words. It wasn’t hard to detect the genuine venom in Shade’s tone towards their mutual foe. She’d spoken from the heart.

“Your hatred runs deep for the Kingpin.” This observation earned a smile from Venom. “Our mutual hate will work to our benefit. Very well, an alliance it is.”

“Are you sure about this, boss?” Northern Lights asked, his voice wary as he spoke into his walkie-talkie.

“Positive.” The sudden turn of events had reignited their leader’s burning desire to defeat Bayou Runner, much to Razzle’s discomfort. The Kingpin wasn’t an easy foe. Razzle still feared Shade was still underestimating him. With some reluctance, everypony come out into the open.

“You’re sure this is a good idea? I doubt Laughter will be too pleased about this.” Guard lowered her voice. “And Spider-mare.”

“Yeah, this seems like an ill-advised move,” Iron Will’s deep, resonant voice said.

“Yeah, once we have Laughter back, we should return home.” Razzle said. “I suppose Black doesn’t have to some with us if she doesn’t want to.” And with so many heroes around, the native Trixie should be safe enough from Proto, at least for now.

“Well, it’s not up to you!” Shade snapped back. With visible effort, she reined in her temper.

“Think about it. If we help Venom defeat Bayou Runner, she’ll be more likely to help us defeat Proto later on,” Shade said in her most reasonable tone.

“Bayou Runner?” Venom said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, he plays the role of generous philanthropist and upright millionaire, but it’s a smokescreen to his real activities as the Kingpin.” Shade replied.

“We’ve had our own suspicion, but it’s nice to hear them confirmed!” Venom said, her monstrous face retracting to reveal her real one. It looked equal parts excited and intrigued. “Come into our apartment. We’d rather not discuss this in the open!”

Shade nodded and beckoned the others inside. While not thrilled at the prospect of following Venom into her lair, they followed. Razzle dutifully ignored the sound of scurrying cockroaches as Black slipped her key inside the lock.

Black’s apartment wasn’t as bad as its wallpaper-peeling corridor, thank Celestia. The native Trixie had worked hard to make the shabby interior somewhat homey. She had an impressive collection of decorative furniture and plates on display, with a few decent paintings scattered across the walls.

The messiest part of the one-room apartment was its owner’s desk, crammed with newspapers and notes written in a crawling script. Attached to the wall was a dartboard with Spider-mare’s picture pasted across it. Black absently grabbed a dart with her magic and flung it at the dartboard. The missile hit the bullseye, hitting the superhero right between the eyes.

“Now that we know for certain that Bayou Runner is the reason for our troubles, we have an idea to crush him between our hooves!” Black said.

“We’re not going to outright attack him,” Shade said, putting the kibosh on such a suggestion. “We need to be smarter. The Kingpin has supervillains at his beck and call.” They’d seen firsthand how dangerous they could be.

“But—”

“Never underestimate the Kingpin!” Shade said. “He’s not a pony to be trifled with. To beat him, we need to fight smarter.”

“She’s not wrong,” Jade said. “Bayou Runner will be ready for us after the attack on the lab.” Razzle’s mind went to the crown they’d failed to secure. They still hadn’t a clue what it did.

This caught Black’s attention, who bristled with excitement. “You have more metal than we thought. We’re starting to like you more and more. But we must do something.”

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t.” Shade closed her eyes, considering their quandary. Her eyes ran across the documents on the desk. “I see you’ve already gathered an impressive amount of articles about Bayou Runner’s business dealings. Maybe we can find a clue.”

“Actually, I have a suggestion,” Northern Lights said. He’d been scanning through articles as they’d been talking. He showed them a Daily Bugle newspaper dated two weeks ago.

“Crooked Path is being released because of lack of evidence?” Shade said, reading the paper out loud. “There’ve been hints it was because of his contacts with the mythical Kingpin. Somepony many have claimed doesn’t even exist.”

“This guy seems pretty high on Kingpin’s food chain. He might have some information we can use,” Northern Lights said.

“The police couldn’t get him to talk. What makes you think we can?” Guard asked.

“Leave it to us,” Black said, her grin turning predatory. Razzle suppressed a shudder, not wanting to know what that meant.

“I have some skills with extracting information. Leave it to me,” Jade said, referring to her past as a bounty hunter. That sounded like a better plan.

“Yeah, between us, we can get him to talk,” Iron Will said, cracking his knuckles. Guard wasn't comfortable with this plan but didn’t argue.

“It’s our best chance. This Crooked Path is likely our link to destroying Bayou Runner.” The glee in Shade’s voice made Razzle distinctly uncomfortable.

“What about Laughter and Spider-mare?” Razzle asked.

“We’ll clue them in soon enough.” Though, Shade sounded somewhat guilty for not consulting Laughter and Spider-mare about this sudden change in plans. Still, she won’t abandon her chance to tear down his empire like a house of playing cards. Razzle only prayed it’d be that easy.