MLP: Long Nights in Maretropolis

Chapters

Apologies + Update
Chpt. #1: Thunderstorm
Chpt. #2: Diamond Destruction
Chpt. #3: Introductions
Chpt. #4: Dark Forces

Apologies + Update

Hello, all. Just wanted to whip up a quick update over the development of this story.

Long and the short of it; it's cancelled. I think I overshot my initial estimation of trying to build out a larger world/story instead of sticking with something more smut oriented, and I started to struggle hard typing up the latest chapter.

So; good news and bad news. Bad news first; this fic is canceled. I'll try to pump out one more chapter to give a sufficient hopping off point as to not disappoint any readers.

Now, for good news! I do plan on making a new fic with a streamline version of this plot, but fully focused on smut instead of being story based. This should allow me to write with more ease and not stress out too much about lore or continuity.

Sorry if this disappoints anyone, I understand it's pretty shitty to end things so suddenly when the story is just kicking off, but I've really started to lose steam on this story over the last few days and figured it would be best to focus on what I really want to watch.

Hopefully, the last chapter will be up soon enough and I will whip up the next fic soon enough. Thank you all to reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy my works.

Chpt. #1: Thunderstorm

Storms didn’t roll through Maretropolis often, but when they did, they were vicious things. The skies were dark as midnight, only illuminated by the streets below and the occasional flash of thunder as rain came down upon the city in torrents. Spike didn’t know how to feel about nights like this, but he certainly didn’t mind the cover they provided him as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, steadily making his way to a secluded corner of the city.

When he finally reached his destination, a derelict and destitute looking warehouse, he was grateful for the reprieve from the rain as it continued to pour violently down upon him. Slipping in through a cracked skylight and shutting it behind him, he rose up from where he landed and scanned the scene before him, grimacing slightly.

Blood stained the concrete floor before him, long dried but still keeping a red hue. The actual evidence had long since been hauled away by the MPD hours before, but the type restricting off the area was still up. Stepping under it with ease, he looked about the area once more after tapping his mask, the tactical lens clicking into place as he started to take in information from the area.

No discernable footprints, only blood present checked out with the two victims…whoever’s behind this attack might as well be a ghost, since they left no evidence behind.

He was about to switch to a different method of scanning when he heard a creak from behind him, somewhere in the rafters above. He set his jaw and turned around slowly, looking up the rafters while he activated the thermal mode on his mask…only to find nothing, just empty space.

“Sheesh, guess these long nights are getting to me…” He muttered, shaking his head as he switched off his goggles and looked away--

“I mean, talking to yourself is evidence enough of that, if you ask me.”

Spike whirled around frantically just in time for a blast of electricity nailed him in the chest. He flew back with a wheeze of pain, landing against one of the steel bars that supported the floor above him. Looking up with a scowl, his gaze fell upon an…odd sight.

The woman before him sported blue skin and a dark blue, near skin tight suit emblazoned with lightning bolts. A visor obscured her eyes, but not the wicked smirk that played on her lips as she sauntered closer to where he’d fallen, the crackle of lightning flashing past the windows outside.

“You don’t look like one of Mane-iac’s usual goons, but with how bizarre this city is, wouldn’t be shocked if you’re some kind of dorky upstart.” She chortled, her hands crackling with more electricity as the storm seemed to surge unnaturally outside. “Look, just stay down and make this easy for us both, okay dude?”

Spike grit his teeth and rose back to his feet, cracking his neck as he did so and slipping a hand back against one of his utility belt pockets. His attacker seemed entirely unaware, eyeroll visible despite her visor as she groaned and raised her hands.

“Alright, have it your way. Hard it is--”

Before she could let out another volley of energy, Spike’s hand extended and he hurled three black pellets at her face. Catching her off guard, the woman barely had time to bring her arms up and shield herself from the explosion that followed…of black smoke, that is. She opened her eyes and coughed violently as the smoke from the pellets filled the room around her.

“Gonna be like that, is it?” She hissed between coughs, raising both hands and swinging them down as a gust of wind suddenly flooded in from the nearby windows, rain now pouring into the warehouse. She was astonished to find that even with the smoke blowing away, the masked man she’d been fighting was nowhere to be seen.

“Missing something?” A familiar voice quipped from above, prompting her to spin around just in time for a kick to the face as Spike swung down using his grappling hook. Rolling to dodge a furious blast of energy after the fact, he extended a collapsible bo staff as he sprang back towards her. He only got a few whacks in before the woman let out an agitated cry and suddenly..

Wings. Wings that he’d somehow missed before emerged from behind her, sending a powerful gust his way and sending him skidding back a few feet. His mask hid most of his surprise, but not all of it, as evident by the way the woman smirked upon seeing him rise back to his feet.

“Heh, weren’t expecting that, were you, punk?”

Spike said nothing, gripping his staff tighter. This was…not ideal, frankly. It was bad enough going against Maretropolis’ usual sort of criminal, but powers like this…even he had to admit, this was beyond him.

“Who the hell are you…?”

To his surprise, the woman’s bluster seemed to falter for a second, and she actively scoffed in disbelief while staring him down. “Dude, are you for real right now? I’m Zapp.”

The blank look he shot her must have once more pierced his mask, because she looked even more offended now, throwing her arms up as her wings folded away once more. “Are you kidding me?! I’m a member of the Power Ponies, Maretropolis’ newest team of heroes?”

Suddenly, a few things snapped into place for Spike, and he sighed in irritation as he collapsed his staff. He recalled the news broadcast he’d seen only a few weeks ago, talking about the debut of a new team of heroes in the city that had taken out Mane-iac single handedly. The name was a bit much, but given Mane-iac’s status and how powerful she could be…clearly, these guys were no joke.

“Right. Apologies for not recognizing you, I’ve been a bit…busy.” Spike muttered before stepping forward and extending a hand, much to the woman’s seeming bewilderment. “You’re not the only hero in this city, y’know. The name’s Noir, pleasure to-”

Snort!

Spike fought the urge to scowl and instead shot Zapp an unimpressed look as she tried to restrain her laughter. Sure, Noir was a bit…edgy, but it was better than his original hero name. If he could travel three years into the past and slap his seventeen year old self for calling himself Humdrum of all things…

“S-sorry, still getting used to the whole hero name thing. Can’t even take my own friend’s names seriously.” She explained between giggles, before taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. “Sorry about the misunderstanding, man. Just saw you slip into this place while I was on patrol out in the storm and kinda assumed the worst.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Spike snorted, as her instincts certainly weren’t wrong on that front. Stopping a B&E should be standard for most heroes, after all. “I just needed to give this crime scene a scan, pick up anything that the MPD missed.”

“Oh, right. That whole mess from last night.” Zapp nodded in understanding, grimacing as she looked back at the crime scene behind them, a bit scuffed from their scuffle but little more damage than some ripped police tape and slight dampness from the rain. Thank goodness all the important evidence was already long gone. “Twi--er, I mean, Masked Matter-Horn told me about this. Sounds like a rough scene to come across.”

“It was.” Spike muttered, frowning as he recalled the gritty details. Two dead security guards, both having seemingly been gassed to death by some kind of unidentified toxin. Chemicals were also stolen from numerous crates in the warehouse, the specific contents of which hadn’t yet been identified. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to pick anything up, even before you interrupted me.”

He sent her a slight scowl with that last part, earning a sheepish grin in response with an anxious chuckle. Shaking his head, he started back for the skylight, only to pause as Zapp spoke up again.

“H-hey, uh…since I kinda screwed things up for you here, how about I help you with this case? Me and the rest of the Power Ponies, that is.”

He arched an eyebrow under his mask, surprised by the offer but all the same skeptical. He hadn’t seriously worked with someone in…well, it’d been a spell, and for good reason.

“Thanks for the offer…but I work alone.” He replied, aiming his grapple gun up at the skylight and firing, pausing before he zipped away to throw in one last exchange. “If something comes up, I’ll find you. Until then…”

And just like that, he was off again. A shadow darted across the stormy night sky as the rain poured on and thunder rumbled deep across the city. Zapp bit her lips and sighed, before tapping ehr communicator and opening a line back to her HQ.

“Hey, Twi? You remember that thing you told me to look out for, about other heroes in the city…? Yeah, I think I found one…”

Author's Note

Hello, hello! Been a long while since I've written anything MLP, but I got the bug for it again recently and thought, "Hell, why not?"

Hope you've enjoyed, as there's a lot more to come in the future if all goes well.

Chpt. #2: Diamond Destruction

Maretropolis City University was a lot of things, but above all else, it was one of the few places Spike could relax. The campus itself was one of the safest places in the city, and while he’d started taking online classes to take off the pressure of bouncing between his studies and vigilante work, he still wandered the campus on occasion for the hell of it.

As he strolled along the sidewalk, headed for one of the student lunch halls,he caught a glimpse of himself in a passing window and snickered slightly. While he didn’t look too rough since he’d showered and cleaned himself up that morning, his baggy sweatpants and light purple hoodie certainly made him look like the average college student. The only thing that made him easy to notice in a crowd was his bright green hair.

Doubt a single person here would ever suspect me of being a vigilante when I stroll around campus looking like this. He thought to himself with a chuff of amusement, carrying on towards his end destination before pausing as he got a text, pulling out his phone to give it a quick read.

Sunny Side Up: You doing good, man?

Chuckling softly, he felt a bittersweet surge of emotions at the message. Sunset Shimmer was a friend of his, and the only other person currently living in the city who knew about his secret identity. Three years ago, she’d been a beat cop of the MPD, but nowadays she worked as a private investigator. Truthfully, it’d been a while since he checked up on her…

Spike Drake: Yeah, I’m doing alright. U?

Sunny Side Up: I’ve had worse weeks. Was wondering if you’d be up for coffee, maybe tomorrow morning?

Spike’s eyebrows raised in surprise, a smidge shocked by the sudden offer. Sure, Sunset wasn’t one to mince words, but given it’d been a few months since they’d checked in on one another, the offer was enough to throw him off. Still, it would be nice to catch up with her…what the hell, he protected the city for a living. He’d taken bigger risks.

Spike Drake: For sure! Should be ready to roll by 9, that work for you?

Sunny Side Up: Hell yeah, it does. See you at the usual spot, Drake. Don’t be late, or I’ll kick your ass ;P

He snorted quietly at that last remark, shaking his head as a fond grin worked his way up his face. Being a vigilante and working day and night to keep Maretropolis safe didn’t exactly leave much room for friendship, so he was happy to keep in contact with who he could.

“Ah, gracing us with your presence once more, Mr. Drake. How very kind of you.” An unexpected voice hummed, pulling him away to his phone and drawing his attention to a middle aged man with short gray hair and a red sweater, one he recognized from his early years at the university.

“Professor Thaddeus! It’s been too long!” He laughed warmly, pocketing his phone and walking up to the man, shaking his hand firmly as the older man chuckled along. “It’s been a while since I last saw you…how are your classes going this semester?”

“Bah, as well as they can, I suppose. Always the same gaggle of freshmen to sort out every time, but I’ll admit, my latest classes have been quite receptive and polite during my lectures.” The man chuckled, tilting his head to Spike curiously. “I heard that you’ve taken on an all online curriculum, and I have to say, I’m surprised. You seemed to enjoy in-person work quite a lot.”

“I did, but my schedule has gotten kinda cluttered lately…I needed to make some time for personal stuff, you know?” Spike replied with a bashful chuckle, recognizing that the excuse was only a half life. After all, his work was quite personal. Thaddeus nodded in understanding and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Yes, yes, I understand. You always did push yourself a little too hard, perhaps these online courses will be good for you.” He mused, before glancing at his wrist and scoffing wryly as he drew his hand back. “Ah, fiddlesticks. My next class is in ten minutes, I must be going. Whenever you have a free moment, however, do feel free to swing by! I’d love to go over some theories with you, for old times sake!”

“Sounds good, professor. I’ll swing by eventually!” Spike assured him as the man continued off in the direction of the nearest campus building, chuckling to himself as he turned and continued on into the lunch hall. The professor was certainly an eccentric type, but he was one of the few instructors Spike could stand to hear lecture, and he’d always enjoyed the subjects the man covered…maybe he’d take one last class with his senior year, for old time’s sake.

Stepping into the hall proper, he started for the cafe with a pep in his step, only to slow as he realized that a majority of the student body in the area, including the cooks, were huddled around the numerous TV screens in the dining area. The second he got in earshot, he heard why.

“We are here outside Stable Stocks Bank, reporting an unexpected skirmish between the Power Ponies and the infamous criminal gang known as “The Diamond Dogs”. The streets are in absolute chaos as the powerful heroes and dastardly villains clash! Only three of the Power Ponies have shown up so far, but they seem to be holding their own against the superpowered criminals!”

As the reporter rattled on with the rest of the students and staff around him still glued to the screen, Spike slid back out towards the exit, jaw set in a firm line as he turned and started to shuck off his backpack, where his gear and suit resided. Seems like breakfast was going to have to wait.

Twilight Sparkle had grown up knowing she was born for a greater purpose. Burdened by unprecedented superpowers, she trained at Professor Celestia's School for Gifted Youth to learn to control her abilities…to harness them, and use them against those who seek to cause harm to others. Despite her training and the friends she’d made along the way, she never imagined she’d end up leading a team of like minded people one day…or just how much of a struggle an actual fight would be.

She spat out some blood and groaned in pain, trying to find the will to get off her ass after getting hurled through a wall into a laundry mat. The Diamond Dogs were stronger than they looked, as she was finding out the hard way. Fido and Spot both possessed super strength, the latter of whom demonstrated as much by hurling her through a building.

“Heh, heh. Told the boss that you freaks were just a couple of one trick ponies.” The super powered criminal jeered as he stepped in through the ruined wall he’d just caved in, stalking towards Twilight with a malicious smirk on his face. “What’s the matter, girly? Can’t handle goin’ toe to toe with a real threat?”

Twilight grimaced at the taunting, hauling herself to her feet with a defiant scowl as a familiar power started to course through her veins. Spot didn’t seem to realize what he was in for until the blue glow started around her forehead, surprise and then fear entering his expression as he realized his mistake.

“Aw, shit--”

A powerful blast of ice sent him soaring back out onto the streets, nailing him to a light post and binding him there as he let loose a colorful series of curses. Twilight limped back out onto the battlefield after the fact, surveying the streets around her with a grimace.

The Diamond Dog gang had been attacking banks in the area over the last few days, and the Power Ponies had been lucky enough to predict their next moves well enough to intercept their latest attack. So far, most of the normal crooks of the gang were down, but Fido and Rover were still putting up one hell of a fight against Mistress Mare-velous and Fili-Second.

Speaking of which, the ice powered hero spotted the former going up against Fido, using her lasso to yank the man forward before delivering a powerful kick to his jaw, sending him reeling.

“That enough for ya, fella, or do I need to hogtie you next to keep you and your vermin pals from roughin’ up any more innocent folk today?” She drawled with a confident smirk, swinging her lasso in preparation as she stared down the criminal as he lurched back to his feet, snarling at her.

“Ghh…we ain’t done yet. I’m gonna lay you out, broad!” He spat, starting forwards again with his fists raised, prepared to take the fight back to her before a streak of pink flew bast him, his head jerking to the side from the speed at which he was hit, before lurching in the opposite direction as the pink blur whizzed past once again, sending him to the ground once more as his head spun.

“Whoops, too slow! Better luck next time!” Fili-Second chirped with a wide grin, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her teammate restrained the criminal with a pair of hoofarangs. The speedster looked like she was practically vibrating with energy, her white and pink suit stained with occasional patches of soot and blood, (none of which belonged to her, shockingly). “You okay, Mare-velous?”

“I’m all good, Fili. Thank you kindly for the back-up.” The orange skinned woman chuckled, rising back to her feet after securing Fido and looking about. “Now, Fido, where’s that troublemaking brother of yours?”

“Closer than you think.”

Suddenly, a wave of red energy blasted into both heroes, sending them soaring into the air, the falls cushioned ice slides hastily conjured up by Masked Matter-Horn. The trio turned to face the remaining member of the Diamond Dog leadership, Rover himself. The man didn’t have powers like his two younger brothers, but he made up for that fact by wielding a powerful looking cannon with both hands.

“Like my new toy? Courtesy of our latest employer, guaranteed to put meddlesome heroes like yourself into a world of hurt.” He leered at them with a sinister looking expression. “Was hoping your entire pose would show up whenever I got to break this baby out, but oh well. I’ll settle for humiliating three heroes today.”

“You must be pretty confident in that tech to think you’re gonna come out on top here, Rover. It’s three on one.” Twilight sniped back, standing ready with both of her teammates as she channeled her power once more, preparing to send a wave of ice in the direction of the criminal.

Rover just grinned, seemingly priming the cannon once more as the red lights along the barrel grew brighter. The heroes moved in tandem, with Mistress Mare-velous and Fili-Second both launching forward in an arch, attempting to hit the man from both sides as Masked Matter-Horn launched a volley of ice in his direction.

The weapon expelled another wave of red energy, more intense this time and at a much wider radius. The ice melted away faster than Twilight could generate it, and both of her fellow heroes were blasted back yet again, Mistress Mare-velous sent crashing back into a wrecked taxi while Fili-Second tumbled ass over teakettle back the same lamppost Spot was frozen to.

Twilight’s eyes widened as the blast came to an end, her temple pulsing in pain given the power she’d been pushing out. Aside from her teachers, the most powerful heroes she’d ever met, nothing had ever held back her powers like that before. She certainly hadn’t seen anyone be able to stop Fili in her tracks like that either.

“You think that’s impressive, Matter-Horn? Just wait till I show you what it can do on full power!” Rover laughed darkly, flipping a switch next to the trigger of the cannon as it started to shift, plating coming free at the front of the barrel and beginning to spin rapidly as he leveled the weapon solely on Twilight. She drew up her power once more, prepared to defend herself and her fellow heroes however she could--

Only to fall short as a black metallic disk suddenly flew out from somewhere behind her, latching on to the barrel of the cannon and seemingly becoming magnetically attached with an audible thunk! Even Rover seemed surprised by this sudden development, barely able to get a befuddled, “Wha?” out of his mouth before the disk suddenly released an electric charge through the weapon, shocking him and making him drop it with a cry as it shut down.

“What the shit?! W-who threw that?” He spat, looking up to the building before Twilight, his expression suddenly going slack as shock became clear on his face. Twilight tilted her head to follow his gaze, and likewise was surprised by what she found.

Perched high above them, a man in a black and purple suit stood tall with a menacing gate. He jumped down with the help of a grappling hook, his cape billowing behind him as he landed beside Twilight, rising up to his full height once more beside her, his gaze still locked on Rover as his masked eyes narrowed.

“New toys, Rover? Where’d you get the money for that?” He asked, making the man wince and take a step back, looking around fearfully as he realized that both Mistress Mare-velous and Fili-Second had risen once more, and without his secret weapon in hand, he was now at their mercy. “I’d recommend surrendering now.”

“Y-you…you son of a bitch!” Rover snarled desperately, his hand slipping into his jacket and pulling a pistol free. He didn’t even get a chance to aim it before Fili-Second darted up and cracked him once across the jaw, sending him to the ground. A moment later, he was frozen in place there by Masked Matter-Horn, and the battle ended with a mere whimper.

“Well…I guess that coulda gone worse.” Mistress Mare-velous huffed as she rolled her shoulder, grimacing at the brief flash of pain that followed before her attention flicked to the masked man that had joined them, her eyes narrowing skeptically. “Appreciate the assist, stranger, but I’m a bit curious as to who you are and why you stepped in to help us.”

Before the man could answer, Twilight spoke up, having regained her composure after Rover had fallen. “Ah, right. Introductions. Mare, Fili; this is Noir. He’s the hero Zapp ran into during her patrol last night.”

Before Noir could even respond to this with more than a nod, Fili-Second jumped forward and extended a hand to him, greeting him in an enthused tone. “Hiya! It’s nice to meet you, Noiry! Can I call you Noiry? Zapp made you sound like you were taller, are you supposed to be taller? What was that disk you used on that guy’s gun? What’s with the--”

A hand was promptly slapped over the woman’s mouth as she continued to blabber on, while Twilight spared the male hero an apologetic look. “Sorry about her. She gets a little…excitable, meeting new people. Regardless, thank you for lending a hand.”

“Right…glad I arrived when I did. Seemed like Rover had you three on the ropes.” The man muttered, looking away from the still talking speedster with a befuddled expression and instead turning his attention to the discarded cannon on the ground, starting to walk over to it. “Speaking of which…any idea where he could have gotten tech like this?”

Twilight sent a cautious look over to Mistress Mare-velous, who seemed similarly perturbed by the man’s curt demeanor. Still, removing her hand from Fili-Second’s mouth and moving to join Noir as he knelt before the cannon, visually inspecting it.

“No idea, I’ve never seen anything like this…it seemed to counter our powers entirely. That’s…that’s never happened before to me.” She admitted, drawing a curious glance from Noir before he reached down and plucked his electro disk off the device, taking off a panel with it in the process…and seemingly activating some kind of failsafe as the device started to whirl and glow red, making both heroes quickly step back in alarm. “Shit--move, MOVE!”

He kicked the cannon to make it roll farther away before grabbing Twilight’s arm and pulling her further away from the device as it started to whirr louder and louder. They only made it another five feet before the cannon detonated in a fiery red explosion that sent them both sprawling along the ground.

The two heroes were quickly helped back to their feet by Mistress Mare-velous and Fili-Second, the four heroes looking to the smoldering crater that was at least a foot deep that had resulted from the explosion.

“Well…that certainly makes things more complicated.” Noir muttered, before noticing the distant moan of sirens growing closer, pocketing the sample of metal he salvaged from the cannon and grabbing his grapple gun. “And that’s my cue to leave. Until next time, Matter-Horn.”

He nodded to the other power ponies and prepared to leave, but before he could, the purple clad heroine stepped before him once more with a pleading gesture. “Hang on! We could help each other, you know! Why don’t you come back with us to our headquarters, so we can test that metal you found?”

The male hero paused at the offer, pursing his lips and looking about her companions. Mistress Mare-velous looked displeased by the idea, but seemed to keep her disagreement to herself. Fili-Second, on the other hand, seemed positively elated at the prospect, nodding quickly.

It was a bad idea, he knew it in his heart. Then Power Ponies were green as grass when it came to being heroes…but that also meant he could lend some guidance, try and steer them away from the mistakes he’d made only a few years prior…

Hearing the sirens grow ever closer and realizing that it was now or never, he sighed deeply and lowered his arm, nodding with a pensive frown.

“Alright then…lead the way.”

Author's Note

Another chapter done! Apologies if the names seem all over the place this chapter, once the Power Ponies are "revealed" in future chapters, I'll stick with their normal names while writing them.

Chpt. #3: Introductions

Spike wasn’t sure what he was doing, following the Power Ponies back to their headquarters like this. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust their intentions, per say, as he’d done his homework the night prior and ensured that they were a legit team of heroes.

It was more so the fact of their trustworthiness that made him so skeptical. Sure, Zapp had likely told her fellow heroes about their encounter the day prior, but for all Spike knew, none of them really recognized him as an existing hero, which made sense. He tried to fly under the radar to keep the MPD off his ass, and a part of ensuring that secrecy was flying solo unless absolutely necessary.

Working with the Power Ponies could make things more complicated, even in the short term…I need to be careful about how I do this, try not to become too involved. He thought to himself as he leapt across yet another rooftop, landing beside Mistress Mare-velous who had volunteered to keep an eye on him as her teammates led them back to their hideout.

So far, Mare-velous seemed like the only one to match his skepticism over this entire situation, fixing him with a cautious look as she studied him for a moment, turning to follow the others after a moment while still addressing him.

“So, Noir…how long you been a vigilante for?” She asked, a thick country accent punctuating every word she said. Her tone was friendly, even conversational, but he could tell she was trying to get a read on him.

“Just over three years now. It’s been quite some time.” He replied with a hum, deciding that a bit of leeway was for the best. He certainly didn’t plan to overshare with the Power Ponies, but they weren’t his enemies, so answering their questions honestly was in his best interest.

“Well shoot, awfully long time to be protecting a city alone.” She chuckled, shooting him a curious look after they bounded across yet another rooftop. “How’d you manage it?”

“Honestly, it just became routine after a while. I tried to work with the MPD once or twice on higher profile cases, crimes I couldn’t handle on my own…never ended well.” He explained as his mouth curved into a thin frown. He didn’t hold it against the MPD, he didn’t have the same glowing reputation of the newly formed Power Ponies. He’d gotten close enough to crossing the line more than once…

Mare-velous hummed again, seeming to process this answer as they caught up to the other two heroes, perched on the latest ledge and looking down at the streets below. After a few moments of waiting for civilian traffic to clear up, Masked Matter-Horn and Fili-Second jumped down into a nearby alleyway, with Mistress Mare-velous and Noir following soon after.

The four then descend into the sewers via a manhole, dropping down into a service tunnel without alerting any passersby. Spike grimaced at the stance, to which Matter-Horn shot him a sympathetic look. “Apologies, this is one of the quicker shortcuts back to base, plus far more discreet than leaping across the rooftops.”

“I get it. Not a half bad place to hide a shortcut, frankly.” He conceded with a nod, before noticing the hesitant look she cast him before they started moving, sighing as he did his best to restrain a chuckle. “I’m guessing you have questions you’d like to ask me as well.”

“A few, admittedly, yes.” She replied with a bashful chuckle, scratching the back of her neck as they resumed walking, with Matter-Horn still in the lead with Noir at her side as Fili-Second and Mare-velous now took up the rear. “It’s just…the device you used to take out Rover’s weapon, the grappling gun…where do you get such incredible technology?”

“Let’s just say I have a friend in Drake Enterprises who’s more than happy to give me whatever tools I need in order to protect the city.” He replied as a small smile worked its way onto his face. Sure, it might have been showing his hand just a little too soon, but something about the enthusiasm that shone through on the purple woman’s face got him to lower his walls a little.

That got all three of the girls to perk up curiously, as Drake Enterprises was a decently big name in the city. Before bigger companies like Steel Stallion and Canter Electronics came in, Drake Enterprises was the premier tech outlet company in all of Maretropolis. Since more competition moved in and the times changed, however, the company had shifted to more specific products, mainly working with the MPD and other government agencies on fairly secretive contracts.

“Do you…work with Drake Enterprises directly, or is the arrangement more off the books?” Matter Horn asked as she led the group up to a green metal door, typing a code into the pin pad beside it and stepping back as the light on the pad flashed green, the door opening on it’s own.

“Off the books. On occasion, I test out prototypes of theirs. If they work out, I send back the data and keep the prototype version to assist me in the field.” He explained, recalling the few times he’d tested out gear that was…less than satisfactory. The “entrapment putty” still haunted his dreams that night. “The latest one I’ve received was an experimental hover board that uses state of the art repulsion thrusters to allow flight. It’s…pretty amazing, I can’t lie.”

“Wowie, that’s gotta be so fun! An actual hoverboard?!” Fili suddenly interjected, zipping up beside Spike with her impressive speed and making him jump in surprise. “How high can it go? How fast? You think we could race some time? Betcha I can make it to the city limit and back before you can!”

“Fili, enough. Let the man answer before you start bombarding him with questions.” Mare-velous chided her with a fond eye roll, bumping the pink woman’s shoulder in a playful manner. Fili-Second, to her credit, did mutter a sheepish apology as they continued on past the automatic door that sealed once more behind them once they passed.

“It’s fine. Truthfully, I’ve only taken it about 20 feet off the ground, but I think it can go higher. As for how fast it is…I’ll get back to you on that.” He chuckled, a bit caught off guard by just how friendly the three acted. The few people he’d met and worked with during his time as Noir were usually all business or sported wry humor and enjoyed teasing him lightly, like Sunset. Never were they outright cheery like these three seemed to be.

Suddenly, they came across a large tram that led down what seemed to be an abandoned subway tunnel. Matter-Horn waisted until they were all aboard before shutting the gate behind them and pressing a few buttons on an attached control panel. Just like that, they were off. Rattling down the tracks for almost a minute or two before arriving at a similar station, though this one had an apparent elevator waiting for them instead of an automatic door like before.

“Moment of truth, Noir. You ready to see what the new heroes on the block are working with?” Mare-velous asked him with a teasing tilt of her head. He returned the smirk in turn, and joined the group in the elevator.

“I’m prepared to be wowed. Let’s see what you got.”

The doors slid shut, and off the elevator rose, carrying them up for a solid twenty seconds before it finally dinged, the doors sliding back open and revealing a long hallway before them. The three Power Ponies took the lead, leading Spike into the well furnished and frankly impressive halls of what he could only assume to be a mansion of some kind.

They walked through at least two halls of sprawling rooms on either side before arriving at a large set of double doors, opening them with little fanfare and finally revealing the main event. A large circular table that glowed blue awaited them in the center of the room, bathed in cool lavender. On either side as they approached the table numerous computers lined what seemed like some sort of armory, with numerous mannequins that Spike imagined held the heroes' suits when they weren’t in the field.

What really caught his eye, however, was the gorgeous masked woman that was waiting for them beside the table. She had purple hair and porcelain white skin, clad in a dark blue suit and matching mess emblazoned with lighter blue diamonds along with a golden brooch on her chest. She grinned at her fellow Power Ponies as they approached, her expression warm and iridescent.

“Ah, there you three are! I assumed you’d arrive soon enough. Saddle Wrangler and Zapp are still on their way, but they should be here any moment now.” She greeted them, before fixing Spike with that dazzling smile and extending a hand to him daintily. “And you must be our mysterious new ally. Radiance, charmed to meet you.”

“Noir, and likewise.” Spike croaked out after a beat, taking her hand and giving it a ginger shake while trying to keep his cheeks from heating up over his unintended pause while he marveled at the woman. Clearing his throat, he soon turned his attention to Masked Matter-Horn, who looked like she was trying her hardest to hide a grin at the exchange. “So, while we’re waiting for your teammates, we should probably get to work on testing that sample I recovered.”

“That sounds like a great idea.” She chuckled, extending her hand expectantly as he pulled the metal plate from earlier out from his belt and planted it in her grasp. She nodded and turned, walking over to one of the nearby consoles and flipping up a containment unit, planting the plate inside before shutting it and tapping away on the keyboard. “Alright, a standard scan should only take half an hour or so, which means we have some time to kill.”

“Oh, oh! Does that mean I can break out the board games? It’s been a while since we last played Marenopoly~” Fili-second asked enthusiastically, bouncing on her feet once more despite the grimaces that rose on the rest of her teammates faces.

“Fili, hun…absolutely not. We both know why Marenopoly is permanently banned from team game night.” Mare-velous groaned, facepalming while the speedster enthusiasm turned to pouting as she crossed her arms and grumbled something about the game being rigged anyhow. “‘Sides, Zapp and Saddle Wrangler should be here any second now.”

Right on cue, a second set of doors opened from the far left side of the room, and in strode the two final members of the team. Zapp was still in her suit that Spike recognized from the night prior, but the other woman with pink hair and yellow skin wore a turquoise suit and purple mask.

“Sorry for the wait, gals. Just had to swing by the pound to grab S.D. real quick.” Zapp chuckled, before her eyes flicked to Spike, widening briefly before an almost impressed smile rose on her lisp. “Fancy seeing you here, Noir! Matter-Horn mentioned she was bringing back a guest, but she didn’t mention you specifically!”

Spike cast the Power Pony leader a curious glance, receiving a shrug in response before she walked up to the table in the center of the room, hitting a button on one of the panels and prompting seven chairs to rise up from around the table, each of the heroes moving to take a seat until it was only Spike left standing.

“Well, now that we’re all here…I believe we owe you a few answers, Noir. As long as you allow us a few more questions, as well.” Matter-Horn smiled at him with that same friendliness from before, and Spike had to fight the immediate wave of skepticism that followed.

I’m getting too paranoid for this line of work. He thought to himself before settling into the open seat, nodding in agreement to the terms and once more cracking a small smile. “Sounds like a fair enough arrangement. So, who goes first?”

“Please, we asked you a few questions before everyone arrived. You must have something you’d like to ask us.” The purple skinned woman replied, to which Spike nodded and did ask the first question on his mind.

“Alright then…how exactly did the Power Ponies come about? I hadn’t even heard about the six of you before last week.”

Before any of the members could respond, the lights suddenly dimmed before a spotlight appeared, with Fili-Second stepping up before, her silhouette projected against the nearest wall as she spoke in a low, dramatic tone like a voiceover in a movie trailer.

“There was an idea, Noir. To bring together a group of remarkable, super-powered people. To have them fight the battles the average man and women never could, using their otherworldly powers for good in an ultimate quest for justice and prosperity!”

“...Is she always like this?” Spike deadpanned to the remaining superheroes, who all nodded and grumbled confirmations in seeming exasperation at the pink speedster’s antics.

“Unfortunately, yes. She’s on the eccentric side, as you’ve likely noticed.” Radiance confirmed with an apologetic smile, before clapping hands together briefly to catch the other woman’s attention. “Fili, dear? I believe our guest would appreciate the simplified version.”

Just as quickly as it appeared, the spotlight vanished as the lighting returned to normal while Fili-Second groaned in disappointment, crossing her arms. “Aw, phooey, I was about to get to the good part! Fine, cliff notes version; Matter-Horn tracked us all down across the city to help her take down Mane-iac under the instructions of--”

“Ah, ah, ah! Too much, Fili!” Matter Horn chimed back in, looking alarmed at first and then apologetic as she turned to address a still bemused Spike. “Sorry about that, but there are still a few things we’d like to keep close to the vest…you know?”

“I understand entirely. No worries.” Spike assured her, understanding all too well the benefit of privacy. Still, the fact that someone had apparently instructed Masked Matter-Horn to assemble such a team…he was going to have to look into this some more. “Guess it’s your turn now. Any questions on your mind?”

After a moment or two of hesitation as the girls looked amongst one another, Zapp apparently decided to take the plunge and pop the most obvious question the group had on their mind. “What made you want to become a hero for Maretropolis?”

Spike paused and mulled over the question, once more battling with himself internally over how frank to be in his answer. Ultimately, his honest side won out and he took a deep breath before answering seriously.

“I’d like to say that I had the best of intentions when I started out…but I’d be lying. I didn’t become a vigilante because I wanted to help people…I did it because I wanted to hurt them.” He emphasized, stomaching the uncomfortable churning in his chest as he continued to the hardest part of the answer. “Four years ago, my parents were killed in a robbery gone wrong. Could have happened to anyone, anywhere in the city, but that night…my parents lost their lives for nothing.”

“I…I can’t even describe the pain I felt. It was like someone had caved in my chest and scooped my heart out. I was utterly useless for a year after my aunt took me in, but after a while…I got mad. Really mad.” He took another breath as his fists clenched briefly at the familiar pulse of tension recalling the events that. “They never caught the guy that killed them. He was just one masked goon in a city full of them, right? If MPD couldn’t find him, I had about as good of a chance as they did at finding the son of a bitch.”

“For three months, I played vigilante. Stalking the worst parts of town and picking fights with all kinds of criminals. I lost most of ‘em, but eventually, I actually tracked the guy down. Cornered him in a warehouse, had him trapped and alone. I could have crossed a line…but then I thought about my parents, if this is what they would want for me. To live my life behind bars because I gave in to vengeance and rage. So instead, I strung the guy up for the cops and planned to put the crime fighting behind me…before I had a thought.”

“I wasn’t the only person to lose someone to this city. Lots of boys and girls lost family, had the justice system fail them…maybe what Maretropolis needed wasn’t some dumbass, grieving kid bumbling around criminal territories, but a protector. Someone to step up where the cops couldn’t, to avenge those that the law failed…maybe that’s what I could be.”

“Three years later, I’d say I’ve done an alright job. Crime is down across the board, the MPD doesn’t shoot at me on sight anymore, and I can actually manage to get a good night's sleep most nights when I finally pass out in my bed.” He finished, taking one last breath before fixing the group with a serious look. “So…there’s your answer on why I do what I do.”

The six women looked stunned, horrified at his story and simultaneously sympathetic to what he’d gone through. Surprisingly enough, the one member who hadn’t said a word to him thus far was the first to act, gingerly reaching over from next to him and finding his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as she looked into his eyes through his mask.

“I’m very sorry for your loss…I can’t imagine the pain you had to endure losing your parents, but…I think they’d be very proud of the choice you made.” She assured him in a very soft, sweet voice, offering him a kind and patient smile along with the words. It sparked a swell of emotion in his chest, and he found himself glad for his mask as he felt his eyes grow damp, quickly clearing his throat to prevent any cracking as he responded.

“Thank you…I appreciate the sentiment, honestly. Sometimes, it's nice to hear it from someone else.” Spike admitted, returning the shy woman’s smile. He felt a hand on his shoulder a moment later, turning his head to look up at Mare-velous, who was sending him a similarly sympathetic look.

“Took an awful lotta courage to tell us about your past, Noir. I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say we appreciate it, and that we apologize if we pushed you a bit too far.” She apologized with a sheepish expression, one shared amongst the group as they all looked to him with a similar range of emotions.

“It’s alright, I get why you asked, and it’s not like you would have known.” Spike assured them all, having composed himself enough to regain some of his humor. “Now, I believe you ladies still owe me a few more answers.”

The Power Ponies beamed at his remark, seemingly relieved they hadn’t upset him too much with their questioning. For the next twenty or so minutes, they continued to trade a few more questions before the terminal that had been analyzing the metal chirped, indicating the testing was finished.

“That’d be the results! Let’s see what we’re working with!” Matter-Horn chuckled, rising from her seat and walking over to the computer, flanked on both sides by the rest of her team and Spike. She tapped a few buttons and drew up the results…before promptly frowning in confusion. “Huh. That’s…weird. To say the least.”

“Is something wrong?” Spike asked, a nervous feeling churning in his gut as the purple skinned woman turned back to face him, her expression uncertain.

“Well, technically no. The analysis was successful; most of the metal is your standard for firearms, but there’s an unregistered alloy in the mix. One that isn’t showing up on any of our records…which is strange, since that implies our benefactor somehow hasn’t encountered it before.”

The heroes all looked disappointed with this news, though none more than Spike. With the alloy as a dead end, that meant that tracking down whoever sold Rover the weapon was gonna be all the more difficult.

“Well then…guess we’re both back to square one.” He muttered dejectedly, tapping the release button on the console and plucking out the sample before turning back to the group, his tone even and cool once more. “I’ll run some tests back at my own lab, and send you the results…somehow.”

Matter-Horn frowned at his sudden haste to leave, but nodded before reaching over to another console and plucking a silver device with lavender trim out of a charging port, passing it to him. “Alright. You can use this to contact us…stay safe out there, Noir.”

“You too.” He replied, taking the device and turning on his heel, heading back towards the exit he’d arrived through, though he did pause at the double doors. “For what it’s worth? It really was a pleasure meeting you six.”

And then he was off, leaving the six women to stew over their first proper meeting, uncertain of what the exact future between their group and the masked vigilante was.

Chpt. #4: Dark Forces

It was raining yet again when Spike emerged onto the rooftop after clambering back out from the manhole entrance to the Power Ponies secret lair. He grimaced as he looked up at the sky, both given the current weather and how the meeting had ended.

On one hand, getting acquainted with the Power Ponies actually wasn’t so bad, and it was even kind of nice leveling with someone again after so long. On the other hand, with the metal confiscated from Rover’s gun coming up without any results, the question of just who supplied him with such a powerful weapon remained worryingly unanswered. If there was someone out there supplying criminals with dangerous weapons, perhaps even like the chemical weapons used at the crime scene the night prior.

I gotta get back to the lab…maybe a few more tests could answer some questions. He mused to himself with a frown, launching across the rooftops once more with his grappling gun. Piercing a path through the rain was difficult as the wind whirled around him occasionally, he made a beeline back towards his own base.

As he traveled across the rooftops, his mind wandered back to the team of heroes he’d just gotten acquainted with. What to make of the Power Ponies…they were nice, certainly. Very kind to him despite being a stranger. They didn’t overshow their hand, keeping certain details of what exactly brought them together a secret, which he could respect.

Still, it’d been so long since he worked with someone excusing Sunset, and even that partnership had been relatively short lived. As nice as the Power Ponies seemed, could he see himself working alongside them against threats to Maretropolis? Or should he just stay out of their way and only work with them if their paths crossed in the field?

Sunset was always telling me I needed to get out more, make some friends…I don’t think superheroes are what she had in mind, though. He pondered with another thoughtful grimace. The truth was, he did need to start taking the life of Spike Drake as seriously as he did Noir. If he worked himself to the bone while in isolation, that wouldn’t be helpful to anybody.

Stowing the thoughts for later as he dropped outside his end destination, he holstered his grappling gun and made his way to the locked door on the side of the building. Opening the door after undoing the lock, he paused before stepping inside as a sudden flash of lighting made him look up. Maybe it was a trick of the storm raging above, but he could have sworn he saw a silhouette on the rooftop above after the flash.

Quickly stepping into the small garage, he looked around after locking the door behind him and allowed himself a small smile. The lab was just as he left it, as expected. A few workbenches, a terminal hooked up to an experimental router provided to him by an old friend at Drake Enterprises, and ultimately the center attraction of it all; the hoverboard. The latest toy he’d been given access to.

“I’ll be tinkering with you plenty soon enough. First things first, however…” He muttered to himself, plucking the metal sample back out from his utility belt and planting it in the scanner attached to one of his computers, setting up a similar analysis scan to what the Power Ponies performed. While it wasn’t likely that he’d pick up anything new, it was at least worth trying.

“Alright, with that settled…time to put my hands to work and get my mind off things.” He muttered, pulling back his cowl and taking off his gloves before walking over to the hoverboard, starting to tinker with the impressive device as he switched on some music on his phone.

An hour or so passed of him switching between checking on and restocking his gadgets, testing out the hoverboard a bit, and checking the progress on the sample scan. When the scanner inevitably chirped to alert him of the scan being finished, he walked over and pulled up the results, immediately scowling in disappointment.

No new results, at least compared to the Power Ponies scan. Same general construction, same mystery alloy. It was frustrating to say the least…at least, until he noticed something odd, a detail that seemed to elude the Power Ponies as well: an energy remnant. Residual energy left behind from the firing of the weapon itself.

“Huh. That’s weird…” He muttered, typing into the attached console and trying to isolate the energy itself. For it to have lasted this long, hours after he helped take Rover down…it had to be extremely powerful. However, hard as he worked to isolate the energy variable, he just couldn’t manage it. It’s not what the current scanner was built for. Still, if he isolated the signature properly and recorded it, maybe he could find another way to analyze the footprint.

If the Power Ponies didn’t pick this up, I might have to get an upgrade…hopefully, Steel Stallion hasn’t improved their security over the last three years. He chuckled wryly to himself, making a copy of the data and pulling the connected hard drive after the process finished. Checking his phone as he turned the music off, he hummed thoughtfully at the time. Hmm, it’s only 6…gonna be a few hours before actually sneaking into one of their labs is a viable idea. Maybe I should get a nap in before--

A particularly loud rumble of thunder cut the thought off as the lights of the garage suddenly popped, glass scattering across the ground as Spike shielded his face. Bringing the hand down a few seconds later, he found himself bathed in darkness, pulling a flashlight from his belt and looking about the room. Luckily, nothing looked damaged, even if the hoverboard now lay upon the ground, having clattered to the floor when power was cut.

Suddenly wishing I put this place on a closed circuit…ugh. Guess I should check the fuse box before deciding what to do next. He thought to himself, grabbing his gloves and pulling his mask back up before he opened the door, grimacing as a blast of cold rain immediately slammed into him as he stepped out into the storm.

What had been a light rain with annoying winds when he’d arrived had escalated into a full blown tempest. Rain poured down as thunder and lightning crackled overhead, all while Spike trudged through the slog suddenly wishing he wore a full mask to cover his mouth as he was assaulted by the ice cold water.

What the hell caused this?! Maretropolis never gets storms this bad, even this deep into spring! He pondered as he finally ambled up to the fuse box, lifting his cape to shield it as he flipped it open, only to pause as he saw its sorry state. The fuses hadn’t just been blown…they’d been slashed. Long, jagged claw marks etched through the interior, utterly ruining the box and making Spike’s heart sink in the process. …what the hell…?

A low rumble from above shocked him out of his fear, turning his head back to look in the direction of the noise, that fear only intensifying after he did so. At first, he didn’t see anything in the darkness of the storm…but then a flash of lightning illuminated a billowing tower of churning smoke, followed by two inhuman green eyes that flared to life with a crackle of purple flame.

“...oh, fuck.”

The bizarre monstrosity locked eyes with him at the utterance, and let out a devastating roar that echoed throughout the alleyway before it lunged towards him. Spike barely dodged to his left, rolling as the inhuman creature crashed into the wall, cracks spreading like spider webs throughout the wall as he stumbled to his feet and started running, driven by pure adrenaline to the door.

He practically tore the lock off its handle, wrenching the door open despite the raging storm and slamming it shut behind him, barely muffling the thunderous roar that indicated his mysterious attacker was still on his tail. This was confirmed a second later as something slammed against the door hard enough to dent it inward as Spike flicked the flashlight back up to look, paling as he realized he needed to work fast.

Grabbing the hoverboard from the floor, he pressed the discreet button on its underside, the low whirr of the board switching on filling the room as he quickly darted back over to a desk, grabbing the communication device the Power Ponies had given him before he left. He darted back over to the board, dropping his flashlight as he clambered upon it, rising to the ceiling as the metal door suddenly burst off the wall, almost caved in.

The monstrous mist form rolled in slowly, crackling with power and hatred as it seeped into the room. Spike held his breath, practically pressed against the ceiling, waiting for the right moment to strike…eventually, when the mist cleared the doorway, he sprang into action. Angling the board down, he narrowly cleared the doorway and soared out into the stormy air, his escape punctuated with another roar.

He nearly whiffed it on the board immediately as the storm pelted him, but he forcefully rose to his feet and steered the board to keep from slamming into the nearest building. The experimental hovercraft would have been hard enough to use in good conditions, but the monsoon around him practically made it impossible.

Just keep moving, Spike, just keep moving. He chided himself mentally as he tried his best to steer through the air as another flash of lightning lit up the city around him. He hazarded a glance back at one point, and to his absolute horror, a billowing smoke cloud was following him.

“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!” He shrieked in disbelief, nearly falling off the board again as he steered against the wind, fumbling for the communication device he’d stowed on his belt and hastily hooking it up to his mask with a shaking hand. “Come on, pick up, pick up--”

“Hello? Noir, is that you?”

Masked Matter-Horn’s voice crackled into his ear, and Spike nearly sobbed with relief before hastily refocusing on flying the board, narrowly avoiding crashing into yet another rooftop. “Yes, it is, and I have a situation! I’m being chased by some…shadow beast! I need back-up, now!”

“Wha--okay, I’ll alert the others. Where are you right now?” The heroine asked with a more frantic tone, obviously alarmed at the implication of whatever threat her fellow hero was currently facing.

“I just hung a left off 29th and Abrams. I’m using the hoverboard to stay ahead of this thing, but it’s closing fast!” He reported as he risked another glance back at his pursuer, pailing fearfully as he realized it was indeed gaining on him with another skull-splitting roar of rage. “Really fast…”

“Just keep going! Zapp and Fili are already booking it towards your location, Saddle Wrangler shouldn’t be far behind.” Masked Matter-Horn reported, her voice calmer than before as she seemed to be moving around. “Just give me a few more seconds, I should be able to properly track your location.”

Spike bit down the immediate desire demand she hurry, feeling the nervous energy of being chased suddenly reach a crescendo. At the same time, he felt something slam into the bottom of the board, sending him flying forward through the air with a scream of fear.

He hit the nearest rooftop hard, almost certain he’d dislocated his arm in the landing. The board tumbled somewhere ahead of him, forcing him to fight through the pain and try hauling himself to his feet. It was a struggle to rise, but he eventually managed it with a pained grimace, clutching his wounded arm.

He only managed a few steps forward before the mist-like creature slammed down upon the hoverboard, an electric crackle following as the device was utterly ruined from the monster’s weight. Those same green eyes locked onto Spike, a hateful snarl echoing out from the beast as it started to drift towards him.

“Shit…that’s not good…” He muttered to himself, blood dribbling down his lip as he released his wounded arm, slipping a hand down to his belt as he prepared to make a last stand, staring the abomination down with a determined glare. “You want me, Smokey? Come and get me!”

The mist entity let out another vengeful roar at the challenge, and rushed forward at a high speed. Steeling his nerves, he dodged at the last second by rolling to the side, throwing a volley of smoke pellets as he came out from the roll. Unfortunately, his attacker barreled through them without issue, and charged once more, a green haze suddenly enveloping Spike as he was hurled back forcefully by the advancing beast, scraping along the roof’s surface.

His head started to spin as he writhed against the energy that fully ensnared him, pain coursing through his restrained arm as the misty creature rose up above him, dark smoke curling around the rooftop as it leered down at him.

Slowly, however, something new seemed to form from the darkness. A face took shape, sporting pale gray skin, those same piercing green eyes, and a menacing smirk that toted a mouth full of sharp teeth. Most notable of all, however, was what sprouted from the forehead of the strange face.

Is that a fucking horn…?

“What…the fuck…are you…?” Spike grit out in horror, watching the evil smirk grow wider on the thing’s face. Before it could respond, however, a familiar whoosh of wind made the smoke from churn briefly, along with a telltale crackle of electricity as he was suddenly pulled off the ground, still enveloped by the green force.

“I dunno what you are, but I know you’re in for a world of hurt if you don’t let go of our friend, now.” Zapp hissed, cracking her knuckles as electricity surged around her, while Fili-Second stood beside her, unsettlingly serious as she stared down his captor.

The monster keeping him suspended stared the duo down for a moment, expression agitated…but then the smirk returned, and suddenly Spike found himself hurtling backwards over the edge of the roof, barely catching the taunt that left the creature’s mouth as he was hurled back.

“You should be more specific, fools.”

And with that, the green vanished, and Spike was suddenly falling. He tried to reach for his grappling gun, only to strike the edge of a fire escape and cry out as something cracked along his side, hurtling down further and smashing into a dumpster before bouncing off and finally crumpling to the ground, unable to see straight from the sheer agony.

He lay in a tattered mess on the ground, uniform torn and tattered and body aching with the intensity of his injuries. He heard distant sounds; crackling lightning, a series of roars both familiar and foreign, someone calling to him as his eyes started to flutter closed…and then it all faded away into blackness…

When Spike drifted back to consciousness, a soft groan slipped past his lips, barely able to open his eyes as light streamed in from somewhere to his left. Eventually, he managed to tilt his head, taking in the room around him as his senses started to come back to him.

He was in a room he didn’t recognize, surrounded by warm wooden walls and a homey interior. Additionally, he found himself hooked up to a EKG and a blood bag, apparently having been patched up by someone. He attempted to sit up slightly, struggling a bit but not feeling any intense pain, so he assumed he’d been given some pretty good meds to boot.

Eventually, his gaze wandered further right, and his eyes fell upon a surprising sight; a familiar pink haired woman, though now without her turquoise suit or purple mask. She was slouched back in a nearby chair beside his bed, seemingly sound asleep. Bewildered by the sight, Spike tried to sit up a bit further, finally getting a pulse of pain as he sucked in a pained breath, waking up the woman in the process who swiftly jolted awake with an squeak of alarm.

“O-oh, goodness! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you’d woken up!” She apologized profusely, quickly rising from her seat to inspect his bandages, her eyes full of earnest concern as she looked him over. “Are you feeling alright? Any significant pain?”

“N-no, I’m feeling okay…still a little tender, I guess.” He answered, offering her a nervous smile before he was suddenly struck with the realization of where he was and the fact that he was without any of his gear, mask included. “...well…guess the Power Ponies know who’s under the mask now, huh?”

“Oh…w-we did want to talk to you about that, yes…I-I’ll go get the others!” She assured him, stepping away from the bed and heading to the exit of the bedroom, pausing at the door to turn back and send him a warm smile. “I’m glad you’re finally awake, Spike. We were all quite worried about you last night.”

He managed a weak smile in return before she left, leaning back against the pillow behind him as an interesting thought crossed his mind; apparently, she knew his name now.

Well…looks like things are going to get pretty complicated after all…