The Adventures of the Power Ponies
#30-The Power of Six-Part 8
The crowd cheered as the Power Ponies finally stepped out of the castle and to the press. Many reporters started shouting comments and questions.
"Ms. Sparkle," a Pegasus with a blue mane said, "This is News Flash. Tell me, are you content with sharing your identities with everyone in the world? Basically, you just gave your enemies your families' zip codes."
"Don't get your ropes in a twist." Mistress Marevelous said. "If any of those varmints make it to my farm, they're going to meet with my family. We Apples are nothing if not resourceful."
"And my family's in Cloudsdale." Zapp said. "If anything happens there, they'll be properly protected by the Wonderbolts."
"In other words, News Flash," Twilight Sparkle said pulling her mask back over her face, "We heroes no longer have to be ashamed of who we are. So whatever may come, we'll handle it with the world knowing what we're fighting for!"
Just as soon as she finished that, the bottom of their hooves started to vibrate. The pebbles jolted up and down while the ground made a thundering noise growing.
"I thought the earth doesn't usually move until honeymoons." Filli-Second said.
Suddenly, the roads broke as gigantic, green vines sprouted from underneath. The ponies started to panic as a dozen more broke through the roads on that street alone. Hum Drum was then seen running through the crowd and avoiding being trampled until he made it to the Power Ponies.
"Hum Drum, what's going on?!" the Matterhorn asked. "Where did all these vines come from?!"
"Well..." Hum Drum said nervously, "Remember that psychotic supervillain with the extra-long mane? Well... she may have... bonded with the Asteroth."
"WHAT?!" the Power Ponies asked wildly.
Suddenly, a large intersection of the vines came from the ground. The Mane-iac was standing on it with glowing-green eyes and a black outfit.
"An Asteroth-boosted Alicorn is one thing," Sunset Shimmer said, "But an Asteroth-boosted supervillain is... catastrophic!"
"She's... a monster." Saddle Rager shivered in fear.
"No!" Filli-Second shouted. "She's a... a Mane-ster!"
The Mane-ster lowered herself into a crowd of innocent ponies and laughed maniacally.
"Fillies and gentlecolts!" the Mane-ster shouted. "It's about time Equestria moves into a new world order! I volunteer myself to take the princesses role! This is my world now!"
"Enough!" Princess Celestia shouted approaching the villain with her sister by her side. "Surrender now or pay the price!"
"Oh, no!" the Mane-ster shouted sarcastically. "What are you going to do; sprinkle me with a little bit of sunshine?"
"Listen," Princess Luna said, "I know what you're feeling! I felt it too, and I too gave into its temptations! But the more you embrace the power the Asteroth gives you, the more of yourself you'll lose! I know how it feels!"
"Oh, yeah?" the Mane-ster asked. "Well, I know a riddle. What do you get when you cross Mane-iac hair with Asteroth power?"
"ENOUGH!" Princess Celestia shouted. She shot a powerful burst of magic from her horn, but the Mane-ster blocked it with a vine of her mane. The vine then reached further toward the princesses and wrapped itself around their waists. The Alicorn tried to fight it, but eventually, they stopped fighting and their eyes began to glow black.
"The answer is," the Mane-ster continues, "A new superpower that gives me two brainwashed alicorns as my maids!" She then reached out to the crowd. "YOU SEE THIS, EQUESTRIA?! CAN YOU NOTICE ME NOW?!"
"HEY, YOU!" a voice cried out. The Mane-ster looked behind her and saw the Power Ponies approaching her. Filli-Second spoke again. "No Equestria for you, Mane-ster!"
"Mane-ster?" the villain asked. "I like it! 'Cause I'm a monster with a super-mane!"
"You don't have to do this anymore." the Masked Matterhorn said. "We already exposed Starlight Glimmer. She's already in jail. You don't have a reason to do this anymore."
"Reason?" the Mane-ster asked. "What's that? Nice try, kiddies, but I'm no longer doing this because I hate Glimmer. I'm doing this because... I LIKE IT! THE POWER! THE UNBELIEVABLE POWER!"
"Whoa." Zapp said. "Somepony needs a hobby."
"I don't believe it." Saddle Rager said with a growing tone. "I... don't... BELIEVE IT! You mean to tell us you're doing all this just because you like it! I've never heard of a more cruel and offensive purpose in my life! AND IF YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS..."
"Uh oh." Mistress Marevelous said in a worried tone. "She's getting mad!"
"What's wrong?" the Masked Matterhorn asked. "What happens when she gets mad?"
"Remember when I said you'll know her powers when we say 'brace for impact'?" Radiance asked.
"Yeah..." Hum Drum asked nervously.
"Brace for impact." Zapp said. "We also might want to step back."
The Matterhorn and Hum Drum looked back and saw Saddle Rager's eyes turn blood-red. Her legs and body started to grow to tremendous size. In a matter of seconds, her monstrous, muscular body was half as big as any building. Her roar started to rattle the green hair tendrils.
"Whoa." the Mane-ster expressed. "Looks like someone's been drinking her milk."
Suddenly, Saddle Rager jumped up and tackled the Mane-ster. They both crashed into the middle of a city square. When the crash cloud cleared, the Mane-ster was laying back on a crater unconscious and underneath a deep-breathing Saddle Rager monster. She turned back at her friends watching the whole thing. Saddle Rager's face expression changed to an open-mouth smile before she shrunk back to her meek, feeble size.
"Remind me to never forget her birthday." Hum Drum said.
"She's been like this for years." Zapp said. "Whenever she gets super-mad, she changes into something that can take her anger out. Of course, she's not easily upset, so it happens on rare occasions."
"Terribly sorry you had to see that." Saddle Rager said. "I know it was scary."
"Are you kidding?" Hum Drum asked. "That wasn't scary! That was awesome!"
"Focus, Hum Drum." the Masked Matterhorn said. She reached for her earpiece. "Sunset, how are the princesses?"
"Still unaware." Sunset Shimmer responded. "Celestia and Luna are still hypnotized and the vines are still attached."
"What?" the Masked Matterhorn asked. "But that doesn't make sense. How can the Mane-ster still have mind control if she's unconscious? Unless..."
Too late. Several green vines were quickly wrapped around the Power Ponies' ankles. No matter how much they tried, they couldn't escape. The Mane-ster's eyes opened wide and she laughed. After that, she quickly attached a vine to Saddle Rager's back. The Pegasus then had black eyes.
"NO!" the Power Ponies shouted.
"Nice try, Power Ponies!" the Mane-ster said. One by one, she attached different mane vines to the Power Ponies. "I admit, you had the jump on me. But this isn't your day. This is my day. This is my victory. This... is my Equestria!"
The last one struck with the vine was the Masked Matterhorn. Sunset Shimmer and Moondancer looked and gasped at the sight. The Mane-ster approached the heroes and examined them.
"Hmm. I suppose I can make them chimney-sweeps, complete with a song-and-dance number. I just can't wait to..." Suddenly, she stopped and gasped softly. "What's this?" She caressed her head. "I don't know what this is. It feels like... AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She screamed in total agony, but she knew something was going on... inside her mind.
The Masked Matterhorn couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her surrounding. The white, endless void reached out farther than the eye can see. Her voice echoed as she tried to call out.
"HUM DRUM! RADIANCE! ZAPP! SADDLE RAGER! FILLI-SECOND! MAREVELOUS! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"You won't find them."
The distorted voice jolted Matterhorn off her hooves. She turned around and froze when she saw the black, formless cloud hovering over her head.
"Whoa!" the Masked Matterhorn gasped. "Who-or what-are you?"
"You know me as the Asteroth."
"What?! But... This doesn't make sense! The Asteroth can't possibly be alive! It's an object!"
"How much do you really know of the Asteroth? Do you know my purpose? Do you understand my methods? Do you even know how I was created in the first place? The universe is filled with many secrets far beyond your understanding alone."
"Well, if you're the Asteroth, then where are we?" the Masked Matterhorn asked. "I thought you had bonded yourself with the Mane-iac."
"The pony did, in fact, absorb me for my power, and I admit, merging with a super pony is much more satisfying than an alicorn. However, her mind is limited. All she wants is to make pony-kind her slaves. But when I sensed the extraordinary mind you possess, I saw an opportunity. So when Green Locks connected her mind with yours, I pulled you in here to talk."
"This is the Mane-iac's mind?" The Masked Matterhorn looked around the endless void. "I expected it to be a lot less... empty."
"This is only because I shut off her mind. Out there, in the physical world, Green Locks is stuck in a petrified state awaiting your decision."
"What decision?"
"To save your world. If I hadn't intervened when I did, Canterlot would have fallen by now and you would've been powerless to stop it. Well, I'd be happy to lend you the power to stop her; the same power I gave to Princess Luna and Green Locks. With this much power, not only will you defeat the Mane-iac, but also any villain who threatens you or your friends."
"I... I can't." the Masked Matterhorn shook her head. "I've seen what you've done to the Mane-iac and Princess Luna. I can't risk that happening to me."
"What other choice do you have? Think of everything you sacrificed, such as time away from your childhood friends. Think of everyone who said you had to disappear, such as Starlight Glimmer. And don't forget about your parents. Out of every mind I've looked into, yours was the most touching. Everything you are, it was all for them. But how safe are they now that you've given away your secret? Unless you can find another way to save them, my offer's the only path. Come on, Twilight Sparkle. Go outside your walls."
The purple unicorn hero thought long and hard about what she had heard. She closed her eyes and thought hard. And then, that's when they heard them.
"TWILIGHT! MATTERHORN! SUGAR CUBE! MARCO, POLO!"
The Masked Matterhorn gasped and opened her eyes. She looked around, but she didn't hear the voices she heard anymore. And just like that, her wrestling-with-herself was over. She turned back at the cloud.
"You're wrong! I know another way, a way that's always an option! I have to rely... on... THEM!"
And just like that, a yellow light escaped from her and circled from behind. The Asteroth moved back a few feet before stopping. Inside the circling light, several sets of hooves appeared from bottom to top. The manifestations then took the forms of all her friends. The Power Ponies stood proudly with the Masked Matterhorn and against the Asteroth.
"What is this?"
"I'll tell you!" the Masked Matterhorn declared. "First, we have the honest, buck-whiling cowgirl, Mistress Marevelous! Next, we have the loyal, courageous Pegasus who brings the thunder, Zapp! Let's not forget the generous, compassionate caregiver to all, Radiance! She's shy, but she's kind with a heart of gold; I give you Saddle Rager! Never forget the silly, highly optimistic speedster, Filli-Second! And the dragon who I can never live without, Hum Drum! Individually, we are the friendliest, most powerful heroes in Equestria, but together..."
"WE ARE THE POWER PONIES!" the heroes shouted at once.
After that, the Power Ponies attacked the Asteroth with all their powers. They kept going like that again and again until...
"ENOUGH!" The Asteroth's voice shook the entire void and the Power Ponies stopped. The voice then spoke in a softer tone. "Well done, Power Ponies. You passed."
"Passed?" Hum Drum asked. "Passed what?"
"My test. You see, I am not truly evil. I simply offer the power to those who merge with me. I cannot be held responsible for what they decide to do with the power. I've been waiting an eternity for someone to pass, and now, I found them. I knew you were special, Sparkle. You saw another path to a better future besides power."
"You mean... it was all a test?" the Masked Matterhorn asked. "You risked all of Equestria by giving Princess Luna and the Mane-iac a chance not to take it, but when they did, you couldn't do anything about it."
"Can't really do much when you're not in the physical world. And so, for passing the test, I give each of you your rewards!"
"Ooh, a puppy?" Filli-Second asked.
Suddenly, bright lights emitted from the Power Ponies' chests. After a few seconds, the light dimmed.
"What in tarnation was that?" Mistress Marevelous asked.
"The Touch of Destiny." the Asteroth answered. "In the future, the seven of you are to take part of an event that will affect all of existence. I do not know what, but with the Touch of Destiny, I guarantee you will be involved. Until then, I'll be watching you."
Outside, in real life, the Mane-ster finally screamed after minutes of silence. She then collapsed to the ground and her vines fell off of every pony she was connected to. The Power Ponies then came back to being awake.
"Whoa!" Zapp shouted. "What happened?!"
"Forget all that." Mistress Marevelous said. "Matterhorn, how did you get us all with you in there?"
"Well, after the Asteroth said there was no other way, I started to believe it." the Masked Matterhorn explained. "But then, I heard your voices. That's when I figured, if I could still have you all connected, I could also use the mind to being you all with me."
Suddenly, a black smoke escaped the Mane-iac's body. It circled around above in a spiral. Suddenly, it vaporized and disappeared.
"That... was weird." the Masked Matterhorn said.
Hum Drum took a glance at his best friend's side and widened his eyes. He gasped in complete shock. "Not as weird as... that!"
The Power Ponies looked and shared Hum Drum's expression. Confused, the Masked Matterhorn looked at her sides and saw for herself. She then turned speechless when she saw the pair of big, purple wings attached to her sides.
Later on, the Masked Matterhorn showed her wings to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The Oracle was there too standing alongside Sunset Shimmer and Moondancer.
"What do you think?" the Masked Matterhorn asked. "What does it mean?"
"Simple." Princess Celestia said. "You passed your exam."
"Huh?" the Power Ponies asked simultaneously.
"Don't tell me you haven't seen it for yourself, young one." the Oracle said. "The leadership you displayed with the Power Ponies. The judgment you showed when you decided to trust Princess Luna in the lab. The sacrifice you made by removing your mask in front of the whole world. The bond you share with your friends even away from different realities. Those are all the traits needed for your next phase."
"Welcome to our circle, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Celestia congratulated.
"Hold the phone!" Filli-Second said. She pulled out a glass of water and took a sip. She then spit her sip out of her mouth.
"I understand this is a complete shock," Celestia said, "But I want you to understand that you have earned this."
"Awesome!" Zapp shouted. "We've got a princess super hero now!"
"Thank you." the Masked Matterhorn said. "I understand everything now. If I hadn't met the Power Ponies before, I would've accepted the Asteroth's offer in a heartbeat. But in the end, friendship always trumps power. I am proud to be part of my team and I'm proud to be a Power Pony."
"I just have one question." Saddle Rager said. "What's going to happen to the Mane-iac?"
"Look outside and see for yourself." Princess Luna said.
The Power Ponies looked to the street and saw a bunch of doctors dragging a crazed Mane-iac with her mane tied in a knot.
"BLACK!" she yelled getting dragged into the ambulance. "I DO SEE BLACK, YOU KNOW! IT'S EVERYWHERE!" The door slammed shut and the ambulance drove away.
"Weirdest villain ever." the Masked Matterhorn said. "But I guess that wraps up this."
"Well, I hope that's it." Princess Luna said. "The Asteroth may be gone, but I'm worried about escalation."
"You're scared of electronic stairs?" Filli-Second asked.
"No." Princess Luna said. "It's just that every time something happens, something bigger happens on the other side. For example, the Masked Matterhorn came. And now, back in Maretropolis, there's this super-villain unicorn with some kind of magician theme."
"That's probably a problem for another day." Radiance said.
"But first," Filli-Second shouted, "do you know what this calls for?"
"A PARTY!"
Canterlot Gardens was decorated with streamers and balloons and everything a party needs. As soon as the Power Ponies appeared, a crowd of ponies cheered.
"The world is changing, huh?" Princess Luna asked her sister.
"I'm afraid so." Princess Celestia said. "The best thing we can do is try to change with it."
"I'm ready to try." Luna said. "No more secrets. No more distant watching. No more separation."
"I'm proud of you." the Oracle said. He turned around toward the exit.
"You're leaving?" Princess Celestia asked. "The night's still young."
"Sorry, but Sunset's still got some learning to do." the Oracle said. "Have a good time, everyone!"
The Oracle left the area. Celestia and Luna looked at each other. They were about to say something, but they were interrupted by Filli-Second.
"COME ON, EVERYPONY! LET'S GET DOWN! VINYL..."
The DJ set down a record and played it. Out the speakers was a loud music that was cheery. Filli-Second took the microphone and started.
"We've had our twists and our turns
And our times for complete self-doubt
But in the end, we've all been able
To stand proud and stout
Many obstacles have really tried
To keep us out of place
But we've managed to leave
With a smile on our face
You've got my hoof and I've got yours
We don't need to think twice
Life is nice
If we have fixed what we broke
Yes, we can learn from each other
I know we can love another
Forever
Become the best folk
See, life is a party. You need to celebrate
Bring in the love and drive out the hate
If you're upset, you can always turn it around
The future can bring problems, but don't run away
If there's no tomorrow, then just live today
Just listen to all that happy sound
What's lost is found
NOTHING CAN BRING US DOWN
NOTHING CAN BRING US DOWN
WHEN FRIENDS CAN START, WE
CAN HAVE A PARTY
THERE'S NO NEED TO FROWN
NOTHING CAN BRING US DOWN"
"All right." the Masked Matterhorn said. She reached out her hoof and accepted the microphone from Filli-Second. "My turn.
"I've kept myself in the background
Thinking friendship doesn't last
But everyone here has proved me wrong
So now, I leave the past
Even though this test was not
Exactly what I expected
I'm just glad to have these ponies
HAVE MY LIFE PERFECTED
And even though life is messy
We have it under control
Ever since we were foals
No matter how strange
I know friends don't make any sense
I admit, I was also that dense
But I'm glad I took the chance to change
Keep your guard up and you will miss your shot
Your life's precious 'cause it's the only one you got
I learned that in my time in this town
You can learn a lot more outside your book
It's a real world out there. Just take a look
It's ten-times better than the brightest crown"
"What's lost is found," Filli-Second sang.
"NOTHING CAN BRING US DOWN," the Power Ponies sang,
"NOTHING CAN BRING US DOWN
AS LONG AS I HAVE YOU
WE'LL SEE IT THROUGH
AND WE CONTINUE TO ASTOUND
NOTHING CAN BRING US DOWN"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah," Vinyl sang,
"NOTHING CAN BRING US DOWN," everyone sang,
"NOTHING CAN BRING US DOWN
I COULD NEVER ASK FOR MORE
OUR FUTURE'S SECURE
OUR FRIENDSHIP IS SPELLBOUND
NOTHING CAN BRING US DOOOOOOOWN"
"Is this the end already?" Hum Drum asked.
"Oh, no." Filli-Second said. "This is only a prequel. There's a lot more stories later."
Behind the Maretropolis museum, a shipment of crates were carefully carried inside. The curator took a good look at the most important crate before turning to the man in the truck, who was concealed in the shadows.
"And you're sure this package is going to change Maretropolis?"
"I guarantee it." the voice came from the shadows.
"Okay." the curator said holding out the clipboard and a pen. "I just need you to sign here and I'll take it off your hooves."
"I don't have hooves." the voice said. Out of the shadows came a long, metal hand that spooked the curator. The hand took the pen and signed a name on the clipboard before returning into the shadows. "Now, don't tell anyone about this. Capiche?"
"U... Understood Mr..." The curator looked at the name on the paper. "...Tartus." The curator then walked away.
Two sets of metal arms reached out from the shadows and stroked the top of the package he just gave away.
"This is going to be fun. I can't wait for the results. You're definitely going to change Maretropolis before the Multiverse... Anar D."
Inside the crate, there was a small box laying in a pile of hay. The box was made of stone and had golden hinges waiting to be open.