The Adventures of the Power Ponies

by Sunset JJ

Join the Masked Matter-Horn, Filli-Second, Mistress Mare-velous, Zapp, Radiance, Saddle Rager, Hum Drum and assortment of charterers as they wacky adventures in Maretropis

45. Settling a Score

The Adventures of the Power Ponies

#45-Setting a Score

Trixie laughed maniacally as she zoomed down the street in a magically-powered scooter, pursued by Mistress Mare-velous, Radiance, and the Masked Matter-Horn who carried Humdrum on her back.

"You'll never catch the Great and Powerful Trixie, Power Ponies!" the magician cried, holding up a golden ice cream scooper. "Thanks to the legendary Golden Ice Cream Scooper of Shanghay, soon all of Maretropolis' citizens will be transformed into delicious frozen treats!"

"I swear that gal's just runnin' out of ideas!" Mare-velous exclaimed.

"I know what you mean, darling," Radiance said from her magic carpet. "I mean what could she possibly hope to gain from turning every pony into ice cream?"

"What I wanna know is," Fili-Second said, skidding beside her teammates, "why a mystical Golden Ice Cream Scooper that can turn ponies into ice cream exists in the first place?"

"Fili!" Mistress Mare-velous hollered. "You're supposed to be helpin' Zapp make sure those ponies don't melt!"

"Oh, right! Sorry!"

Fili-Second zipped back down the street, where Zapp was preparing clouds of snow. Scattered throughout the streets were blobs of ice cream shaped like ponies with terrified expressions on their faces.

"How's the snowfall coming along?" Fili-Second asked.

"It should drop the temperature enough to keep them cool," Zapp said, wincing as she concentrated on the Lightning Bolt. "You might want to get some more blocks of ice, just in case."

"On it!"

Zapp heard her whiz off and back again.

"And don't even think about eating the ice cream!"

"Aw!" Fili-Second said, her tongue sticking out towards an ice cream pony. "Just one lick?"

"Fili! These are living ponies!"

The pink pony brought her tongue back in. "I was just kidding!"

Meanwhile, the Matter-Horn was trying to slow Trixie down with her Freeze Ray. The villain only laughed as she swerved her scooter away from the shots.

"Trixie thought it was perfect!" she said, waving the scooper tauntingly. "Why fight fire with fire, when you can fight ice with ice?!"

Just as they were passing Bray Jewelers, an alarm sounded.

"I've got it," Mare-velous said, getting her rope ready. "Y'all can handle Trixie."

"Let me come with you!" Humdrum insisted, waving.

"Thanks, but I've got this."

The dragon called out her name as she turned towards the jewelry store, but she didn't even look back. Two masked creatures crashed through the windows with burlap sacks over their shoulders. Despite their poor disguises, Mare-velous recognized them as two of the Diamond Dogs.

"Not you mutts again!" she said, skidding to a stop. "Didn't I just land your rumps in jail a week ago?"

"Who are you calling 'mutts?!'" Rover spat. "And, uh…you've never seen us before in your life!"

Mare-velous rolled her eyes. "Cut the act, Rover! I know it's you! Now," she said, tightening her lasso, "hand over the loot before someone gets hurt."

The larger one, Fido, smirked. "You mean like…you?"

Raising her eyebrow in confusion, she failed to notice the gray truck speeding towards her until the last second. Jumping out of the way, she saw the smaller member of the trio was driving the truck.

"How in the hay are ya able to reach the pedals?" she wondered aloud.

"Step on it, Spot!" Rover called as he and Fido hopped into the back of the truck.

The truck was off in a jiffy.

"Hey!" Mistress Mare-velous called.

Looking around for ideas, she spotted a teenage colt with a skateboard.

In the truck, the Diamond Dogs were laughing in triumph as they ruffled through their bags of jewelry.

"Look at all these gems!" Rover said, throwing a handful of diamonds up into the air.

"We've hit the jackpot!" Fido said, holding an emerald necklace to his chest.

"And did you see the look on that Mistress Dubious' face?"

"We got her good!"

Spot's laughter ceased when he caught a reflection in the side mirror. "Um…guys? We've got a tailgater!"

"What?" Rover said, throwing open the doors.

He and Fido gaped when they saw Demeter's Lasso hooked onto their rear bumper. On the other end, Mistress Mare-velous was holding on tight with her front hooves, her back hooves riding on a skateboard.

"Mind if I hitch a ride?" she called.

Rover growled in aggravation. "I've had just about enough of this mare!"

He drew a gun from his vest, making the hero gasp.

"Oh snap."

Hearing the gunshots, Humdrum turned his head to see the Diamond Dogs' truck driving up behind them. Mistress Mare-velous was swiveling her skateboard to dodge the bullets.

"She needs help!" Humdrum said, leaping off the Matter-Horn's back.

"Humdrum!" the Masked Matter-Horn called as she watched the dragon run towards the truck. "Wait!"

"We'll help them out later!" Radiance said, raising her carpet higher. "I'll find another route so I can cut Trixie off!"

Humdrum caught up to the truck and jumped onto the passenger door, grabbing the handle. Of course, at that speed, the door had been locked automatically.

"Ya see, Ma?" Mare-velous said, ducking from another bullet. "This is why I don't like guns."

As she maneuvered to the right, she spotted Humdrum dangling on the side of the truck, making her eyes widen.

"Humdrum?! What the hay are ya doin'?!"

"Huh?" Rover and Fido said, looking at each other in confusion.

"Get off of there! Right now!"

But the dragon didn't listen. Clenching his claw into a fist, he smashed through the passenger window, causing Spot to jump. Humdrum cried out as he fell into the passenger seat.

"Pull over!" he demanded, standing up. "Now!"

He was met with laughter as Fido snatched him up. Mare-velous gasped as Rover held his revolver to Humdrum's head.

"Let us go," Rover hollered, "or the little dragon gets it!"

Mare-velous stiffened as a voice from her past echoed in her head: "Don't nobody move! Or the filly gets it!"

Demeter's Lasso stopped glowing and her hooves let it drop to the ground. The Diamond Dogs cackled as the distance between them and the hero grew, and they passed by Trixie on her scooter. They looked at her curiously.

"Hi, boys!" Trixie giggled, giving them a flirtatious wave. "Great day for crime, huh?"

Flattered, the Diamond Dogs waved back, including Spot. All four criminals were too distracted to see the enormous pink baseball mitt they were headed for. They all cried out as they made impact. Rover and Fido fell forward, dropping the gun and Humdrum.

"Phew!" Humdrum said, leaping excitedly to his feet. "We did it! Yeah!" He thrust his claws into the air. "Power Ponies rule!"

His excitement died down when the Masked Matter-Horn flapped into view and Mistress Mare-velous skateboarded up to the truck. Both of them had their forelegs crossed. Humdrum looked between them in confusion.

"What?"

---

Once all of Maretropolis' citizens had been turned back to normal, thanks to a reversal spell the Matter-Horn had found inscribed on the Golden Ice Cream Scooper, and all the jewels had been returned, the Masked Matter-Horn and Mistress Mare-velous went into one of the bedrooms in Power Pony Headquarters to…discuss things.

"That boy should not be out in the field!" Mare-velous shouted, pacing the room. "He's too young and inexperienced!"

"You've said this about every other member of this team," the Matter-Horn said carefully, "and you've been proven wrong every single time!"

"This is different!" The earth mare stopped to face her. "It's not that I think Spike's incapable, it's the fact that he's only ten years old and doesn't even have any powers!"

"One doesn't need powers to be a hero. Your mother didn't have any powers."

Mare-velous narrowed her eyes. "Don't you bring my ma into this! Besides, she was a grown-up, she knew what she was gettin' into! Spike's just a kid!"

"He may be a kid, but he's shown more resourcefulness and integrity than any grown-up I've ever seen."

"When he's workin' behind the scenes! Out in the field, he's just gonna get himself killed!" Her voice became softer. "Ya saw what almost happened today."

"I know." The Matter-Horn sighed. "What he did was reckless, and I've already talked with him about it."

"Look," Mistress Mare-velous said, crossing her forelegs, "ya said that if anything happens to ya, responsibility for Spike goes to me. Well, as his backup guardian, I say this hero biz is too dangerous for him right now, and he should go back to workin' the monitors until he's ready."

"I appreciate your input, Applejack, but as his current guardian, I'm the one who will be making the decisions for Spike, and I say the only way he's going to learn the difficulties of being a hero is through experience."

Mare-velous blinked. "Wait. Ya mean you—?"

"Of course I don't like him fighting alongside us! But what do you want me to do? Tell him he's not ready? It'll break his heart! But the more experience he gets, the more he'll understand that this isn't the path for him!"

Unbeknownst to them, Humdrum had been outside with his earhole pressed to the door. The expression on his face was one of devastation.

So, he thought, that's what they really think of me? That I'm a screw-up? That I'm not cut out for this? And Twilight, she's just been feeling sorry for me all this time?

Narrowing his eyes in determination, he ran to the elevator and pressed on the button to the second floor,
his floor. The floor contained two doors on either end of a small hallway. The one on the right led to his bedroom. He opened the one on the left to reveal an immense workshop, filled with piles of electrical junk.

"I'll show them," Humdrum said, taking off his belt and slapping it onto a worktable. "I'll show them all."

Picking up a screwdriver, he set to work.

---

"No, Pinkie," Applejack said into her cell as she carried groceries down the hall to her apartment. "We can't put pear upside-down cake on the menu!" Balancing her paper bags into one foreleg, she fumbled for the keys in her trench coat pocket. "Because there's a longstandin' feud between my family and the Pear family! Why?" Finding the key, she thrust it into the lock. "I don't know why, but there is!"

She groaned as she dropped the keys.

"Look, I gotta put these groceries away. I'll call ya back and we can discuss the menu further."

As she hung up, the door was opened by Fluttershy.

"Applejack!" she said, picking up the key from the floor. "I thought I heard you."

"Gimme a hoof with these?" Applejack asked, struggling to keep the bags up.

Fluttershy took one off her hooves. "I tried calling you, but your line was busy and—"

"Pinkie called," Applejack said as she moved past her. "Wanted to run menu ideas with me."

"Oh. Well, I didn't know what to do so I just told her to sit and wait for you—"

"Her who? What are ya talkin' abou—?"

She stopped in her tracks when she reached the kitchen. There, sitting at the table with a plate of cookies in front of her, was a small yellow filly with a bright red raincoat and an enormous pink bow in her red mane. Upon seeing her, Applejack dropped her groceries, making the filly's amber eyes look up. She smiled guiltily.

"H-Hiya, sis," she said in a tiny country voice.

Applejack blinked several times as she tried to process the sight in front of her. "Apple Bloom?"

"She just showed up at the door about twenty minutes ago," Fluttershy explained. "When I couldn't reach you, I couldn't just send her home so I told her to wait here and she got hungry so I gave her cookies and…"

She trailed off when she saw the shock in Applejack's eyes.

"I'll, just, um," Fluttershy said, backing away, "leave you two alone."

---

Ten minutes later, Apple Bloom was sitting on the couch, looking down guiltily at her hooves. Applejack hung up her cell phone and glared down at her little sister.

"Granny Smith is worried sick about ya!" Applejack exclaimed. "What were ya thinkin', sneakin' outta the house, stealin' Granny's credit card and takin' a bus up here all by yourself?! Do ya have any idea what kind of goons prowl these streets?! What are ya doin' up here anyway?!"

"I," Apple Bloom said in a small voice, "I wanted to see ya, sis."

Applejack sighed. "Ya could've called first, instead of scarin' the livin' daylights outta Big Mac and Granny Smith!" She put her hoof to her head. "First thing tomorrow, I'm takin' ya back to Appleloosa!"

"Ya mean…ya aren't happy to see me?"

Applejack's heart softened upon seeing a tear fall from her sister's eye.

"Oh, no, no, no, Apple Bloom." Sitting beside her, she put her hooves around her. "I'm always happy to see ya." She nuzzled her face into her little mane. "I've missed ya." She sighed. "Ya just gave me a scare, is all."

Apple Bloom looked up at her hopefully. "Does that you'll come home with me?"

Stunned, Applejack looked at her little sister. "What?"

"I've come to take ya home, big sis." She hung her head. "Or do ya not wanna be with us anymore?"

Applejack released her and stood up from the couch. "Ya know why I'm here. I came to find Longhorn."

"But ya've been here for almost a year now, and ya still haven't found him! I know, I've been watchin' the news. I know ya heard he was in Maretropolis, but maybe it was false information or…he's moved on?" Apple Bloom looked at the distressed expression on her sister's face. "Maybe…you should move on too?"

Applejack shook her head. "I made a promise to Ma and Pa that I wouldn't rest until Longhorn was brought to justice."

"But no pony's seen him in ages! He could be dead for all we know! Can't ya just let it go?"

"I will not let it go!"

"But are ya sure this is what Ma and Pa would want?"

"What would you know?!" Applejack snapped, spinning around to face her. "Ya didn't know 'em like I did! You were too young to even remember 'em!"

Apple Bloom's eyes became glassy, causing Applejack to immediately regret her outburst.

"Sorry," the older sister said, taking a deep breath. "Maybe you're right. I've been here for ten months and nothin'. Maybe he isn't in Maretropolis after all."

Apple Bloom grinned. "So you'll come home?"

Applejack brushed her hoof against the ear containing her commlink. "A lot's changed since I left, Sugar Cube. I'm part of a team now."

"I know, but…do they really need ya? I mean Maretropolis will be fine with just five heroes, right? We need ya in Appleloosa."

Applejack cocked her head curiously. "Is crime a-brewin' again?"

"Well…no. Things have been quiet, actually."

The older mare shook her head. "Then Appleloosa doesn't need me."

"We need ya, Applejack," Apple Bloom said, taking her hoof. "Your family needs ya." She sniffed. "I need ya."

With a sigh, Applejack said, "It's not just the team, Apple Bloom. I've started a life here. My friend and I are gonna open that bakery I always talked about—"

"Can't ya start a bakery in Appleloosa?"

"We've already put the down payment on the buildin'."

"Your partner'll understand!" The filly curled her lip out. "Please, Applejack. I miss my big sis."

As she gazed into her little sister's big, baby doll eyes, Applejack wanted nothing more than to give her the answer she desired. However, there was so much going on right now. She couldn't just up and abandon the life she had built for herself in Maretropolis.

"Apple Bloom, I—"

"Mare-velous!" Twilight's voice said in her ear. "Mare-velous! Turn on your TV to the news! Now!"

"Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked, confused as to why her sister had suddenly become quiet.

"Hang on," Applejack said, grabbing the remote and sitting on the couch. "I have to check something."

She switched on the TV, which was already on the news channel.

"The victims were rumored to have been members of the Moscowian mafia," the reporter said as an image of a bull in a business suit popped up onscreen. "Kalmyk Korova and two bodyguards were found dead in his mansion. The maid who discovered the bodies claims they were impaled straight through by something very long and sharp…"

Applejack's eyes widened at the description of the murder weapon. The image of two bull's horns flashed into her mind, charging straight for her.

"Pa! Pa!" a young filly's voice cried.

"Applejack, look out!" a mare's voice shouted.

Then there was a nasty sploosh, followed by a blood curdling scream.

"What's goin' on?" Apple Bloom asked.

Instead of answering her, Applejack pressed down on her commlink. "Twilight?"

"You see it?" Twilight's voice said.

The mare nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm at the crime scene now. How soon can you get here?"

"Immediately." She stood up. "Apple Bloom, stay here with Fluttershy. Lock the door and don't let no pony inside! Or no bull, for that matter!" She kneeled down to her. "Ya hear me? Don't let nobody in until I come back!"

"What do ya mean?" Apple Bloom asked, incredibly confused. "Where are ya goin'?"

Applejack stood up again. "I finally got the lead I've been waitin' for."

---

When Mistress Mare-velous arrived at the crime scene, the police were already there in the foyer, as was the Masked Matter-Horn.

"What do you know about the victim, Kalmyk Korova?" the alicorn asked as Mare-velous approached.

"Just that he's an alleged crime boss," Mare-velous said, looking around at the fancy marble room, "did some time for smugglin', only for his lawyers to get him out on an early release. He's been suspected of murder, though it was never proven."

The Matter-Horn smirked. "Some pony's been doing their homework."

"Not to group bulls together, but Longhorn has a fondness for his own kind. I always suspected they had a connection." She turned to the alicorn. "So…is it him?"

"You tell us," Chief Spitfire said, coming up to the heroes. "Coroner's about to take the bodies away. I suggest you take a look now before they're dissected."

"Do I have to see this?" Humdrum asked, peering out from behind the Matter-Horn's leg.

Mare-velous looked down at him with wide eyes, noticing him for the first time. Narrowing her eyes at the Matter-Horn, she threw her hoof around her neck and moved her face in close.

"What's he doin' here?" Mare-velous whispered harshly. "This ain't some robbery, this is a murder!"

"He insisted on coming," the Matter-Horn said, glancing at him. "And, um…thought you could use the emotional support."

Mare-velous peered over at him. He gave an awkward wave. Sighing, Mare-velous followed Chief Spitfire to the three body bags on the stretchers. The chief zipped one of them open and, taking a deep breath, the hero peered inside.

In the middle of the bull's chest was a huge, gaping hole. It wasn't a half-finished job. The weapon had gone straight through. Well, almost, as the nature of the wound seemed to suggest that the weapon had been curved, like a horn.

For a second, it wasn't a bull in the bag, but a yellow, burly stallion with red hair. Mare-velous shook the image out of her head.

"It's Longhorn," Mare-velous said in a small voice.

"You sure?" Chief Spitfire asked. "There are a lot of bulls with horns in this town. Could've been anything with horns, for that matter."

"It's him."

"How can you be sure?"

"Not many horns are long enough to go straight through a bull's body. Besides," Mare-velous said, clenching her hooves. "My parents had the exact same wounds when they were killed."

Nodding, Chief Spitfire zipped the bag closed. "Well, a DNA test should confirm it."

"What was the time of death?"

The chief shrugged. "Won't know for sure until the autopsy. Best we can estimate now is early this morning, not long before the maid called it in."

"Then he couldn't have gone far," Mistress Mare-velous murmured.

Her face filled with determination, she spun around and headed for the door.

"Mare-velous!" the Matter-Horn called, flying after her. "If you're thinking of going after Longhorn all by yourself—"

"I am!" she said, turning sharply towards the alicorn. "And don't even think of tryin' to stop me! This is my fight, Matter-Horn!"

"But Mare-velous," Humdrum said, running up to her, "this guy's dangerous! Didn't you see what he did to those bulls?"

"I know," Mare-velous said seriously. "Which is why I can't get any of y'all involved in this." Her hoof went to the rope hooked to her saddle. "I have to make sure he doesn't do a thing like this to any pony else again."

"But this is crazy! We're a team! We've got to stick toge—"

"We won't stop you, Mare-velous."

Humdrum turned to the Matter-Horn in shock. "What?"

"What?" Mare-velous said, equally surprised.

The Masked Matter-Horn stepped forward. "We are a team, and as members of your team, we respect your decision to want to take this on your own. However, should you run into any difficulty," she tapped her ear, "we're only a call away."

Mistress Mare-velous stared at her for a long moment, wondering if she was serious. Then she smiled softly. "Thank you."

The Matter-Horn nodded in reply, and didn't protest when her teammate went out the door. Concerned, Humdrum caught the door before it could shut, and kept it open long enough for him to see Mare-velous reach into her ear and take her commlink out.

"You're not seriously letting her do this by herself, are you?" Humdrum demanded, letting the door close.

"She's perfectly capable of handling herself, Humdrum," the Matter-Horn said calmly. "After all, she was on her own long before she was part of the team."

"That doesn't mean she can't get hurt! You told me what happened to her parents! Her dad had Demeter's Lasso, and her mom was a skilled gunslinger and they couldn't take Longhorn!" He put his claws to his mouth. "W-What if she—?"

"Humdrum," the Matter-Horn said, laying a hoof on his shoulder, "this is something Mare-velous has to sort out on her own. I trust Mare-velous will be able to track down Longhorn. More importantly," she said with a sigh, "I trust she'll make the right decision."

Scrunching his snout, Humdrum asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on," she said, opening the door for them. "Our work here is done. We should get back to Sparkle Labs."

She crouched down for him to get on. Humdrum looked at her, and then looked out at the city where he saw Mare-velous swinging on her rope.

"You okay?" the Matter-Horn asked.

"Uh," Humdrum said, shaking his head. "Yeah, I just…" He fingered his belt. "I think I'll take a walk. That whole business made me, uh, queasy."

She nodded. "Okay. Why don't you take the day off then? Call me when you want to come home."

He saluted. "I'll do that!"

He waved as she took to the skies. Once he was certain she was out of sight, Humdrum looked over at the skyscrapers. Mare-velous was no longer visible.

"This'll be the perfect opportunity to try out my new gadgets," he muttered to himself.

He touched the round green and gold buckle on his belt and detached it. On the back of the so-called buckle was a screen showing a map of Maretropolis and seven blinking dots, each a different color. He looked at the orange one representing Mare-velous, which was not too far from the green dot representing himself.

"Won't matter what you do with that commlink, Mare-velous," Humdrum said, smirking as he started walking down the marble steps, "because not even Twilight knows about the tracking devices in the suits."

Humdrum followed the blinking orange dot by renting a bike. Unfortunately, he couldn't pedal very fast, so by the time Mistress Mare-velous finally stopped, he was miles away from her destination. Panting heavily, he came up to a tiny shop called The Flim Flam Brothers' Everything Under the Sun Emporium. Through the wide glass window, he could see Mare-velous talking to two tall unicorn stallions in straw hats and striped vests. They appeared to be twins, aside from one having a red mustache.

"What's Mare-velous doing at a pawn shop?" Humdrum wondered aloud.

He parked his bike in the alley next-door and then peered carefully in through the front window. He couldn't hear a word of the conversation, but Mare-velous appeared to be shouting angrily about something. The mustache-less brother held up a silver horseshoe, which she knocked out of his hoof. The other brother showed her a golden whistle, which she also refused.

Suddenly, Demeter's Lasso whipped off Mare-velous' saddle and wrapped around the two clerks, who looked truly terrified.

What's she doing? Humdrum thought, his eyes widening at the sight. Mare-velous never uses her rope on civilians!

He watched in horror as the rope tightened around the twins and their mouths opened, as if to cry out. Humdrum wished he could read lips as they said something to Mare-velous, eventually convincing her to release her hold on them. The stallions gasped for breath on the floor as she turned to leave.

Gasping, Humdrum ducked below the window and skittered into the alley where his bike lay. Peering around the corner, he watched Mare-velous leave the shop and then use her rope to swing away.

He could track her down later, but first, he needed to know what that little scene had been about.

A bell dinged above him as he entered the stop. The stallions were standing now, smoothing out their vests. Upon hearing the bell, however, they turned to the door, straightened up and put on big grins as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Well lookie here, oh brother of mine, what luck!" the mustache-less brother said. "Two superhero customers in one day!"

"In one hour," the mustache brother said.

"Welcome, Mister Humdrum, to the Flim Flam Brothers' Everything Under the Sun Emporium! I'm Flim and he's Flam!"

"Nice to meet you," Humdrum said, waving his claw dismissively. "Would you guys mind telling me—?"

"You know what every powerless superhero needs?" Flam said, zipping to the dragon's side and holding up a cell phone. "Proper equipment!"

"Or perhaps a new cape?" Flim said, presenting a large blue cape. "We've got blue," with a wave of his hoof, the cape changed color, "purple, indigo, vermillion, chartreuse…"

"This toaster can electrocute your enemies!" Flam showed him a beat-up toaster, which was overrun with loose wires. "Provided your enemies are in a tub of water, of course."

"…goldenrod, eggshell, maroon…"

"I'll stick with the cape I've got," Humdrum said, holding up his own cape proudly.

"You'd like a new mask then!" Flim started holding up different-color masks in front of his face. "We've got blue, purple, indigo…"

Flam showed him a gun. "Something to fend off your enemies with!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Humdrum said, holding up his claws. "I don't have a license for—"

Flam fired it at the wall. Instead of a bullet, out came a suction cup.

"No license needed," he said, waving the toy. "Perfectly legal. Doesn't do as much damage as the real deal though, but won't get you in trouble with the law."

"Neither does the real deal," Flim said with a snicker.

"I'm not here to buy anything!" Humdrum said, pushing himself between them. "I just want you to tell me what Mistress Mare-velous was doing here."

The brothers looked at each other incredulously.

"Why not ask her yourself?" Flim asked.

"Aren't the two of you on the same team?" Flam asked.

"That's not important right now," Humdrum said, placing his claws on his hips. "I saw that she used Demeter's Lasso on you. Tell me whatever you told her."

The stallions laughed.

"And why should we?" Flam asked.

"Even if we knew what you were talking about…" Flam said.

"…you wouldn't know if we're telling the truth."

"Mistress Mare-velous is at least…"

"…persuasive."

"However…"

Flim brought back the capes. "If you were to make a purchase…"

Flam showed the dragon a toy bow with a suction cup for an arrow. "…it might just refresh our memories."

Humdrum glared at the stallions. They already gave off the vibe that they were con artists. Even if they managed not to rip him off, there was still no guarantee that they would give him the information they wanted, or that they'd even be truthful. Humdrum stepped away from them and searched the room, pretending to browse as he tried to come up with an idea.

Then his eyes fell on the glass case beneath the cash register. Several pieces of jewelry were on display. The price tags and the sign 100% Genuine suggested they were expensive.

Grinning, Humdrum turned back to the brothers. "How about this? You tell me what you told Mare-velous," he said, tapping the display case, "and I won't go telling the police you're trying to pass off fake gems for real ones."

That wiped the smiles off the brothers' faces.

"W-What do you mean?" Flim asked nervously.

"Those jewels are one hundred percent genuine!" Flam insisted.

"Dudes," Humdrum said, crossing his arms, "I'm a dragon. I literally eat these things for breakfast. You think I can't tell a real gem apart from a fake one?" He pointed to the jewelry. "Those are obviously pieces of colored glass, worth way less than a thousand dollars."

The brothers looked at each other and then grinned down at the dragon.

"What was it you wanted to know, again?" Flim asked.

He smirked. "Mare-velous wanted info out of you. What was that info exactly?"

"Just asking for the whereabouts of Longhorn, as usual," Flim replied.

"You'd think she would've stopped asking us by now," Flam said.

"But no! Just our luck that the one time we finally get a visit from Longhorn, that truth-seeking vigilante comes around the next day!"

"So Longhorn was here," Humdrum said. "How do you boys know him?"

"Just business," Flam said, holding up his hooves defensively.

"Back in the day, we were his top suppliers," Flim said.

"Before he went underground, that is."

"We hadn't heard from him in years until last night when he showed up in our shop after hours, demanding that he purchase a Strawberry Patch Foal."

Humdrum blinked. "A…Strawberry Patch Foal? You mean those little foal dolls dressed like fruit?"

"The rarest one!" Flam said.

"The Pineapple Princess!" Flim said.

The dragon cocked his head. "Not judging or anything, but Longhorn didn't strike me as the toy collecting type."

Flim shrugged. "We never question our customers' tastes."

"Business is business," Flam said.

"O…kay." Humdrum shook his head. "So where's Longhorn now?"

"Heck if we know!" Flim exclaimed. "He didn't exactly leave a return address when he pointed those sharp horns at our necks!"

"And made us sell that doll for half the price!" Flam said huffily.

"But we told Mare-velous where she might find him."

"Where?" Humdrum asked eagerly.

The brothers glanced at each other and winked.

"It's not exactly a place for kids," Flim said.

Humdrum pointed to the wall. "Is that jeweled dagger embedded with plastic?"

"But," Flam said quickly, "if you had a fake ID…"

"And ditched the cape and mask…" Flim continued.

"I get it," Humdrum said with a nod. "Not a place for heroes either."

The twins shook their heads.

"There's a place where lowlifes such as Longhorn and his gang like to dwell," Flim said.

"Not that we go there often," Flam said, looking around to see if anyone else was listening.

"It's called The Unstable Stable."

"You can find it on Ivy Road."

"Password's 'no horn matters here.'"

The thought of just what sort of lowlifes would be at this hangout sent chills up the dragon's spine, but he tried to swallow it all in a gulp. "Okay. Thanks."

He attempted to leave when the twins stepped in his path.

"If you want," Flam said, "we can sell you a disguise for tonight."

"For half the price?" Flim said, putting a fake mustache to his upper lip.

---

"When's AJ comin' back?" Apple Bloom asked as she sat on the couch, petting Winona.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon," Fluttershy said, placing a plate of cucumber sandwiches on the coffee table.

"Can't ya at least take me to the park or somethin'? I'm bored!"

"Now, now. Remember what Applejack said. We need to stay in this apartment until she comes back."

Apple Bloom sighed. "I may be young, but I wasn't born yesterday, ya know? She's gone after Longhorn again, hasn't she?"

Fluttershy said nothing. Before Applejack had left, she had told her to keep Apple Bloom safe, as Applejack was afraid Longhorn might come after her little sister. Fluttershy didn't want to scare the poor thing, but she hated lying to her too.

Just then, a knock came at the door, making Fluttershy jump. Apple Bloom gripped her hooves around Winona's neck. Applejack had told them not to open the door to any pony.

"Wait here," Fluttershy whispered as she slowly approached the door.

Peering through the peephole, she discovered Delancey making funny faces. Sighing in relief, she started unhitching the door.

"What are ya doin'?" Apple Bloom asked.

"It's alright," Fluttershy said. "We can trust him."

As she opened the door, Delancey held out a bouquet of assorted flowers. "For you, my lady."

"Delancey!" Fluttershy said, taking the flowers gleefully. "What a delightful surprise!"

Delancey frowned. "You don't remember? It's Saturday?"

Fluttershy blinked a few times and then gasped. "Our picnic!" She put her hoof to her head. "Sweet Celestia, I forgot! I'm so sorry, Delancey, but I promised my roommate I'd watch her little sister until she comes back. Think we can reschedule?"

"Who's at the door, Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom called, trying to get a look at the stallion.

Fluttershy grinned brightly as an idea occurred to her. "You can stay for lunch though and we can watch Apple Bloom together! I'm sure Applejack won't mind."

Delancey peered past her at the filly on the couch. "Oh, well, uh…I'm not really one for—"

"I made cucumber sandwiches!" Fluttershy said musically.

One look into her big, begging eyes and he was putty in her hooves. "Well, if you cut off the crusts—"

Fluttershy squealed as she pulled him inside then securely relocked the door.

"Apple Bloom," Fluttershy said, gesturing to the stallion, "this is Delancey. He's a, uh…" She paused to blush. "…f-friend of mine."

Apple Bloom glanced at the flowers in Fluttershy's hoof and smirked. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"What?!" Fluttershy squeaked, hiding her red face behind the bouquet. "N-No, I…well, we never said that…we're not…"

"We spend a great deal of time together," Delancey said, glancing sideways at her, "though I wouldn't object to putting a label on it, if Fluttershy's willing."

Fluttershy lowered the flowers to look at him, meeting his admiring gaze. With a small smile, she glanced back down at the bouquet.

"Well, uh…" She spoke quickly. "I guess he's my boyfriend then."

Embarrassed, she rushed into the kitchen to find a vase. Chuckling, Delancey sat down on the couch. Then he remembered the filly was sitting there too and suddenly became very nervous. He hadn't much experience with foals. Last foal he really connected with grew up to be his heart's desire, so that wasn't really helpful, not to mention he'd been petrified the entire time.

"So, uh…" Delancey rubbed the back of his neck. "Do foals like…magic tricks?"

"Depends," Apple Bloom said, laying her forelegs across Winona's back as she leaned forward. "Are they any good?"

Delancey crossed his hooves. "Are they any good?" Appalled, he put one hoof to his chest. "My dear little pony, you are looking at the master of chao—err, magic!"

He placed his hooves together, and when he pulled them apart, a deck of cards suddenly appeared between them. He creatively shuffled them several times before fanning them out to the filly.

"Pick a card," he said.

Apple Bloom looked at him incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Just pick one, smart aleck."

Rolling her eyes, she picked a card: the six of spades. She placed it back in the deck and watched the stallion shuffle it a few more times.

"Oh, look!" Delancey said, picking out a card. "The three of hearts!"

"Nice try," Apple Bloom said boringly. "But my card was—"

"Six of spades, I know."

She blinked. "Err, yeah. But why didn't ya just pick that one out of the deck?"

"That's because it's not in the deck, anymore," Delancey said, fanning out the cards for her to see. "You are now wearing it as a bow."

Confused, Apple Bloom placed her hoof to the bow on her head. Delancey summoned a hoof mirror so she could see that her bow now had the pattern of the six of spades, making her gasp.

"That's the most amazin' thing I've ever seen!"

Delancey smirked. "Didn't Fluttershy tell you I was amazing?"

"I didn't even see ya use your horn!"

"That's how amazing I am," he said, slicking his mane back.

When Fluttershy returned with three cups of tea on a tray, she found Apple Bloom laughing as Delancey juggled five apples. At least, they were apples until they returned to his hooves. Then they were oranges, turning back into apples as they went tossed into the air. With a smile, Fluttershy set the tray down on the coffee table.

"Fluttershy, your boyfriend is hilarious!" Apple Bloom said, leaning towards her. "He's a keeper."

Blushing, Fluttershy said, "Delancey, may I talk with you in the kitchen a moment?"

"Certainly, my dear," he said, making the apples/oranges disappear.

As they headed for the kitchen, Apple Bloom called, "If y'all are gonna do what I think you're gonna do, I'll tell Applejack ya did it all over her kitchen counter with her little sister in the next room!"

Fluttershy winced as her face became even redder. Delancey only chuckled.

"Kids really do say the darnest things, don't they?"

Shaking off her embarrassment, Fluttershy closed the kitchen door. "You're really wonderful with children."

Delancey frowned in surprise. "I am?"

She nodded. "I'm not supposed to have her leave this apartment until her sister comes back, so it's nice that you're here to entertain her."

"Her sister won't let her leave this apartment?" He cocked his eyebrow. "Overprotective much?"

"She has a good reason. You see…" She glanced around and leaned towards him to whisper. "When Applejack was a foal and Apple Bloom was just a baby, their parents were…k-k-killed…by a dangerous criminal."

Delancey's eyes widened as he looked at the door. "Does she know?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "And the criminal's…in town. Applejack's worried he'll come for Apple Bloom, which is why she doesn't want her leaving this apartment, and why I have to make sure she's safe." She took his hoof. "But I'm not sure I can do this alone."

He looked down at her hoof and then at her. He certainly didn't want a dangerous criminal coming in here to harm her or the filly. Delancey may have done equal harm to children in the past, but it had never been intentional. The thought that someone would want to deliberately harm a filly, most notably the mare he adored, made him sick to his stomach.

With determination, he replied, "You won't be alone. I'll be here to protect you."

Grinning, Fluttershy hugged him, causing Delancey to smile widely in bliss.

"It's awfully quiet in there!" Apple Bloom called, knocking on the door. "Ya sure y'all aren't doin' it?"

Fluttershy was about to faint from embarrassment while Delancey laughed in amusement.

"I think I'm going to like her," he said.

---

Once evening fell, Spike trudged carefully down a shady part of town. He kept his brown trench coat close to his body and the brim of his gray fedora over his eyes, which made it hard for him to see through his fake glasses. As he approached a hanging sign that read The Unstable Stable, he touched the false mustache on his lip, hoping it looked convincing enough.

Taking a deep breath, he walked down a set of stairs and knocked on the steel door at the bottom landing. A peephole slid open and a pair of red eyes glared down at him.

"Password?" a gruff voice asked.

Standing on his tippy toes, Spike whispered, "No horn matters here."

The eyes narrowed. "We don't serve minors."

"When you say 'minors,' do you mean underage creatures," Spike said, glancing around as he reached into his trench coat, "or do you mean miners who mine for little beauties such as these?"

He pulled out what looked like a glimmering ruby. After a few seconds of silence, the peephole slid shut and the door opened. Spike took a step back as he was met with a creature with a gorilla's head and a minotaur's body.

With the figure towering over him, Spike wasn't in the mood to ask questions.

After a quick look around, the bouncer snatched the ruby and tucked it into the pocket of his khaki pants. Then he stepped aside and let the dragon through. As Spike gave a nod of thanks, he smiled to himself. Guess those fake jewels were of some value after all.

His moment of triumph was short-lived, when a plate whizzed over his head and hit the door behind him.

He'd entered some sort of pub, filled with ponies and creatures of all sorts throwing furniture, engaging in wrestling matches, gambling with cards, and drinking hard. Several of the thugs Spike recognized from wanted posters.

A few of them, he knew personally.

"So there I was," the Mane-iac said, sitting at a round table in the center of the room, "in a room full of petrified billionaires and business ponies, with Radiance in my clutches…"

Spike lowered the brim of his hat further as he attempted to walk past the table.

"…when suddenly, what should happen?" She used her mane locks to take a big swig of her beer. "This stumpy little dragon sprays my mane with a hose! A hose!" She gestured to her mane. "Took down this!"

"You think you've got problems," Trixie said, slamming down her glass. Spike was quite surprised to see her out of jail so soon. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has turned every pony in this city into dogs and ice cream, only to be foiled by the Power Ponies time and time again! Once with a gem cart!"

"Gems?" Spot said, coming out of his nap.

"Our heist last week should've been flawless!" Rover exclaimed, conking his colleague back to unconsciousness. "If that meddling Mistress Mare-velous and her meddling minions hadn't…meddled!"

"Oh, whine, whine, whine."

Spike stiffened at the sound of that voice. He looked to see the Phoenix using her magic to throw darts at a picture of the Masked Matter-Horn pinned to a dartboard.

"You fools don't know what real misery is," the Phoenix said, hovering one dart beside her as she aimed, "until you've spent ten years wallowing in prison," she fired and struck the Matter-Horn square in the eye, making Spike flinch, "pining over one pathetic pony," she threw another dart, hitting the image's muzzle, "and you strive to get her attention through impressive, magical acts of thievery," the next dart hit the neck, "only for her to beat you in the most intellectual," she threw another, "touchy," and another, "feely," and another, "way," and another, "possible!"

The last dart was thrown with such force, it split one of the others in two. Gulping, Spike ducked his head and scurried in between the Phoenix and the table of previously defeated foes.

"So if you had used that dog head thing on us," Fido asked Trixie, pointing to himself, "would that have turned us into ponies?"

I gotta find Mare-velous, Spike thought, looking anxiously around the bar, before these guys recognize me!

Then, like an answer from above, a familiar country voice reached the dragon's earholes. "Listen here, Buffalo Bull, my patience is wearin' thin!"

Spike looked over to a booth in the corner, where a green-eyed mare in a black ski mask and turtleneck was on the table, her hooves gripped to the chest of a black bull with a patch of white around his eye. Seated next to him was a shorter, tan bull with a bandana over his face. Both bulls looked positively terrified.

"Ya either know where your boss is, or ya don't!" the mare shouted, glaring hard at her hostage.

"I swear!" the hostage, Buffalo Bull said, holding his hooves up. "I don't know nothin'!"

He yelped as she tossed him aside and turned to the other bull. "Then maybe your buddy Doc Holstein here's got a clearer memory."

She grabbed the bull with the bandana and hoisted him up.

"Whoa, whoa!" Doc screamed, flailing about. "Take it easy, lady!"

Spike had no doubt of the identity of this mare, and was mortified to see her interrogating in such a harsh manner. Then he spotted a burlap sack near Buffalo Bull's hooves. Curious, he crept toward the booth, keeping his eyes on the sack.

"Don't think I don't remember y'all!" she said, bringing his face to hers. "Y'all are real tight with King Longhorn, and I know he's set up shop in this here town!"

Crouching down, Spike slowly opened up the sack and peered inside.

"So tell me again," Mare-velous said, tightening her grip on Doc's chest. "Where is he?"

"Tiny sparkly dresses?!" Spike exclaimed once he discovered the contents of the bag.

The bulls and Mare-velous turned to him, the latter gasping.

"What in the hay?"

Looking up at her, Spike smiled nervously. "H-Hi?"

Grabbing him by the collar, she hoisted him up to her face. "What are ya doin' here?! How'd ya even get in here?!"

"Sorry, Mare-velous!" Spike said, putting up his claws. "I know you didn't want any help but—"

"Mare-velous?" Rover's raspy voice cried out.

The two heroes looked over to see the gray Diamond Dog staring right at them, growling.

"It is her!" he exclaimed, pointing. "I'd know those eyes anywhere! It's Mistress Mare-velous!"

The Mane-iac stood up from her seat. "And the Power Ponies' annoying little dragon sidekick! Humdrum!"

Now all eyes were on the disguised heroes. Mare-velous glared sideways at the dragon, who laughed awkwardly.

"Oops?"

"Get them!" Trixie shouted.

As the thugs charged towards them, Mare-velous sighed as she psychically got out her rope. "So much for the disguise." She lifted Spike onto her back. "Hang on tight."

"This is for taking away our gems!" Rover shouted as he and his two colleagues closed in.

"They must suffer for foiling Trixie's plans!" Trixie said, powering her horn.

"That little runt will pay for ruining my mane!" the Mane-iac cried, cracking her locks.

"Shouting is fun!" some pony yelled.

When the criminals were inches from the heroes, Mare-velous grabbed her rope and jumped off the table. Spike cried out as they swung above the angry mob, watching as they collided into each other in an attempt to grab the heroes.

The only one who hadn't joined in the fight was the Phoenix, who kept close to the dartboard. Glancing around, she illuminated her horn and opened the front door. Once the heroes were through, she shut it and whistled as if nothing had happened.

Landing on her hooves, Mare-velous mentally tucked her rope into her coat as she ran up the steps and down the street. Spike could hear the door to the pub slamming open and the mob screaming after them.

Ducking into an alleyway, Mare-velous kicked a dumpster open. Spike kept his grip around her neck as she jumped inside and slammed the lid over them. Spike gagged at the terrible smell of garbage, only for Mare-velous to place one hoof in his mouth and the other to her lips.

They waited until the sound of the mob had faded into the distance. Cautiously, Mare-velous opened the lid a smidge and glanced around.

"Coast is clear," she said, opening the dumpster further.

Spike heaved a sigh of relief as she helped him out. "Boy, that was a close one! We sure showed them, didn't we?"

His relief was terminated as soon as Mare-velous gripped his shoulders and forced him to look into her furious glare.

"What were ya thinkin'?!" she demanded. "Do ya have any idea how dangerous that place is?!"

"Uh, yeah, kinda," Spike said, pointing with his thumb towards the street. "We were just chased by a mob of our greatest enemies."

Groaning, she released him. "Matter-Horn asked ya to follow me, didn't she? I told her I wanted to handle this alone! And to send you of all people—"

"Matter-Horn doesn't know about this!" Spike insisted, holding up his claws. "This was all my idea!"

She smacked herself in the forehead. "Now that's even stupider! Not only could you've gotten hurt, but ya blew my cover when I was this close to findin' Longhorn's hideout! And now that those crooks know that we're onto 'em they'll be movin' their little bad guy hangout someplace else!"

"Longhorn's hangout or the pub?"

"Both!"

The dragon sighed in shame. "Yeah, you're right. Too bad you couldn't get any information from those henchbulls." Reaching into his coat, he pulled out his tracking screen. "Guess there's nothing left for us to do but follow the tracking device I put on them."

"Exact—" She blinked. "What?"

Smirking, Spike held up the screen. "I figured even if you got them to talk, they wouldn't be very honest, so as I was looking through their bag I slipped in a tracking device. Now that you've got them all scared, they're sure to run right back to their boss."

Mare-velous' mouth fell open as she stared at the blinking red dot on the screen, then at the dragon. "That's…brilliant."

He lifted his chin proudly. "I have my moments."

"That'll definitely make it easier to track Longhorn down!"

She reached for the device, but he pulled it away, shaking his head.

"My tech, my rules." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're not doing this without me. And before you send me home, remember that I am underage and that it would be dangerous for me to walk these streets so late at night, especially considering there's an angry mob of villains after my head. Of course, you could just take me home yourself, but that just might give those henchbulls more time to warn their boss that you're looking for him. Or, perhaps, they might discover the tracking device before we catch up and by the time you get to their most recent location, it'll be too late."

He waved the device tauntingly. "Just saying, it would save you a heck of a lot more time if I came with you."

Mare-velous stared at him in disbelief for a long while. Then, sighing in defeat, she took off her ski mask, revealing her hero mask and releasing her long ponytail.

"When did ya get so smooth-talkin'?" she asked, removing her trench coat.

Spike shrugged. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me."

With both of them back in their superhero costumes, Humdrum hung tight to Mare-velous as she swung from rooftop to rooftop.

"Where to now?" she asked, landing on her hooves to catch her breath.

Humdrum looked down at the tracking device. "Looks like they've stopped moving. They're on Bovine Boulevard, just five blocks down from here."

Nodding, Mare-velous got her rope ready.

"Hey, AJ?" Humdrum asked. "I've been wondering. Why did Longhorn come to Maretropolis in the first place?"

With a shrug, she held onto her rope. "Who knows?" Grunting, she swung to the next building. "As far back as I can remember, Longhorn only does anything for two reasons: money and power."

Humdrum gripped her neck tighter as they went to the next building.

"But he's pretty good at workin' his way around the law," Mare-velous said, steadying the weight on her back. "Back in Appleloosa, he had his goons destroy our crop so that we'd be so desperate for money we'd sell him our land."

"So he'd have it legally," Humdrum concluded.

Nodding, she jumped up to swing again. "He changed his plans once he caught sight of this here rope."

"Still," Humdrum said as she continued to carry him, "Maretropolis is a big change from Appleloosa. And it seems strange he'd murder a mob boss who could've been a powerful ally."

Mare-velous stopped to pant a moment. "Maybe too powerful. Longhorn probably wanted to gain control of Korova's operation."

"Maybe." Then another thought occurred to him. "But what about that Strawberry Patch Doll?"

"What?" she said, looking back at him.

"Flim and Flam told me he bought a rare Strawberry Patch Doll just yesterday, for half the price."

Mare-velous prepared to swing again. "If it's rare, he probably wants to sell it."

"Then why not just steal it?"

"Like I said." She jumped. "He buys it legally, though cheap, he doesn't get in trouble with the law."

They landed on a rooftop on Bovine Boulevard.

"And the dresses in the henchbulls' bag?" Humdrum asked. "I mean I know some guys are into dresses, but they were a bit too small for a bull. They looked like they might fit a foal."

"So he's smugglin' dresses or something!" Mare-velous groaned impatiently. "I don't know! I just know that whatever he's up to, it ain't good!"

Humdrum pointed to the building across the street. "The tracker leads there, in the abandoned milk factory."

Mare-velous rolled her eyes. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

They approached the edge of the building they stood on so they could look out at the rundown milk factory.

"So what's our next move?" Humdrum asked.

"My next move," Mare-velous said, tightening her rope in her hooves, "is that I go in there and find Longhorn."

He looked up at her in disbelief. "You're not going in there alone?"

"It's better this way. You could get hurt."

"Uh-uh!" Narrowing his eyes, he crossed his arms. "You are not pulling that excuse on me again! I tracked you to the pawn shop, got information from Flim and Flam, and pinned that tracking device on the henchbulls which led us to Longhorn's hideout, all without any super powers! So do not say I can't handle this kind of work, that I'm a screw-up, that I'd just be getting in everyone's way—"

"That's not what this is about, Spike," Mare-velous muttered without making eye contact.

"Then why?! Why don't you trust me to help you?!"

"Because I can't lose ya!"

Humdrum stepped back at her sudden outburst. With a sigh, Mare-velous knelt down and laid a hoof on his shoulder.

"Listen," she said slowly, her voice cracking. "My pa died tryin' to save my ma, and ma died tryin' to save me." She locked eyes with him. "If…if I were to lose someone else I cared about…"

She trailed off, and then shut her eyes as small tears began to fall. "That's why I shut everyone out, Spike, why I was hesitant to join the team in the first place. I…I start to care…and people get hurt."

She hung her head. "I can't let that monster hurt anyone else important to me. Not my sister, not the team," she said, opening her eyes, "not you."

Humdrum was quiet, moved by this declaration, unsure of how to respond.

Inhaling sharply, Mare-velous stood up. "If ya wanna be helpful, then keep a lookout. If I'm not back in twenty minutes, call Twilight and the police."

He looked up at her worriedly. "And…if something happens to you?"

"Don't worry." Glancing down at the rope in her hooves, she said, "I won't chicken out this time."

Following her gaze, he wondered what she meant by that.

"But," she said, gripping tighter to her rope, "if…something does happen to me…tell my sister I love her." She turned away from him. "And that I'm sorry."

She telepathically raised one end of the rope and swung off the building.

"AJ, wait!" Humdrum called out, stretching his claw towards her.

But he was too late to stop her. He watched anxiously as she floated downward, landed on an open windowsill and disappeared into the factory. Sighing sadly, Humdrum sat down.

"She's right," he said, placing his face in his claws. "I shouldn't have followed her. She didn't want my help. I should've left her alone. She had the henchbulls, she would've found this place just fine with or without me." He shut his eyes. "I'm nothing but a bother."

"Sometimes bothers are needed."

Jumping at the sudden female voice, Humdrum spun around. A green earth mare in overalls was watering a row of potted plants. Her brown mane was braided and tucked inside an orange kerchief. The dragon stared at the mare and the potted plants, swearing that neither of them had been there a few seconds ago.

"Who the…?" he said, scratching his head. "What…when…where'd you come from?"

The mare smiled and looked at him with her chestnut brown eyes. "Well you see, when a male titan and a female titan love each other very much…"

Even more confused, Humdrum scrunched his nose. "Who are you?"

Giggling, the mare set down her watering can and wiped her hooves off her overalls. "Your friend Applejack knows me well." She placed her hooves proudly on her hips. "You could say I'm like a second mother to her."

Humdrum scrutinized her and then the plants. Then his eyes widened as he reached a conclusion.

"Are you," he asked, taking a nervous step back, "Demeter?"

The mare grinned further. "You are a clever boy."

The dragon self-consciously dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "F-Forgive me, your highness. I didn't know!"

Demeter held up her hoof as she approached. "I didn't expect you to. After all, we've never formally met. Not to mention the sculptors and illustrators of the world can't seem to agree on my appearance."

"Applejack's not here. She's over—"

"I'm not here to see Applejack." Bending down, she gently lifted his chin. "I'm here to see you."

He blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, Spike," Demeter said, her face becoming serious. "I'm here to warn you that you must stop Applejack from doing this heinous deed."

"What do you mean?" Humdrum asked, straightening up. "She wants to stop Longhorn and bring him to justice."

She shook her head. "The only justice she wishes upon him is the justice of the Underworld."

"But that would mean…" Looking downward, he gasped. "She wouldn't!"

"I'm afraid so. Since Applejack lost her parents and became my Vassal, her one thought has been to personally see to King Longhorn's demise." Demeter sighed. "I had hoped steering her towards a nobler cause would divert her from this dark path. Unfortunately, her hatred for Longhorn has festered over the years. Even after all her heroic deeds, she will choose vengeance over justice.

"Spike," she said, laying a hoof on his shoulder, "if Applejack kills Longhorn, there will be no turning back for her. She will forfeit her role as my Vassal, and the act of murder will darken her soul forever."

His eyes widened. "She won't be able to wield your Lasso anymore?"

Demeter shook her head. "My Lasso can only be used for good, not evil. I've told her this many times, but she will not listen to me. You must stop her before it's too late."

"But if she won't listen to you," Humdrum said, holding out his claws, "what makes you think she'll listen to me? I mean you're her mentor! I'm just a sidekick!"

Demeter smiled. "Applejack cares for you, Spike, in a way much deeper than she expresses. It's deeper than anything platonic or familial or even romantic. You touch her heart in a way no one else can."

"How can that be?" Humdrum asked. "I mean she hardly even knows me! I hardly even know her, for that matter. What can be deeper than friendship or family or romance?!"

"Compassion," she whispered. "That's why you followed her, isn't it? That's why she protects you in battle. You see something in each other that makes you both compassionate. It is this compassion which will save Applejack from this fate."

Humdrum was still in disbelief, but there was some sense in the goddess' words. Something compelled him to help Applejack. He'd been racking his brain to figure out what. Was it the fact that they were both orphans? Was it his respect for her as a hero and teammate?

"Sometimes," Demeter said, seeming to read his thoughts, "you don't need a reason to care for someone."

It didn't take long after that statement for him to realize that she was right. It didn't matter why Humdrum wanted to help Mistress Mare-velous. He cared, and that's all that mattered.

And he most certainly didn't want her to become a murderer.

"I won't let her!" Humdrum exclaimed, turning toward the factory. "I won't let her do it!"

"I know you won't," Demeter said.

When he turned around to thank her, the goddess and the potted plants were gone.

Determined, Humdrum fiddled with his belt, searching for the button that would launch his grappling hook. Then the Matter-Horn's voice broke through his eardrums.

"Mistress Mare-velous! Mistress Mare-velous! Do you read me?"

Humdrum waited for Mare-velous to answer and then remembered that she had taken her commlink out.

"Humdrum?" the Matter-Horn's voice asked. "Can you pass this information onto Mare-velous?"

He stiffened and looked around, wondering if the alicorn was watching.

"I know you followed her, Spike." She sounded distraught. "I traced your commlink at Headquarters. There's no use denying it."

Laughing nervously, he pressed down on his commlink. "For the record, I've been very helpful this whole case."

"We'll talk about this later. The police just gave me some very interesting information about Korova's murder. I don't know how this connects to Longhorn, but there's a chance Korova might have had a child staying with him."

Humdrum raised an eyebrow. "A child?"

"When the police searched his home, they found a door which had been recently broken down. Its room had a small bed and was littered in old candy wrappers, toys and small clothing. Judging by the expiration dates on some of the candy wrappers, the police think the room's occupant had been there for quite some time, months at least."

"Did Korova have any children?" Humdrum asked.

"Yes, but they're all grown, and whoever was kept in that room had been there recently. I've tried running some DNA samples, but so far the computer hasn't brought up any useful information, other than it belongs to a cow."

"Which doesn't help because we're dealing with a whole herd of cows! I mean aside from Korova and Longhorn, there's their henchbulls and…"

He stopped. Then he remembered the doll, and the dresses fit for a child. Adding the information from the Matter-Horn, the pieces were finally coming together.

"Holy Demeter, it all makes sense!" Humdrum exclaimed.

"Spike? What is it?"

"No time! Get the police to the abandoned milk factory! I gotta stop Mare-velous before she stops Longhorn!"

---

Why in the world did that stubborn little dragon have to follow me? Mare-velous thought as she crawled through the air duct. Doesn't he know he can get hurt? Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

She paused a moment to sigh. Kind of like Apple Bloom, going off on his own because he cares. She kept moving. Why does he care? I've been nothing but cold to him all this time. She shook her head. Not important now, old girl. You can't let yourself get distracted again.

As she continued through the air duct, she could hear her father crying out in pain.

"Pa! Pa!" she had cried, running out to his freshly impaled corpse.

She could hear the huffs of a bull, coming closer.

"Applejack," her mother had cried, "look out!"

Her mother had pushed her out of the way, then came the sploosh and the bloodcurdling scream. By the time young Applejack had turned around, Longhorn was pulling his horn out of her mother's chest.

She remembered crying, her vision of the corpses blurred by her tears. Their eyes had still been open in shock. She had flung herself over her parents, urging them to get up.

But they would never rise again.

"Finally," Longhorn had said, picking Demeter's Lasso up from beside her father's body. "The magic rope is mine." Applejack remembered how he had flung it about. "How do ya get this dang thing to work?"

She recalled her fury, how she had glared at him, fuming. How she had wanted to strangle him at that moment for what he had done to the two ponies she cared for the most.

Then the rope had come to life, looping itself around Longhorn's neck. Applejack hadn't questioned it then, for Pa had told her how Demeter's Lasso chose its owner. She had just sat there, urging the cord to tighten. Even now, Longhorn's gasps for air were still etched in her brain.

"Applejack!" the sheriff had called. "Stop it! You're killin' him!"

The sheriff's voice had startled her enough to break her concentration. The rope had loosened and fallen limp to the ground. Longhorn hadn't wasted any time to break into a run.

I should've let the rope finish him then, Mare-velous thought as she approached a patch of light up ahead. I won't make the same mistake twice.

Hearing voices, she slowed her pace and peered through the grate below her. She found some sort of boardroom containing a long table and two rows of cushioned chairs which were so old, there were bits of fluff and springs sticking out of them. Two bulls were playing a card game in the middle of the table. At the table's head sat the largest bull of the bunch.

His coat was dark gray, black sideburns framed his face, and atop his head was a tall black Stetson. His beady black eyes were cold and uncaring.

Mare-velous could recognize King Longhorn anywhere.

The two bulls from the bar approached him, showing him the burlap sack.

"We got the very best!" Buffalo Bull said.

"And for half the price too!" Doc Holstein said.

"Very good," Longhorn said with a grin. "Madcow will love these."

Madcow? Mare-velous thought. I don't remember Longhorn havin' a Madcow in his gang. Must be someone new.

"Take them to Madcow's room," Longhorn said, waving his cloven hoof. "That'll be all."

The two bulls nodded and left the room. With a contented sight, Longhorn leaned back in his chair and put up his back hooves on the table.

"I don't know about you, boys," he said, placing his front hooves behind his head, "but I'm downright tired of this city scene. What say first thing tomorrow we head back west to Appleloosa?"

"I do miss them country cow gals," said a brown and dark gray bull Mare-velous recognized as Jersey Shore.

"And them apple farms," said a white bull named Angus McSteer.

"Yeah, they were fun to pillage and stuff!"

Longhorn nodded. "I reckon I'm curious to see what happened to them Smiths. Those foals of theirs are sure to be all grown up by now."

Jersey Shore sneered. "Ya reckon them gals of theirs are old enough to marry?"

"If so, that'd make takin' over their farm a heck of a lot easier. And legal!"

Mare-velous didn't know if she should growl from fury or gag in disgust. No way is he gettin' his filthy cloven hooves on my farm! And certainly not on me or Apple Bloom!

"Tell Madcow to pack it in," Longhorn said. "We'll be off in the mornin'."

That was her final confirmation that it had to be done tonight, or else she was never going to get another chance. Gripping her glowing rope for support, Mare-velous kicked the grate open and jumped down, startling the Cattle Rustlers. Landing on the table, she faced the stunned leader.

"Howdy, partner," she said in a tone that was both taunting and threatening.

Jersey Shore and Angus stood up, but Longhorn raised his hoof to stop them. Scrutinizing her, he sent her a toothy grin.

"I heard you were in town," he said with amusement, "Miss Applejack Smith."

Mare-velous narrowed her eyes at him.

"What? Surprised I knew? After all, you weren't masked the last time we met." He shrugged. "Would've made big money selling your identity to the highest bidder, but what would've been the fun in that?"

"Ya remember me then," she said, taking a step towards him.

"How could I forget the little orphan filly who tried to strangle me?"

"Ya mean the orphan filly whose parents ya skewered!"

He waved his hoof. "Details, details."

Fuming through her nostrils, Mare-velous telepathically swung her lasso into a loop. "Bright Mac and Buttercup Smith were good ponies. They didn't deserve to die!" She glared hard. "But you do."

Jersey Shore leaped towards her. Without looking at him, Mare-velous punched him in the face, sending him back to the wall. Angus jumped onto the table, only for her to kick him off.

"Come to finish what you've started then?" Longhorn asked, unfazed by his minions' unconscious states.

She smirked wickedly as she mentally cracked her rope like a whip. "Ya know me so well."

Shrugging, Longhorn climbed onto the table. "I hate to disappoint a lady."

He charged towards her, but Mare-velous was ready. Grabbing her rope, she let it hoist her up before his horns could pierce her. The minute she landed on his back, the rope closed around his neck. Longhorn attempted to buck her off, but Mare-velous had had enough rodeo experience not to lose her balance. She hung on tight to the rope as he wriggled and writhed beneath her.

"I ain't a filly no more!" she shouted, pulling the rope towards her. "I ain't lettin' ya go this time!"

The loop magically tightened around Longhorn's neck. He immediately stopped bucking and gasped for air. His hooves went to his neck in an attempt to get the rope off, but it just kept getting tighter and tighter.

"I'm real tight with the Queen of the Underworld," Mare-velous said, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. "I'll personally make sure ya reach the Fields of Punishment!"

"Mare-velous, stop! Don't kill him!"

Alarmed, Mare-velous turned to the doorway where a certain masked dragon stood.

"Humdrum?" she said angrily. "I told ya to stay outside! How'd ya even get in here?!"

"I used my grappling hook to get across the street and went in through a window and shocked these guards with…" He shook his head. "That's not important right now! Mare-velous, you can't kill Longhorn!"

"Yes, I can!" she shouted, tugging harder on the rope. "And I will!"

"But if you do, you won't be Demeter's Vassal anymore!"

Grunting, she said, "That's a sacrifice I'm willin' to make."

Suddenly, Demeter's Lasso loosened around the bull's neck and stopped glowing, giving Longhorn a moment to breathe. It was as if the rope didn't want to strangle him.

"You can fight all ya want, Bessie," Mare-velous said, manually tightening the rope, "but I don't need no magic to do this!"

"Mare-velous, please!" Humdrum exclaimed, holding up his claws. "Is this what your parents would want?"

"My parents are dead!" she spat, furious tears coming from her eyes. "Thanks to this monster! He needs to pay for what he did to 'em!"

"Yes, he will! In jail!"

"Ya think the police can hold him? His horns can cut through buildings!" Longhorn wheezed as she tugged sharply. "This is the only way to make sure he'll never harm anyone ever again!"

"But you don't understand, Mare-velous! He's not just a criminal, he's a—"

"Daddy?"

The sudden small, frightened voice made Mare-velous stiffen. She turned to see a small brown and white calf, looking to be about eight years old, peering into the doorway. She wore a sparkly red dress and held a foal doll dressed in a pineapple gown in the crook of her foreleg. Her small black eyes held terror as they focused on Longhorn.

"Mad…cow…" Longhorn gasped between words. "R-Run…"

Breathing rapidly, Mare-velous looked between him and the calf.

"He has a daughter, Mare-velous!" Humdrum cried, pointing to the calf. "Korova kidnapped her! That's why he came to Maretropolis! He's been looking for his daughter! My guess is Korova was using her to get Longhorn to do shady stuff for him, and when he'd had enough, he took care of Korova and rescued his daughter!"

Longhorn nodded frantically as he attempted to speak. "Korova…wanted…me…kidnap…Twilight…Sparkle's…ward."

Mare-velous let out a small gasp and looked down at Humdrum, whose eyes were pleading in desperation.

"I know he's done terrible things, Mare-velous," he said, his voice cracking, "and you might never forgive him for what he did to your parents, but how will killing him make you any better than he is?" He glanced sideways at Madcow. "Would you also make a child parentless?"

Mare-velous locked eyes with the calf. Tears were coming out of them. For a split second, those black eyes were green, and the calf was an orange filly with blonde hair. Mare-velous could hear her own sobs from the past, could hear her small cries of fury, could hear her young, cursing voice.

"You killed 'em! You killed my Ma and Pa!"

She looked down at Longhorn, whose face was turning from gray to blue.

"I'll kill ya! I'll kill ya like you killed them!"

The rope fell from her hooves, allowing Longhorn to pull it away from his neck. Gasping, he fell to his knees and Mare-velous slid off his back and onto the table. She sat down and stared down at her hooves, horrified at what she had almost done.

"Daddy!" Madcow cried happily, running to him.

Jumping onto the table, she threw her hooves around Longhorn's neck, but not too tight as to choke him a gain. With an exhausted chuckle, Longhorn held her close as well.

Mare-velous watched the two of them until the sound of police sirens reached her ears.

---

As the police hauled Longhorn into the wagon along with his gang, he looked at the social worker's car where he could see Madcow through the window. She gave him a sad wave, which made him smile a little bit.

Mare-velous watched the entire scene from afar as she dealt with her mixed emotions.

"They'll be putting Madcow into foster care," Humdrum said, walking up to her side.

She hung her head. "She must hate me."

He shook his head. "She still has her daddy, thanks to you."

Closing her eyes, she said, "She almost didn't." She looked down at him. "How'd ya know about Longhorn's daughter?"

"Well, after hearing the information about the doll and the dresses and the child's room in Korova's mansion, it wasn't hard to put two and two together."

Biting her lip, she tore her gaze from him. "I'm sorry for makin' ya feel like ya weren't cut out for all this. Truth is I just didn't wanna see ya get hurt."

He gently took her hoof, causing her to glance down at his claw. "I know."

He held her hoof for a few seconds before she slipped it away.

"I could've made the biggest mistake of my life," she murmured, "if it hadn't been for you." She smiled softly. "You're a good kid, Spike."

The dragon blushed. "That's what friends are for."

The Matter-Horn walked up to them. "You did a good job. Both of you." She glared down at Humdrum. "Even if it's way past somebody's bedtime."

Laughing nervously, he asked, "How'd you even know I was following her? I mean before you checked our commlink signals."

The alicorn smirked. "I know you, Humdrum." She nudged him playfully. "You're just as stubborn as Mare-velous."

Mare-velous scoffed. "No argument here."

"Come on," the Matter-Horn said, crouching down. "Let's get you home. It's been a long night."

As he climbed onto her back, Humdrum looked at Mare-velous. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. I best get home to my little sis," she said with a grin, "tell her I love her."

---

Apple Bloom, Delancey and Fluttershy were curled up on the couch, eating from a bowl of popcorn as they watched the movie Spidermane. They were at the part where the hero in his civilian identity was talking to his love interest while visiting his aunt in the hospital.

"Oh, I'm real tight with Spidermane," he said onscreen. "Why just the other day he was asking about you."

"What'd you say?" the mare onscreen asked hopefully.

"I said…the best thing about MJ, is that when you look into her eyes…"

"Oh, just tell her you love her, ya idiot!" Apple Bloom cried, throwing a piece of popcorn at the TV. "She obviously likes both sides of ya!"

Fluttershy giggled as she reached for some popcorn, only for her hoof to brush against Delancey's. They locked gaze for a moment and then turned away blushing.

As the movie went on, Delancey started to hear snoring and turned to find Apple Bloom asleep on his shoulder.

"Should we put her to bed?" he asked, not sure what to do in a situation like this.

"We shouldn't," Fluttershy said, leaning against his other shoulder. "She looks comfortable."

Delancey's face turned red. He was unable to concentrate on the movie as he was too focused on the feel of Fluttershy's face on his shoulder.

At the end of the movie, Spidermane's love interest was declaring her love for him, but he told her that they could only be friends, causing her to cry. Looking down at Fluttershy, Delancey discovered that she too had fallen asleep.

He watched her as the credits rolled, taking note of how lightly she breathed when she slept, making no sounds whatsoever. Glancing back to make sure Apple Bloom was asleep, he focused on his left hoof and morphed it into an eagle's claw. Fluttershy moaned blissfully as he ran his claw through her mane.

"My dear, sweet Fluttershy," he whispered, gently taking a strand of soft hair between his fingers, "you have no idea how much you mean to me." He gazed down at her tranquil smile. "I more than just love you. I worship you." He smirked. "Imagine that. A god worshipping a mortal.

"But it's true. I owe my freedom to you." He rested his claw on her head. "Everything just feels so right when I'm with you, even if I have to keep up this pretense to be with you." He sighed sadly. "I don't like pretending. I want you to love me. All of me. But I can't give you what you deserve. Not as a god, nor as a mortal."

He whispered in her ear. "You deserve to be happy, my darling. But don't worry. Once I have my amulet—"

The sound of the door unlocking made him stop. Quickly, he turned the claw back into a hoof and stood up, his horn ready for the intruder. The door opened and the lights were switched on.

With a mighty cry, Delancey summoned a pie and tossed it at the doorway. The intruder screeched and ducked as the pie went over her head and hit the wall behind her.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack said.

"Who are you?" Delancey demanded, taking a step forward.

"Who are you? This is my apartment!"

His magic diminished. "You're Fluttershy's roommate?"

"Yeah," Applejack said, crossing her hooves. "I'll ask again. Who are you?"

Blushing, the stallion bowed apologetically. "Delancey. Sorry."

"Oh." She sighed in relief. "Right. You're Fluttershy's new beau."

By this time, Fluttershy and Apple Bloom were stirring awake. When Fluttershy saw her roommate, she gasped and rushed to Delancey's side.

"Oh, Applejack, I'm so sorry! I'd forgotten that I'd set up a date with Delancey so when he came over I suggested he help me protect Apple Bloom and he's been so good with her I thought it was alright and please don't be mad at—"

"I'm not mad," Applejack said, chuckling. "Just wish ya'd introduced him to me before he threw a pie at me."

She sent him a glare, making Delancey stiffen.

"Guess that's my cue to leave," he said, already skittering towards the door. "Shall we reschedule our picnic for tomorrow?"

"Sounds good!" Fluttershy called, waving.

"I'll be counting the minutes!"

He flashed her one last smile before shutting the door. Applejack shook her head.

"When ya said ya were seein' some pony, I didn't think it'd be any pony so…energetic."

"Applejack?" Apple Bloom muttered, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Applejack was immediately at her side. "I'm here, sis."

She looked up at her older sister. "Did ya get Longhorn?"

Applejack grinned widely as tears started rolling down her cheeks. "He's goin' away for a long time, Apple Bloom. He won't be hurtin' us anymore."

Apple Bloom cried out in happiness as she threw her hooves around her sister.

"I love ya sis," Applejack whispered, holding her tightly. "And I ain't never lettin' ya go again."

---

Twilight yawned as she entered her bedroom. Dropping the towel from her body, she reached for her silk purple bathrobe on the door's hook. She was more than ready to get to bed as she tied the sash around her waist.

"Never took you for the silk robe type."

With a shriek, Twilight spun around, shocked to find the Phoenix sitting cross-legged on her bed. Twilight immediately wrapped her hooves around her body, wondering how long she had been there.

"Oh, do relax," the Phoenix said, rolling her eyes. "Like I haven't seen you naked before. You didn't exactly wear clothes that often in school."

Twilight looked at the locked window. Not that she expected it to be open, as it would've set off the alarm.

"How'd you get in here?"

The Phoenix uncrossed her back legs. "Came down the chimney."

The billionaire blinked. "I don't have a chimney."

"Exactly," the thief said, sliding off the bed.

Deciding it wasn't worth dwelling on, Twilight shook her head. "What are you doing in my bedroom? If this is another seduction attempt—"

The Phoenix scoffed. "If I was here to seduce you," she said, pulling on the front of her jumpsuit, "I would've slipped into something more comfortable."

She let the fabric snap back into place. "No. I just thought I should inform you that I saw a particularly small, purple dragon at the bar today. A criminal bar, I might add." She looked accusingly at Twilight. "But of course, you already knew that, didn't you?"

The lavender mare narrowed her eyes. "What's your point?"

"My point is that I don't mind this little hero biz of yours. It's quite fun, actually." The Phoenix stalked towards her. "On the other hand, getting Spike involved—a ten-year-old who should be in school rather than chasing criminals—now that's something I don't quite approve of."

"Spike," Twilight said through her teeth, "is none of your business."

"He was my business," the Phoenix said, thrusting her face into hers, "the moment I helped you save his egg from those smugglers!" She narrowed her gaze. "You're lucky I was able to get him out of that scrape at the bar, because if anything happens to Spike on your watch," she stepped back with determination, "our little pact is off.

"Of course," she said, turning her back to her, "I'm all up for a custody battle."

Growling, Twilight stepped forward. "You stay away from Spike!"

"Like I said," the Phoenix said, glancing back at her. "If anything happens to him, look out."

Her horn illuminated and she disappeared in a burst of flames, setting off the sprinkler system. As the water rained down on her, Twilight glared at the ring of ash on her carpet.