//------------------------------// // Origins: Part 6 // Story: The Alternate Adventures of the Power Ponies // by DisneyFanatic23 //------------------------------// "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." -Andrew Carnegie Pinkamena was waiting in line at a coffee shop, trying to explain her situation to her father on the phone. "Yes, Pa, I'm sorry I…" She winced as she listened to his angry voice. "I know, I know! I said I'd do it, but…well there was this magician robber and a flying alicorn with ice powers…no, I'm not making this up! Seriously, there's this superhero and…" "Um, ma'am?" the barista asked. "Hang on." Pinkamena put her hoof over her cell. "Just gimme the most caffeinated thing ya got, with extra, extra whipped cream." She returned to the phone. "Look, the rocks are fine, I managed to get them all organized in some new crates, but the store was closed and I can't make the delivery until morning. But I'm staying at a motel and—thanks," she said as she tossed the barista a bit for the drink, "I promise I won't mess up again and…" The ground shook, causing her to drop her cell. Pinkamena spun towards the store's front window in time to see the purple blur that was the Masked Matter-Horn. Excited, she picked up her phone. "Pa, I'm gonna have to call ya back." She snatched up her paper cup of coffee. "I'm taking this to-go!" "Wait, miss!" the barista called, holding up a plastic lid. "You forgot to put a lid on…" But Pinkamena didn't hear her as she threw the glass door open. Fluttershy was now ten times the size of a pony and citizens were scattering about in fear as she left deep impressions in the street. Pinkamena sipped her coffee in wonder, not caring that whipped cream was getting all over her face. She watched as Zapp flew in, followed by Mistress Mare-velous, who was swinging in from the rooftops. "Did you find out what caused this?" the Matter-Horn asked them. "Ahuizotl had nothing to do with this!" Zapp said. "What?!" the alicorn said, dodging an incoming lamppost. "Are you sure?" Mare-velous grunted as she landed on a balcony near where the two other heroes were hovering. "Unless Ole Bessie's lost her touch, he was tellin' the truth." "Then…what caused all this?" "I don't know," Mare-velous said as her rope began twirling into a larger loop, "but until we figure it out, we gotta get Fluttershy under wraps." She mentally shot the lasso at Fluttershy, who wailed as the rope tightened around her hooves. Losing her balance, she tipped over and landed on the street with a thud. "Woo hoo!" Pinkamena cheered from the sidelines. "Go Power Ponies!" Zapp turned to look at the pink pony. "Hey," she said, pointing her hoof at her, "I like that!" She turned back to the other heroes. "That can be our team name!" "Does have a nice," the Matter-Horn said, lowering to the ground, "alliterative ring to it." "Naw-uh!" Mare-velous said, leaping down to her side. "We agreed we were gonna do this one job, and that was it! We're not formin' some…superhero conglomo or whatever ya call it! Besides, it's a stupid name." "So," Zapp said, glancing at the struggling giant, "what are we gonna do about Fluttershy?" "I, um," the Matter-Horn said, biting her lip, "know some pony who can run some tests to see what might have triggered the transformation and, maybe, find a cure. If we can just get her over to Sparkle Labs, we could…" But she trailed off when she saw that Fluttershy was growing once again. The rope pulled tighter on her legs, but Fluttershy just kept getting bigger. "Oh boy," Mare-velous said. "If she doesn't stop that, the rope's gonna cut right through her…" Whatever she was going to say, it didn't happen, for Fluttershy's growing legs were too much for the rope to handle. She broke through her bounds with a loud snap! Mare-velous' jaw dropped in horror. At that moment, a truck with a radiation symbol painted on its side was coming down the street. Fluttershy stopped it with her hooves. The driver jumped out just in time before Fluttershy threw it over her shoulder. The truck crashed into the building next to the coffee shop and green liquid burst out. None of the toxic waste hit any pony, but a single drop landed in Pinkamena's coffee, unbeknownst to her. As Fluttershy stomped down the street, Mare-velous rushed to the remnants of her rope. "Bessie," she breathed, falling to her knees. "She…she snapped Ole Bessie! No pony's ever manage to break her like that!" "Look," the Matter-Horn said, pointing. Despite being broken, the rope was still glowing. Its pieces were slithering towards each other. "I don't think you have anything to worry about," the Matter-Horn said, giving Mare-velous an assuring pat on the back. "Looks like Ole Bessie's gonna fix herself." The earth mare let out a sigh of relief as the pieces reconnected and magically stitched the tear between them. "Really had me worried there, partner," Mare-velous whispered as she cradled the rope in her hooves. "Whatever's doing this to Fluttershy," the Matter-Horn said, looking to where the monster had gone, "it must be some powerful magic to break through Demeter's Lasso. And it seems every attack we throw at her just makes her bigger and bigger." "I thought she looked bigger." "So wait," Zapp said. "If we can't attack her, and we can't hold her with something as powerful as Demeter's Lasso, a gift from a god, how are we supposed to stop her from destroying the city?" "Obviously," the Matter-Horn replied, "we can't contain her while she is in this state. If we only knew what caused her transformation, we could…" She was cut off as a pink and blue blur whizzed above her and her associates. "Avast, ye scurvy scum!" a mare's voice hollered. Zapp blinked as the blur disappeared around a street corner. "Err…did you girls just see a masked unicorn whiz by on a pink flying carpet?" "I saw it," Mare-velous said, "but I don't believe it." "She went in the same direction as Fluttershy," the Matter-Horn said, flapping her wings. "We'd better see what this is about." As the heroes chased after the monster, Pinkamena sighed in sadness. "Being a superhero and fighting bad guys sure must be fun," she said, raising her drink to her lips, failing to notice that it was now glowing green. "Wish I had superpowers. That would make my life loads more fun." With a long chug, she emptied the contents of the cup. "Hmm," she said, smacking her lips. "That tasted a bit…odd." Her stomach started to grumble. She put her hoof to it with a groan. "Ohhhhh. I don't feel so good." A sudden shudder ran up her spine, making her drop the empty cup as she stiffened. Her hooves started shaking, followed by her legs, then her tail. Soon, her whole body was shaking uncontrollably, making her mane and tail bounce into curls. When she tried speaking, her voice was jittery from the vibration. "W-W-Whaaaat's g-g-goooooiiiiing ooooooonnnnn?" Inside the coffee shop, the barista saw the pink mare shuddering and assumed she was having a fit or something. Opening the door, she called out to her. "Hey, ma'am? Are you o—?" She never got her answer, for the pink mare suddenly zipped off in the form of a long, pink streak. By the time the heroes got to Fluttershy, she was chewing on a fire hydrant, leaving a spout of water in the sidewalk. Rarity was hovering above her on her flying carpet. "Your city-destroying days are over, ruffian!" she said, pointing her glowing bracelet at the creature. "This is for Coco!" A giant pink mallet appeared above Fluttershy's head. Zapp gasped. "Wait!" she shouted, soaring towards Rarity. As soon as the mallet was formed, the flying carpet vanished from beneath Rarity's hooves. Looking down, she said, "Oh dear." She screamed as she fell. Zapp swooped down and caught her in her hooves. Meanwhile, the giant mallet poofed out of existence. "You can't just whack my friend like that!" Zapp yelled as she placed Rarity on the ground. "Just who do you think you are?" Stammering, Rarity tried to come up with an alias. "I'm Ra…Ra…Radiance! Yes, Radiance! Wielder of the…the…" She held up her bracelets. "Pièces de Diamants!" The pegasus blinked. "The who and the what now?" Radiance rolled her eyes. "I don't expect you to understand, you…" She looked her over. "What in the world have you done to that suit?" Zapp looked down to see that the suit she had worn at the museum was now all tattered and charred from the lightning. "Ugh!" Radiance gagged and plugged her nose. "It smells like an overcooked omelet! And whatever happened to your mane, darling? You look as if you've been struck by lightning!" "As a matter of fact…" "Zapp," Mistress Mare-velous said, running up to them. "Who's this mare and why is she so nitpicky?" "Well!" Radiance said with a huff. "I never!" The earth mare pushed Zapp aside and confronted the unicorn. "What do ya think you're doin'? Ya can't just swoop in like some hero and start swingin' magical hammers at monsters all willy-nilly!" "Why not? It's a free country." Radiance glanced at Zapp. "Besides, you seem to be accepting plenty of help from civilians today." "One, I did not ask her to come along. Two, ya can't go hurtin' that giant pony!" Radiance narrowed her eyes. "That monster hurt my friend! She's in the hospital now!" "She didn't mean to!" Zapp insisted. "What are you talking about?" "She's under some spell!" "And brute force isn't going to help," the Matter-Horn said, landing next to the unicorn. "What we need is a strategic…" She was cut off as something pink zoomed past all of them. Radiance shrieked as her mane was blown to the side. "Now what?" Mare-velous said. Suddenly, a pink mare dressed in a pink hoodie, sweatpants and ski mask appeared at the hoof of Fluttershy. "Hey, ugly!" Pinkamena called up. Fluttershy turned at the insult. Pinkamena bounced up and down excitedly. "Betcha can't catch me!" Roaring, Fluttershy brought her hoof down on the pony, but she zipped out of the way before she could be squashed. Confused, the creature looked around. Pinkamena was now behind her, tapping on her flank. "Over here!" Fluttershy tried smashing her again, but Pinkamena was too fast. "Missed me!" The heroes watched as Fluttershy swatted all around, failing to catch the pink pony. "What is this?!" Mare-velous shouted. "Give-Every-Pony-Superpowers-Day?!" "Oh," Radiance said, scrunching her nose in disgust. "With speed like that, you'd think she would've taken the time to dress more elegantly! Pink sweats? This is a battle, not a gymnasium!" "Can we ignore the clothes and focus on the fact that Speedy over there's making things worse?" Zapp said. Sure enough, the more annoyed Fluttershy became with Pinkamena, the larger she grew. "We gotta stop her!" Mare-velous said. "Speedy or the monster?" Radiance asked. "Both!" "I have an idea," the Matter-Horn said. "Radiance, your bracelets. What exactly can they do?" "Well," Radiance said, glancing at her jewelry. "To put it simply, I think of something, anything, and it'll appear." The alicorn stepped toward her. "Do you think you could put up a shield? A bubble? You know, something around the monster to keep her from going anywhere?" Radiance looked at the size of Fluttershy and gulped. "Well, I've…never tried anything that massive, but…" Closing her eyes in concentration, she pointed her bracelets at Fluttershy. In a few seconds, a pink bubble formed around the monster. Once Pinkamena saw what was happening, she dashed out of there just in time. Fluttershy roared as she pounded on the dome, making Radiance clutch her head as a migraine began. "I don't know…" She flinched as Fluttershy banged on the bubble again. "How long I can…keep this up." "Looks like it'll hold her for now," the Matter-Horn said. "That'll give us time to come up with a plan." "Oh, goodie!" Pinkamena said, zipping up to them. "What's the plan? What's the plan?" Mare-velous put her hooves on her hips. "Now who in the hay are you?" "Whoops! So sorry. How rude of me." Her voice was rapid and high-pitched, as if someone had pressed fast-forward on it. "Hi! Name's Fili-Second! Get it? It's a play on the words "filly" and "millisecond!" You know cuz I'm a filly and I'm fast! Okay, I just got these powers about an hour ago although I guess it would only be like a few seconds for you but ya see I'm so fast it feels like forever since I got my powers. You wouldn't believe it but this toxic waste spilled into my coffee and I didn't see it and it gave me so much energy that I started shaking and shaking and next thing I knew I was in Yakyakistan even though that's all the way on the other side of the continent and miles and miles away from here. So I started running around and around and I realized I'd gotten super speed and since I saw you gals needed help with the monster here I thought why not be a superhero too cuz that would be tons of fun so I picked up these sweats from the mall and phew!" She panted as she lifted the front of the ski mask above her forehead. "Is this thing ever sweaty? I don't know how you all can stand to wear these all the time!" Mare-velous face-hoofed herself. "Two minutes into the superhero biz and she couldn't even keep her mask on." "Oh, darling," Radiance said, shaking her head at Fili-Second's outfit. "Remind me to find you and Miss Burnt Omelet over there some proper ensembles after all this. In fact," she said, tapping her chin as inspiration occurred to her, "I know just the things." "Ugh!" Mare-velous threw her head back in a groan. "Cut it with the clothes! Listen," she said, advancing on Radiance and Fili-Second, "I've just about had it with you rookies. We've got a situation here, and we don't need ya screwin' things up with your fashion tips and clownin' around!" "Mare-velous, please," the Matter-Horn said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "We've already proven that our individual powers are no match for Fluttershy. If we're going to help her, we need to stop fighting and work together." "Help her?" Radiance asked. "But she's a monster!" "That monster," Zapp said as sparks crackled through her mane in anger, "is our friend." "And if we're going to get your friend back to normal," the Matter-Horn said, "we need to figure out what made her like this in the first place." She turned to the others. "Any ideas?" "No," Mare-velous said, rubbing her chin in thought. "But I think I know who might. Fluttershy's been seein' a shrink for months, said it was for 'anger management' or somethin'. I didn't think much of it, but maybe…maybe whatever those sessions were for had to do with…this." "Do you know where this, err, shrink is?" She nodded. "Good." The alicorn addressed the heroes. "Mare-velous, Zapp, you go to this doctor and see if she knows anything. Radiance, how long do you think you can keep that shield up for?" Radiance winced as Fluttershy pounded on the dome again. "Not very long." "What about me? What about me?" Fili-Second asked, jumping up and down. "Once that dome breaks," Matter-Horn replied, "you can help me and Radiance try to slow Fluttershy down and keep her from causing any further damage." "Actually," Radiance said, "if you don't mind, there's something I'd like our speedy friend here to do first." She whispered in the pink pony's ear. Grinning widely, Fili-Second saluted. "You got it! Be back in a jiff!" She zoomed off. "Where'd ya send her?" Zapp asked. Radiance smirked. "You'll see." Tree Hugger did not budge from her meditative position when Zapp crashed through her office window. She did, however, open her eyes as the air from Zapp's wing flap caused her herbal candles to blow out. "Was the door locked?" Tree Hugger asked. "Don't play innocent with me!" Zapp said, grabbing the front of the therapist's dress. "What'd ya do to Fluttershy?" Tree Hugger's eyelids drooped lazily. "I'm sensing some negative vibes within your aura. Perhaps you should consider cleansing it with some sonic bliss." Blinking, Zapp drew back in confusion. "Um…what?" "Put her down!" Mare-velous said as she swung in. "We don't go roughin' up civilians like that!" Sighing, Zapp let Tree Hugger go. "Fine, fine." "Sorry for the intrusion, ma'am," Mare-velous said, walking up to the therapist. "But ya see, we need information on a patient of yours. Fluttershy Buttercream?" "Ah, yes," Tree Hugger said, smiling. "Sweet young mare. Very in tune with the universe." Mare-velous cleared her throat. "Yes, well, we need ya to tell us exactly what Fluttershy was seein' ya for." "I'm afraid I cannot divulge that information." The therapist closed her eyes and eased back into her cross-legged position. "Trust between a patient and a therapist is as sacred as the pollen carried by a honeybee." "Huh?" Zapp said, cocking her head. "She's talking about patient-doctor confidentiality!" The heroes jumped upon hearing Fili-Second's voice and found that she was directly behind them. She had changed into a white jumpsuit with purple stripes. Another jumpsuit, this one dark blue and white, was draped over her back. "Sorry I took so long to get here but I didn't know which office you were going to so I just looked around and around the block until I found you here! Anyway Radiance told me where I could find this cool costume and she had one for you too, Zappy!" She tossed the pegasus the dark blue suit. Zapp held it up to her chest as she examined it. "Hey," she said, smoothing it out against her body. "This is actually kinda nice." While she started changing out of her formal attire, Mare-velous turned back to Tree Hugger. "I understand ya've got a fancy certificate and everything, and yerr patients put their trust in ya, but Fluttershy, she's…well, she's become a…" "A giant bulky monster raging all over town!" Fili-Second said rapidly. Tree Hugger's eyes opened. "So ya see," Mare-velous continued, "if ya know anything about this, and how to turn her back to normal, ya've gotta tell us or else this whole city will be destroyed!" Taking a deep breath, the therapist placed her hooves together. "Her aura is unbalanced. The negative energy within her has overpowered all senses of decency and compassion, manifesting into a physical being of destruction." By this time, Zapp had changed into her new uniform, and she and Mare-velous were staring confusingly at each other. "Any idea what she's sayin'?" the latter asked. "Beats me," Zapp said with a shrug. "Maybe you should use the rope on her." "I'm not usin' Ole Bessie on a civilian." She mumbled under her breath. "Last time I tried that, I nearly got sued." Fili-Second huffed. "Duh! It's obvious she said that Fluttershy turned into a monster because she was angry!" The other two heroes stared at her. "How'd ya know that?" Zapp asked. Fili-Second shrugged. "I speak hippie." "Angry?" Mare-velous said, looking down in thought. "Fluttershy did say the therapy was for anger management of some sort." "But that's ridiculous!" Zapp said. "I've known Fluttershy all my life, and not once has she ever…gotten…" The two of them looked at each other in realization. "Land's sake," Mare-velous said, putting her hoof to her head. "No wonder she never…I mean when her brother came to visit a few weeks ago…" "Zephyr Breeze?" Zapp said, rolling her eyes. "Yeah. I can guess what happened." "He was actin' like he owned the place, sleepin' in Fluttershy's bed without askin' and…her hooves started shakin' and I was so sure she'd get upset and…" She lowered her hoof. "…she ran right outta the room." "She didn't act like that at flight camp. Until…well, she's always been shy, but one day she just became…distant. Like she stopped coming over to hang out and wouldn't let me come to her house. Eventually, she dropped out of the camp. I thought she was just embarrassed that she couldn't fly yet, but…you don't think it was because…?" "Dr. Tree Hugger," Mare-velous said, turning to the therapist. "How can we stop this?" Tree Hugger inhaled deeply as she raised her hooves and then slowly exhaled as she lowered them. "Negative energy cannot be replenished by negative energy. Only through multiplication can that be made positive." The two heroes turned to Fili-Second, who slicked back the lock of her mane sticking out from under her hood. "Better let me handle this." She sat down on the cushion across from the therapist, emulating her cross-legged position. "Oh great and wise Hugger of Trees," Fili-Second said in the best "spiritual-like" voice she could muster, "do you mean to say that negative energy inflicted by external agents will only pollute her aura even further?" Tree Hugger nodded. "Only through positive energy can her aura be cleansed, and the duality of her spirit, returned to its former balance." "Hmm," Fili-Second said, leaning forward. "And how did the duality of her spirit come out of balance in the first place?" The therapist shook her head. "The secrets of sweet Fluttershy's disharmonious state can only be revealed through the trust of those who will accept it for its darkness and light, as she must." The pink mare turned to the others. "She won't tell us how Fluttershy came to be like this, but if we keep fighting her, that's only gonna get her madder and she's gonna get bigger and stronger. To get her back to normal, we gotta get her to calm down and get less angry." "That's it?" Zapp asked. "Uh-huh," Fili-Second said, standing up. "She also told me her recipe for cinnamon buns!" "That's all we gotta do?" Mare-velous said. "Calm her down?" Tree Hugger nodded in confirmation. "How we gonna do that?" Zapp asked. Mare-velous tapped her chin. "I suppose we use things that make Fluttershy happy." "The only things I know that really make Fluttershy happy and calm are…" "Animals and plants!" they said together. After looking at each other for a moment, the two of them smiled. "You thinkin' what I am?" Mare-velous asked. "Yeah!" Zapp then suddenly frowned. "At least I hope so." "Fili-Second." The pink mare zoomed up in attendance. "Get back to the Matter-Horn and Radiance. Tell them to lead Fluttershy to Maretropolis Park. Zapp and I will take care of the rest." "Aye-aye, Mistress!" Fili-Second said, saluting before zipping off. Zapp looked at Mare-velous in disbelief. "You mean…you want us to work together?" The earth mare set her hoof on Zapp's shoulder. "Fluttershy's as much your friend as she is mine. Why should I make ya feel bad for wantin' to help her?" She turned toward the window and readied her lasso. "That doesn't mean we're partners or anything. I still work alone." Zapp smirked. "Sure thing, Boss." Meanwhile, the enlarged Fluttershy was still fighting against the walls of her force field prison, making it more and more difficult for Radiance to hold. "That thing's getting bigger by the minute!" "Here," the Matter-Horn said, igniting the horn and forming a layer of ice around the bubble. "That should make it stronger." "Oh," Radiance said, clutching her head. "All that's doing is giving me a brain freeze." She turned to the alicorn. "Once we figure out how to shrink this monster down to size, what are we going to do with it?" The Matter-Horn shrugged. "Take her home, I suppose." The unicorn scowled. "You mean to tell me we're just going to let it get away with all the damage it's done?!" "Just because she's done bad things doesn't mean she's bad herself. I don't believe she's even aware of what she is doing." "That shouldn't be any excuse!" "Look," the Matter-Horn said, laying a hoof on Radiance's shoulder, "I'm sorry your friend was hurt, but even if this creature did hurt her on purpose, taking revenge will not make you any better, and it certainly won't make your friend any better." Radiance looked at Fluttershy as she roared within her bubble. Before she could respond to the Matter-Horn's advice, Fili-Second skidded in front of her. "Okay!" she said. "To stop Fluttershy from growing we've gotta calm her down and not get her mad. Mistress Mare-velous and Zapp have a plan and they want us to lead Fluttershy to Maretropolis Park where they will—hey!" She knelt down to examine Radiance's glowing pink bracelets. "I know those diamonds!" The unicorn looked at her in surprise. "You do?" "Sure! I dug 'em up myself! You see there was this weird glowing pink asteroid that landed on my family's rock farm. My sisters and I broke it up and I found these bracelets just sitting there right in the middle all glowy-like! If we'd known they were magic, I'm sure Pa wouldn't have had us sell it to some jeweler!" "You mean," Radiance said, gazing in shock at her bracelets, "these came from…space?" She cried out suddenly and fell backwards as her shield broke and with another kick, Fluttershy smashed through the ice barrier. "Whatever Mare-velous and Zapp have planned," the Matter-Horn said as she helped Radiance up, "it better work." "Awesome!" Fili-Second said as she jogged rapidly in place. "Time to get all distract-y!" She zipped up to Fluttershy. "Yoo hoo!" she said, waving her hooves in the air while bouncing up and down. "Hey, you! Giant Monster-shy!" Fluttershy glared down at her. "Yeah I'm talking to you, ya big lug! Ya up for Round Two?" Roaring, Fluttershy brought her hooves down on Fili-Second, who whizzed out of the way just in time. "Whoopsies! Too slow!" Fluttershy growled as she raised her hooves again. "Hey!" the Matter-Horn shouted, flying in front of her face. "Why don't you try some pony more your speed?" "Like a tortoise!" Fili-Second said with a snort. The alicorn shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to do." As the Mater-Horn flew down the street, Fluttershy stopped an oncoming fruit truck and picked it up. Pineapples, oranges and bananas started raining down onto the street. Fili-Second quickly caught them one-by-one. The driver inside was screaming, glancing around in confusion. His screams became louder as he and the truck were tossed towards the Matter-Horn. Gasping, Radiance held out her hoof and a baseball mitt materialized in time to catch the truck. The Matter-Horn saw all this, impressed. She had never realized how much collateral damage happened with her battles, and that it was more useful to have some pony else handle that while she was keeping the monster busy. "Great job!" she yelled to the others as she dodged Fluttershy's swatting hooves. "Keep leading her to the park and protect any civilians from harm!" While lowering the truck to the ground, Radiance stared down at her glowing bracelet in amazement. She had just saved a life, prevented some pony from suffering the same injuries as her friend. And it felt good. Smiling to herself, she said, "This is for you, Coco." At Maretropolis Park, Mare-velous was perched in a tree, squinting in the distance. Zapp flew to her side. "Everything in place?" Mare-velous asked her. The pegasus nodded. "You sure this'll work?" "If it doesn't, go to Plan B." Zapp groaned. "It'll embarrass me for life, but if it'll help Fluttershy…" She jumped when she heard a loud roar. "Speak of the devil," Mare-velous said, smiling when she saw their pony of interest stomping towards the park's gate. The three other heroes surrounded her, the Matter-Horn flapping about, Radiance riding on her makeshift flying carpet and Fili-Second zigzagging at the monster's hooves. Fluttershy was getting even bigger with these nuisances. "Go," Mare-velous said, crouching down. "I'll meet ya at the greenhouse." She sprang from her branch and landed on the ground while Zapp took off. "Remember, Bessie," Mare-velous said, psychically twirling her lasso, "no playin' rough." She shouted upwards. "Oh, Fluttershy! Ya lookin' for somethin'?" Fluttershy gritted her teeth as she stomped towards Mare-velous. "Um, Mistress?" the Matter-Horn called. "If you have a plan, now might be a good time to put it into action!" Mare-velous smirked as she raised her rope up to Fluttershy's eyelevel, making her immediately stop in her tracks. The rope was tied around the middle of a stuffed bunny rabbit. The Matter-Horn blinked. "Okay, not quite what I had in mind." "Ya want the bunny, Fluttershy?" Mare-velous asked. She swung the rabbit back and forth, Fluttershy's eyes following it. She reached for it, only for it to be tugged away. "Come and get it!" Mare-velous yelled as she ran further into the park, the rope holding the bunny floating after her. Fluttershy roared as she bounded into the chase. "I thought we weren'tsupposed to make it angrier!" Radiance called. "Trust me!" Mare-velous shouted. "That's right, Fluttershy. Follow the cute little bunny." Fluttershy chased her to the greenhouse, where the Maretropolis Gardening Club, of which she was a member, grew their most prized plants. Zapp was waiting at the open doors, but she soon saw that they weren't high enough for their giant friend. "She's not gonna fit inside!" Zapp told Mare-velous as she ran past her and into the greenhouse. "She's gotten too big!" Mare-velous panted as she tossed the rope and bunny aside. "We'll have to make a bigger opening somehow." Zapp squealed and flew inside when Fluttershy came up to the entrance. Raising her hooves, she crashed them through the green glass, allowing herself to stomp inside. "Guess that solves it," Zapp said. "Get back!" Mare-velous said, ducking behind a peach tree while psychically untying the rope from the bunny. Zapp flew into a lime tree and watched as Fluttershy slowly approached the bunny on the ground. At this moment, Fili-Second, Radiance and the Matter-Horn had arrived in the greenhouse. "What's it doing?" Radiance asked. "Shhh," the Matter-Horn whispered, holding her hoof out in front of her. Fluttershy poked the rabbit curiously, and for a moment, Zapp was sure the plan would fail. Then with a loud squeak, Fluttershy picked up the bunny and cuddled it to her face. Her eyes were closed as she smiled. To everyone's amazement, she shrank down an inch. "It's workin'!" Mare-velous said. "But it's not enough," the Matter-Horn said. "She's shrinking too slowly." Sighing, Zapp came out of the tree. "Guess we have no choice." She flew up into Fluttershy's view. Fluttershy growled and held her bunny close as if she worried Zapp would try to take it from her. "What's she gonna do?" Fili-Second asked. "Zap her with a lightning bolt? Trap her in a tornado? Make it rain all over her so she'll get pneumonia?" But Zapp did something unexpected. Taking a deep breath, she began to sing in a strained voice: "Hush now, quiet now, It's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, It's time to go to bed." The other heroes watched in confusion, but Mare-velous stepped out and started singing with her. "Drifting off to sleep, The exciting day behind you." She held onto her rope so that it could lift her up to Zapp's side. "Drifting off to sleep, Let the joy of dreamland find you." The signaled the others to join in. Fili-Second, knowing the song herself, was the next to sing. "Hush now, quiet now, It's time to lay your sleepy head." The others also sang as the Matter-Horn flew up to join Zapp and Mare-velous while Radiance summoned her magic carpet. "Hush now, quiet now, It's time to go to bed." Fili-Second had rushed up the peach tree so that she was hanging from its branch. All five of the heroes were now beside each other in a line, singing the lullaby. Fluttershy's eyelids were drooping, and as she became calmer and sleepier, she grew smaller and smaller. Finally, after singing five verses, Fluttershy was back to her old self and was now lying on the ground, sound asleep and clutching the stuffed bunny. The heroes sighed in relief. "Never," Zapp said, pointing to Mare-velous, "make me sing in public again." "We did it!" Fili-Second said, almost falling off the branch from her excitement. "Whoa! Should probably get back on the ground." She was on the ground at Fluttershy's side in a split second. "How did you know that would work?" Radiance asked as she lowered herself down. "It's her favorite lullaby," Zapp said, flapping downwards. "Her parents sang that to her when she was a filly." "And she still sings it to her animals," Mare-velous said, letting go of her rope and dropping to the ground. "If cuddlin' a stuffed bunny while surrounded by plants didn't calm her down, that song was sure to." "So," Radiance said as she stepped up to Fluttershy, "that's the monster that's been causing all this trouble? The one who hurt…?" She trailed off as the Matter-Horn set her hoof on her shoulder. "Wow," Fili-Second said, leaning close to Fluttershy. "She's really cute. Hard to believe she went on a rampage and started destroying stuff." "Oh, Fluttershy," Mare-velous said as she patted Fluttershy's head. "Why didn't ya tell me? What made ya like this?" Zapp turned to the Matter-Horn. "Thank you. Thank you for helping me," she grabbed Mare-velous' foreleg, "for helping us save our friend." "Yeah, um," Mare-velous said, biting her lip. "We, uh…we couldn't've done it without ya." She looked between Radiance and Fili-Second. "Any of y'all." "Aw," Fili-Second said, waving her hoof modestly. "It was nothing." "Nothing?" Zapp said. "If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have figured out what that cuckoo therapist was saying!" "And how you distracted the mons—Fluttershy, with your incredible speed!" Radiance said. "Don't forget how you held her in that shield!" Fili-Second told her. "Well, it was the Matter-Horn who made it stronger with her ice." "But you two kept those civilians safe while I was busy with the monster," the Matter-Horn said to her and Fili-Second. "And Mare-velous, if it hadn't been for your friendship with Fluttershy, we wouldn't have known how to calm her down." "But Zapp was the one who remembered the song," Mare-velous said. "But you knew where to find the shrink," Zapp said. "And the way you interrogated those crooks was awesome!" "Woo hoo!" Fili-Second said, raising her hoof. "Go Power Ponies!" "Power Ponies?" Radiance said. "Nuh-uh," Mare-velous said, "we are not callin' ourselves…" A flash of light interrupted her. The heroes turned to see a mob of reporters and police officers coming into the greenhouse. "The press!" Radiance said as she smoothed out her curls. "Does my mane look alright?" "Oh no," Mare-velous said, throwing her body over Fluttershy's. "We can't let the press see Fluttershy. If any pony knew it was her destroyin' the city, she'll be labeled a monster for life! Or worse, they might try and lock her up!" "Take her home," the Matter-Horn said. "We won't mention her identity to any pony." She turned to the other heroes. "Right?" They all nodded. "Cross my heart and hope to fly," Fili-Second said, crossing her heart with her hoof, "stick a cupcake in my eye!" She finished her vow by poking her hoof in her eye. "Thank y'all," Mare-velous said as she lifted Fluttershy onto her back. "I really do appreciate it." She used her rope to open the skylight and then grabbed hold to allow it to float her and her friend up before the paparazzi could catch sight of Fluttershy's face. The heroes left behind were swamped with questions. "Matter-Horn! What happened to the monster?" "Where did the monster come from?" "How did you defeat it?" "Who are your friends?" "I…" the Matter-Horn started to say. Fili-Second interrupted her. "I'm Fili-Second! I'm the fastest pony alive thanks to some radioactive coffee! She's Radiance! She's got magical glowy bracelets from outer space that can make anything appear out of thin air as long as it's pink and glowy! That's Zapp with two P's! She can harness the power of Zeus with her lightning bolt!" Zapp blinked. "I, um, don't think I ever mentioned…" "What about the monster?" a reporter asked. "The monster has been neutralized," the Matter-Horn said. "Turns out it was just a citizen under the influence of some, uh…" "Curse!" Zapp said. "She was cursed! So, uh…none of that was her fault." "For the consideration of this citizen's privacy, however, we are not at liberty to divulge her identity." The reporters asked further questions. One in particular thrust her microphone up to Radiance's mouth. "Where did you get those fabulous suits?" "Um," Radiance said, looking down at her ensemble. She just realized what she had done. She had used almost her entire jumpsuit line to accommodate herself and the new heroes. Not only might this clue ponies at work to her identity, but it could get her in trouble with Suri. However, it was also a chance for success. For Radiance, and for Rarity. Smiling, she replied, "These suits worn by myself and my colleagues, Fili-Second and Zapp, were designed by a good friend of mine, Rarity Belle of Polomare Fashions." She faced the camera. "If you want your own ensemble custom-made with her brilliance, you can contact her with this number." When Fluttershy finally gained consciousness, she found herself on her living room couch, cuddling a stuffed rabbit. Clutching her head, which was aching, she slowly rose. She didn't remember anything since the factory, and that horrible stallion trying to take advantage of her. "What happened?" "I'm afraid ya had a bit of a…spell." Fluttershy squeaked upon hearing the voice and looked to her left to see Mistress Mare-velous standing before her. "Y-Y-You're…" she stammered. "You're M-Mistress M-Mare-velous! W-What are you doing in my apartment?" Sighing, the hero approached her. "Fluttershy, there's something you must know." "You…you know my name?" "Yes. And there's a lot I need to explain to ya, but first…well, maybe it's best I show ya." She used the remote to switch the television on. A news bulletin was playing about the events of the evening. Fluttershy's eyes widened when she saw her monstrous self onscreen. "Although the identity of this creature has yet to be confirmed," a reporter's voice said, "rumors suggest that it was indeed a citizen under some sort of spell that made her into a monster who got bigger when made angrier. Fortunately, the Masked Matter-Horn, along with Mistress Mare-velous and a host of new heroes, who refer to themselves as the Power Ponies, were able to stop this…" "Ya kiddin' me?" Mare-velous said as she switched the television off. "I told 'em I didn't want that corny name!" "It happened again." The hero turned back to her friend. Fluttershy had the stuffed animal pressed against her chest as she rocked back and forth. "No, no, no, no, no," she murmured. "I was…I was doing so well. I shouldn't've gotten mad…" "Hey, hey," Mare-velous said, sitting beside her. "It's okay. No charges have been pressed against ya. No pony even knows it was you." Fluttershy looked at her sincerely. "Was any pony…hurt?" The hero bit her lip. "Well, uh…" "Oh my gosh!" She buried her face in her knees. "I'm a murderer!" "No, no, no! No one was killed! I mean…some ponies were injured, but nothin' fatal! Look, we managed to calm ya down before ya did any real damage and I brought ya back here before any of the press could see ya." She laid her hoof on her friend's back. "Everything's gonna be alright." Fluttershy raised her head slowly. "There's…one thing I don't understand. How…how did you know where I lived?" Mare-velous looked around to make sure no one was watching or listening. Then she turned back to her friend. "You're not the only one with secrets, Fluttershy." Taking a deep breath, she pulled off her mask. Fluttershy let out a gasp when she saw the face of her roommate. "Y-Y-You?!" she exclaimed. "You're Mistress Mare-velous?!" Applejack nodded. "I would've told ya sooner. I hated lyin' to ya, but I thought if ya knew the truth, it would put ya in danger." "H-How? Why?" "Tell ya what. I'll tell ya my origin story," she said, gently taking Fluttershy's hooves, "if you tell me how ya got this…curse or whatever it is that made ya that…well, crazy." Hanging her head, Fluttershy responded with a nod. "Follow me," Applejack said, standing up. She led Fluttershy to her room and to the closet. What lay on the inside made Fluttershy's eyes widen. "These," Applejack said, pointing to the newspaper clipping of her parents' murder, "are my parents." She pulled out her rope for Fluttershy to see. "Almost two thousand years ago, the gods of Grace decided to retire. To make sure the ponies were still protected, the twelve gods of Olympus each granted a symbol of their power to a mortal champion. That's where Zeus' Lightning Bolt came from. This lasso belonged to Demeter, and was given to my great-great-great—well, lots of greats—granny. It's been passed down from generation to generation. My pa got it from my grandpappy when he died." Applejack paused as she stared at the photo of her parents. "Pa went into the crime-fightin' business first. 'The Masked Ranger,' they called 'im. Usin' Demeter's Lasso, he rounded up all the rustlers and varmints who brought terror to Appleloosa. Then he met my ma, Kitty Coltson, fastest sharpshooter in the West." She smirked. "Pa said he always liked them strong gals." She frowned. "I was twelve when…when he came along." "He?" Fluttershy asked. "Longhorn," Applejack said, glaring at the bull's wanted poster. "That no-good head of the Cattle Rustler gang. He'd rob all the station wagons and drive ponies off their land so he could claim it for himself. Ma and Pa wouldn't stand it. When he saw that Pa had the Lasso of Demeter…well, he wanted it for himself. "So he challenged 'em to a duel, at high noon, right in the middle of town. It was supposed to be just a one-on-one tween him and Ma. Twenty paces and shoot. That's all. But Longhorn…he didn't play fair. Didn't even bother to draw his gun. Just…charged at Ma with his horns and…" She sniffed as she wiped her nose. "Ma didn't see 'im comin'. Pa tried to stop him with the rope. He…he pulled on the crook's horns but…" She clenched her hoof into a fist. "That just brought his horn right into his…" She buried her face in her hooves, unable to continue. Fluttershy patted her on the back. "I…" Applejack said, her voice staggering. "I ran out to Pa. Longhorn…he made his way to me and…Ma, she…she pushed me outta the way, and…" She held the rope to her chest. "Longhorn thought that…by killin' Pa he'd…he'd have control over Ole Bessie, but…but he wasn't worthy. I…I wanted to strangle him for what he did and the rope…it obeyed me. I…I would've finished him off if the sheriff hadn't told me to stop. The minute the rope let go, Longhorn escaped and…I've been lookin' for him ever since." Fluttershy looked around at all the newspaper clippings. "And that's what made you become Mistress Mare-velous." Applejack nodded. "I heard tell that he'd been spotted in Maretropolis. That's why I moved here. But…I still have yet to find 'im." She looked to Fluttershy. "So ya see, I have my demons too. Whatever turned you into…" "A monster?" "I didn't say…" "But you were thinking it," Fluttershy said, looking down at her hooves. "I wouldn't blame you." Applejack gulped. "So…what was it? A curse from some mad wizard? Some freak science experiment gone wrong? Were ya born this way?" "Honestly…I'm not sure why or how it happened," Fluttershy said, walking out of the closet. "But I know where it happened." She sat on the edge of Applejack's bed. "It happened while I was at flight camp. Rainbow Dash was in this race against some bullies who were mean to me. They…they flew by me so fast that I was knocked off the cloud I was standing on. I couldn't fly very well yet, so…I just kept falling and falling…oh, but I was alright! A swarm of butterflies caught me before I hit the ground. That was how I learned I had a talent for understanding animals." Applejack sat down beside her. "You've told me this story before. What does this have to do with…?" Fluttershy hung her head. "I…I didn't tell you the part where it was a while before any pony found me. It…it started raining. Really hard. The animals of the forest helped me find shelter in a cave. It was so old, so dark, it looked like no pony had been in there for years. At the very end of the tunnel I found the most peculiar thing. A statue. It was of an animal I'd never seen before, and it had a red jeweled pendant around its neck. "The other animals seemed afraid of it, but the strange thing about it was that even though it was made of stone, it was actually quite warm. The night was cold, so I slept at the statue's feet. It was so strange, because one foot was that of a dragon, and the other was, well, not a foot, but a hoof. All through the night, I stayed there, and, because I felt so scared and alone, I…I found comfort in talking to the statue. I told it about what had happened that day, about the bullies, and then…" She wrapped her hooves around herself as she started shivering. "The…the pendant around the statue's neck started glowing. I…I know I shouldn't've touched it, but it felt warm and I was curious and…" She winced. "When I touched it, it…blasted me across the cave and I felt…different. I didn't know why until after I was found by forest rangers and brought home. Since then, every time I've gotten angry, I…I changed and did…horrible things, things I had no memory of." Tears began rolling down her face. "No pony knew except for my family, and a few doctors. One doctor suggested I be…put away somewhere, but my parents wouldn't allow it. Instead, they pulled me out of flight camp and had me homeschooled. I had to take my college courses online to avoid classrooms. I…I couldn't risk ponies seeing what…what I was. But now…" She covered her face with her hooves as she sobbed. "Hey, hey," Applejack said, wrapping her hooves around her. "It's okay." Fluttershy slowly lowered her hooves to look at her. "Do…do you think I'm a monster now?" "Of course not. You're the sweetest pony I know, and what happened today wasn't your fault. Whatever happened to that statue, by the way?" "Oh," Fluttershy said, laying her head on her friend's shoulder. "The rangers reported the statue to some archaeologists. Apparently, it was a statue of Discord." Applejack pulled away slightly. "Discord? As in the God of Chaos, Discord?" "Uh-huh." "Wasn't he the one that was…?" "Turned to stone? Yes. In fact, some of the archaeologists believed the statue I found was not just a statue, but the God of Chaos himself in his stone state, and that the pendant was his Amulet of Chaos." "But…this was at yerr flight camp? How the heck did a statue of a Gracian god end up on this side of the globe?" Fluttershy shook her head. "I don't know. None of the archaeologists were sure, but the statue and its amulet were brought to the Maretropolis Museum. It's still there now." She hugged her knees. "Sometimes I…I go there to…to talk to him, to tell him things I can never tell any pony, to…to ask him why he…he put this curse on me." Applejack pulled her closer. "Whatever happened, ya shouldn't look at it as a curse. I mean…every pony has a little dark side to 'em. At least now that I know, I can help ya keep this under control. And hey," she said, turning her head to face her, "ya don't have to worry about accidentally hurtin' a superhero." That made Fluttershy giggle slightly. "Let's make a promise," Applejack said, "not to keep any more secrets. From now on, we'll be perfectly honest with each other. Agreed?" "Agreed." She returned her friend's embrace. "I'm so glad to have a friend like you." The next morning, the Maretropolis Museum was closed due to repairs. The curator Mr. Fetlock was directing the cleaning and construction crews in the Ancient Grace exhibit. Daring Do and Rainbow Dash were walking through the rubble. "So," Daring said, "the papers say you and those capes did a pretty good job last night, capturing Ahuizotl and Caballeron and battling a monster." "I have no idea what you're talking about," Rainbow said, innocently pushing her glasses up her muzzle. Her boss laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell any pony it was you. The question is," she turned to her, "what are ya gonna do now?" Rainbow faced her. "What do ya mean?" Daring sighed. "When you held that bolt in your hoof, Dash, I could tell. You loved it. And now you have this new crew to roll with. Last night's events must make our adventures look…dull." Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, but then slowly realized her boss was right. "It's…it's not that I haven't enjoyed our adventures. It's just…" "I know," Daring said, placing a hoof on her assistant's shoulder. "You've found the hero's calling." "It's more than just wanting to be a hero. See…last night, one of my best friends was in danger and…I thought I was gonna lose her forever. It wasn't so much about having the power, it was about doing whatever it took to make my friend safe." "And that's the mark of a true hero, which shows that you've learned all you can from me." She looked around the room. "You know, if you're looking for a cover, I hear this museum has an opening. Your background in archaeology and having Daring Do as a reference will guarantee you a position." Daring winked at her. "You…sure you won't need me?" Rainbow asked. "It's not that I won't need you," she replied. "It's the fact that you no longer need me. Not to say I won't be in contact from time to time. But you," she gave Rainbow's shoulder an affectionate squeeze, "you're your own boss now." "You…wanted to see me, Miss Polomare?" Rarity asked as she nervously entered the office of her boss. Suri was at her desk, glaring at the unicorn. "What," she said, holding up a newspaper, "is this?!" The front page showed the heroes from last night, Radiance included. Rarity bit her lip. Had Suri found out about her masquerade? "Just what," Suri said, standing up, "were these ponies doing wearing exclusive property of Polomare Fashions?!" Rarity released a breath of relief but then her panic returned once she realized the real trouble she was in. "Well, um…this, err, masked unicorn came to my apartment having heard of my work and asked for a suit and…" "You released my jumpsuits to the public without my permission?!" She twiddled her hooves. "W-With all due respect, Miss Polomare, I was the one who designed…" "And once you presented them to me," Suri said, stomping towards her, "they became my property!" "I…I just thought that…" "And where's Coco?! I need my morning coffee!" Rarity hung her head. "C-Coco is in the hospital. She broke her leg and some ribs but the doctors say she'll recover…" "I don't wanna hear your excuses!" Suri poked her in the chest. "This is a breach in the contract you signed when you were given this job! Rarity Belle, you're f—" "Fabulous!" a voice said. Rarity turned around and Suri gasped when they saw who was standing in the doorway. "M-Miss Tangler!" Suri said, quickly smoothing out her mane. "H-Here? W-What are you…?" "I saw the news last night," Dee Tangler said, looking down at Rarity, "and heard that the suits worn by the new heroes were designed by your prodigy here!" Suri blinked. "P-P-Prodigy?" "Yes!" Dee crouched down to the unicorn. "Rarity, my dear, those suits you made were absolutely fabulous! I can tell I made a good investment in buying you those diamonds." "Oh, rest assured," Rarity said, pulling the sleeves of her coat over her bracelets, "they've been put to good use." "You…" Suri said, looking at Rarity in astonishment. "You know Dee Tangler?" "We met yesterday," Dee explained. "And I would like Miss Rarity to design a suit exclusively for me! In fact, I'd like her to design all my outfits from now on!" "D-D-Dee," Rarity said, placing her hoof over her heart. "It would be an honor!" "Lunch at my place. One o'clock. We'll talk business then." When the businessmare left, Rarity sent her boss a coy look. "Well, would you look at that?" she said, innocently circling her hoof on the floor. "One of the wealthiest businessponies in all of Maretropolis is interested in my designs. She might tell all her friends about them. Oh my, that certainly would bring in a lot of potential business for this company." She casually looked at her hooficure. "It's a shame I won't be working here anymore." "What?" Suri said. "No, no! I mean…" Laughing, she rubbed the back of her neck. "Perhaps I was a…little hasty." "Then again, after that horrid display," Rarity said as she turned towards the door, "I'm not sure I'll want to be working here anyway." "Wait! I'll give you a raise! A promotion even! Vice-President of Mare's Fashions! You'll get your own office, a vending machine, anything!" Rarity turned back to her boss. "Coco gets to be my assistant. She also gets paid medical leave until her bones heal completely." "Done!" Suri said, dropping to her knees. "Just please, please, please don't quit!" Rarity smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it, Miss Polomare." Three months later, Applejack and Fluttershy stood outside a tall yellow building. As they gazed up at it, they noticed two large orange P's were built into the top. "You sure this is the place?" Fluttershy asked. Applejack looked down at the folded piece of paper in her hoof. "This is the right address. Funny, a few months ago, this buildin' was set to be torn down." "Guess they decided to renovate it instead. What does PP stand for?" "Better not be a toilet company." They went up to the entrance, but before Applejack could touch the double doors, a panel opened up in the wall, revealing a circular scanner. A computerized voice said, "Retinal scan requested." Applejack looked back at the letter. "Didn't say anythin' about this." Fluttershy leaned forward and allowed the machine to scan her eye. Shrugging, Applejack did the same. "Retinal scan confirmed," the computerized voice said. "Hoof scan requested." Another panel opened with a hoof-shaped scanner. Sighing, Applejack placed her hoof on it, followed by Fluttershy. "Hoofprints confirmed. Saliva scan requested." "A what-now scan?" Applejack asked. A third panel opened and a mechanical arm came out holding a glass. "Ya've gotta be kiddin'," Applejack said, throwing her head back with a groan. "Whatever this is all about, it better be worth it." Snorting loudly, she spit hard into the glass. The mechanical arm went back in and shortly came out with another glass for Fluttershy. She too spit into the glass, only more daintily with a soft pfft. "Saliva confirmed. Welcome, Applejack Smith and Fluttershy Buttercream." As the doors slid open, Fluttershy turned to her friend and said, "I'm scared." Applejack took her hoof. "It'll be alright." She pointed to her hat. "If anything happens, Ole Bessie'll help." They walked into a lobby which lacked any furniture except for a magenta carpet. A golden elevator stood at the end. Rainbow Dash was leaning against the blue wall. "Rainbow?" Fluttershy said, yelping when the doors shut suddenly behind them. "What are you doing here?" Rainbow shrugged. "Beats me." "I reckon ya got the same invitation?" Applejack asked, holding up the note. "You mean the one that said 'come to this address, come alone, an opportunity for adventure awaits ya?'" She withdrew an identical piece of paper from her pocket. "Yeah, I got it. Any idea what this is all about?" "We're as clueless as you are." Applejack stepped towards her. "So how have ya been? I hear you've been makin' a name for yourself these past few months." Rainbow looked up at the ceiling. "No idea what you're talking about." "I already know, Dashie," Fluttershy said. She darted her eyes at Applejack. "You told her?!" "I told her about me," Applejack said, "but I didn't have to say a word about you." "I saw you pick up the bolt in the museum," Fluttershy explained. "But I haven't told any pony! Other than AJ, of course." The doors slid open and in stepped Rarity. As she placed her invitation back into her purse, she looked up and saw that she wasn't alone. "Oh," she said. "Hello. Which one of you is the host?" "Heck if we know," Rainbow said, holding up her note. "Well, I have no idea what's going on, but as long as we're here, we might as well get acquainted." She held out her hoof towards Applejack. "I'm Rarity. Rarity Belle." "Applejack Smith," she said, shaking her hoof. "Hey, haven't I seen ya somewhere before?" "Well," Rarity said, flipping her mane, "I am a designer. Maybe you bought some of my gowns." Then she looked over Applejack's trench coat, which was old and worn. "Then again, maybe not. But now that you mention it," she said, squinting at her face, "you look awfully familiar." "Of course!" Applejack said, pointing. "Ya come to my apple stand every now and then!" "Oh, yes! You make the best apple fritters in town!" The doors opened again and a pink mare with a curly pink mane and spectacles over her blue eyes came through. "Hi there!" she said excitedly. "I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie! But these days I go by Pinkie Pie." She started going around the room, shaking every pony's hooves wildly. "What's your name? Where are you from? Any idea what that cryptic message was about? Is this a party? I love parties!" "We don't know!" Rainbow shouted, taking a deep breath. "All we know is that we all got weird, vague invitations telling us to come here. Oh, and my name's Rainbow Dash." "Applejack." "Rarity." Fluttershy stumbled over her name. "F-F-Fluttershy." Rarity turned to her. "Did you say your name was…?" "So why do you think we were all invited?" Pinkie asked. "We must have some connection," Applejack said. "I mean I already know Rainbow and Fluttershy, but I've never formerly met Rarity and…I don't reckon I've ever met ya, Pinkie." "I can't recall having seen any of you before," Rarity said, looking shakily at Fluttershy. "Except…" The elevator doors opened and Spike, carrying a clipboard, stepped out and said, "Everything will be explained soon." Fluttershy squealed in excitement. "A BABY DRAGON! Oh, he's so cute!" Spike blushed. "Well, um, thank you." "Hey," Rainbow said. "Aren't you Twilight Sparkle's assistant or something?" "Twilight Sparkle?" Applejack said. "The billionaire?!" Rarity said with a gasp. "Mmm-hmm," the dragon said with a nod. "And I'm Spiiiiiiii…" He trailed off when he caught sight of Rarity. Pinkie waved a hoof in his face. "Hellooooo!" she said. "Niiiiice to meeeeeeeet yaaaaa Spiiiiii!" "Huh?" Spike shook his head. "Oh, no! My name is Spike. And yes, I work for Twilight Sparkle. She's waiting on the top floor. If you'll follow me to the elevator." "Err, thanks," Pinkie said. "But I'll just take the stairs if you don't mind." The others stared at her. "This building has to be like a bajillion stories high," Rainbow said. "A little exercise never hurt," Pinkie said, jogging in place. She ran to the stairwell while the others gathered into the elevator. Spike tried to reach for the button marked "25," but he was too small. Applejack pressed it for him. "Thanks," Spike said. "Now what would a billionaire want with us?" Applejack asked as the doors closed. "Maybe she would like me to customize an outfit for her!" Rarity said excitedly. "You know, I am already Dee Tangler's personal designer. Perhaps word got around." "She does fund the museum," Rainbow said. "Maybe she'd like to make a donation." "Maybe she'd like to participate in the veterinary clinic's annual fundraiser," Fluttershy said in a quiet voice. "Still doesn't explain all the secrecy," Applejack said. "If this was strictly business, why did she keep the letters anonymous?" "And I can't imagine what she'd want with a simple apple vendor," Rarity said. "No offense." Applejack snorted. "I hope this meetin' or whatever it is doesn't take too long." When the doors opened, Pinkie was there, leaning against a water cooler and drinking from a paper cup. "Hey there, slowpokes!" she said smugly. "What took ya so long?" Rarity blinked. "How did you get up here so…?" "You guys, this place has everything! A pool, a gym, a bowling alley! Each one of us even gets her own floor!" "But how…?" Applejack shook her head. "There's no way ya could've seen the whole buildin' in the span of a few minutes." Spike laughed. "And Twilight said you were the smart one." "What?" she said, looking down at the dragon as he passed her. "Whaddya mean? I've never met…" She trailed off as she got a look at the room. It was large with metallic walls and floors. There was a wide window, but it was currently sealed with metal. A blue couch was indented into the floor, forming a semi-circle around a large screen. Below the screen was a series of buttons and levers. "It's like something out of a sci-fi movie," Rainbow said. "So glad you could all make it," a voice said. Twilight Sparkle, dressed in a blue pantsuit, came in from a door across the room. "It's really you!" Rarity said, squealing. "Twilight Sparkle! Oh, it is such an honor!" Twilight chuckled. "You can take it easy, Rarity." She gasped. "You know my name?" "Please, I know all your names. You think I would've been able to send you those notes if I didn't know your names?" "What's this all about?" Applejack demanded. "And what's with the giant P's outside this building?" Rainbow asked. Spike went to his boss' side and whispered, "They haven't figured it out yet." "Really?" Twilight said, turning to Applejack. "Not even you, Mare-velous?" Applejack stepped back. "W-What's going…?" "Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Pinkie said, raising her hoof and jumping up and down. "I know, I know! Pick me!" Twilight smiled. "Yes, Pinkamena?" "Pinkie. I go by Pinkie now." "Yes, Pinkie?" Pinkie took a deep breath and rapidly said, "You want us to form a superhero team so we can stop bad guys from taking over Maretropolis after we stopped Fluttershy here from destroying the city three months ago where we all met and worked together and made the Power Ponies!" She turned to the others, who had their mouths agape. "I figured it out while I was touring the building." Applejack smacked herself in the forehead. "Of course! I already knew Dash here was Zapp, but it didn't occur to me that the rest of y'all would be superheroes too." "Ugh!" Rainbow said, throwing her head back. "It's so obvious! Pinkie's Fili-Second! How else could she have gotten up the stairs and seen the building so fast!" "I'd already recognized Fluttershy," Rarity said, turning to said pegasus. "You should know that…that Coco is fine. Much better, in fact, now that she's back at work." Fluttershy blinked. "Huh?" "She doesn't remember that night," Applejack said, holding her hoof out in front of her. "But I reckon that means you're Radiance." "And you're Mistress Mare-velous," Rarity said, looking her over. "I must say, your fashion sense is much better when you're fighting crime." Applejack rolled her eyes. "One thing I don't get." She turned to Twilight. "How did you know who we were?" "Oh, Applejack," Twilight said with a smirk. "Do you really think I'd make it that easy?" Applejack stiffened as the pieces started coming together. "No!" "Yes." Rainbow's eyes widened. "Y-You're the Masked Matter-Horn?!" Grinning, Twilight lit her horn and mumbled, "Terra, pennae, cornibus. Terra, pennae, cornibus." After she chanted this several times, large lavender wings appeared on her body, tearing through her pantsuit. "Can't you take your clothes off before doing that spell?" Spike asked with a groan. "I just had that fixed!" Every pony else watched in wonderment. "An incantation I found in an ancient spell book," the Masked Matter-Horn explained. "Took me a while to master. Allows me to make these wings come and go as I please." "I always wondered how you managed to do that," Rainbow said. "But wait," Rarity said. "How did you figure out our secret identities?" "I already knew who you three were," Twilight said, pointing to Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow. "Finding the rest of you out was easy." She turned to Rarity. "Advertising your own designs on TV while under a different persona? Not the best idea." Rarity blushed. "As for Pinkie," Twilight continued, "it helped that she had mentioned working at a family rock farm, and only one rock farm exists within a fifty-mile radius. Not to mention you unmasked yourself in front of us." "Oopsies," Pinkie said, placing her hoof to her mouth in a giggle. "Anyway, what Pinkie said is true. Maretropolis is a big city, and I can't protect it on my own. Not to mention I also have a multibillion-bit company to run. Three months ago, we proved that we all work well together. And I understand Fili-Second and Zapp have been doing some freelance work of their own lately." Pinkie shrugged. "What can I say? Crime-fighting is super-duper fun!" "I would've done more," Rarity said, "but these past few months have been busy with all the new orders coming in. Still, it would be…interesting to try being Radiance again." "But…why am I here?" Fluttershy asked. "I'm not a hero. I…I was the monster you all fought." "That may be," Twilight said, "but if you used your powers for good, found a way to control them, you could be a great asset to our team." "So the PP stands for 'Power Ponies?'" Applejack said, rolling her eyes. "One, that's still a corny name. Two, postin' our name on the side of the building's pretty conspicuous for a superhero hideout." "Yes, but it's also equipped with state-of-the-art security. I've made it so that only the six of us and Spike can come in and out of this building. And, as I'm sure Pinkie has pointed out to you, it consists of several recreational facilities. Each of you even gets a floor that you can design any way you like. And, if there's trouble inside the building or within the city," Twilight said, pointing to a large red light, "that alarm will let us know." She smiled to the five mares. "So, what do you girls say? You up for working together to protect this city?" She held out her hoof and waited for the others to take it. Pinkie was the first to lay hers on top. "I'm totally in!" she piped. Rainbow was next. "You can count on me!" Rarity put her hoof in the middle. "Me too!" Twilight locked eyes with Applejack, who shrugged. "Eh," she said, joining her hoof with the others'. "So long as I get to keep the night shift." Every pony turned to Fluttershy, who looked unsure. "Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. "No," Fluttershy said, shaking her head. Rainbow frowned. "Why not?" "I…" She bit her lip. "I can't. I can't control myself. I'll…I'll just get in the way." "Fluttershy," Applejack said, walking towards her. Fluttershy held up her hoof. "The…the answer's no, Applejack." The mares watched sadly as Fluttershy walked to the elevator with her head down. Once the elevator doors closed, they turned back to each other. "I…I'm sure she'll come around," Applejack said. "It's okay," Twilight said. "There's still the five of us." "Ahem!" Spike coughed. Twilight chuckled as she rubbed the top of his head. "And you too, Spike." "Power Ponies go?" Pinkie asked, putting her hoof back in the middle. Laughing, the mares joined their hooves together and, as they raised them back up, shouted, "Power Ponies go!"