//------------------------------//
// Malicious 
// Story: Power Ponies 3: Perilous 
// by Epicdiscord214 
//------------------------------//

"And you're sure this will work?" Timberwolf asked. "I'm not sure if I like my part."
"Trust me." Masque said. "It's science. I've done the calculations myself."
"That's what worries me." Radiance said.
Suddenly, Masque changed his form into a black-armored Pegasus and disguised his voice. He called out to the guard at the end of the hallway.
"Hey, buddy! Help!" The guard went to the prisoner's door to investigate. "That good-looking wirewolf tricked me into switching places with him. He's as smart as he is handsome. You gotta let me out so we can find him."
The guard looked suspiciously at Timberwolf and Radiance, who were standing at the back of the cell. The guard then looked back at who he knew was an imposter.
"He escaped, but left his friends behind? Do I look like I was born yesterday?"
Masque knew the jig was up and changed back to his wirewolf form. "Well, you certainly have the brains for the age."
The guard felt superior at first, but then he heard what Masque just said. "I beg your pardon?"
"Did I stutter?" Masque asked. "You're so dumb, you tried to put M&M's in alphabetical order!"
"What the..." the guard gasped. "Hey, I happen to be a member of the Negahorn's royal guard!"
"You, a guard?" Masque asked. "Man, the Negahorn must have low standards. What, was there a buy-2-get-1-free sale or something?"
"You can't talk to me like that!" the guard shouted angrily.
"Oh, yeah?" Masque taunted. "What, are you going to punish me with simple math. Sorry, but the only head that'll hurt is your own."
"WHY, I OUGHTA..." the guard shouted grasping the bars of the cell door.
"Now, Terry!" Masque shouted.
The guard looked and saw the other wirewolf pull out an electric wire from his open wrist. He used it to touch a wet chain that was connected to the cell bars. The guard then felt a great shock flowing through him. When it was done, he fainted and fell to the floor and Masque took his cell keys.
"It's absolutely ridiculous that worked." Timberwolf said.
"How did you get the chain wet again?" Radiance asked.
"Don't ask!" Timberwolf said turning his head away.
Masque opened the door and the three of them made it out.
"So where do we go?" Timberwolf asked.
"Well, this place is like the evil equivalent of Power Tower, right?" Masque asked. "Well, Radiance, you can show us the way out."
"Power Tower doesn't have a dungeon." Radiance said. "If this is different, who knows how much different the architecture of this place is?"
"Oh." Masque said looking at the only two ends of the hallway. "Well, in that case..." He then rapidly changed his finger's pointed direction. "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe, catch a Hum Drum by the..."





"ACHOO!" both Hum Drum and Blunder sneezed at once.
"Bless you." the Masked Matterhorn said offering a pair of tissues that the dragons accepted. "Both of you."
"Someone must be talking about one of us," Blunder said, "Which, in this case, is both of us. Now, shall we get to work?"
Surrounding the alicorn and the dragons, the Resistance and the other heroes awaited their talking. Bell Weather stepped up and took the stage.
"Attention, everyone." Bell Weather said. "I have an announcement. Earlier today, I got an anonymous call concerning a secret passageway into Peril Tower."
"A secret passageway?" the Serene Sorceress asked. "Why would anyone make that?"
"I seems to lead from Peril Tower to a pastry shop." Bell Weather said. Everyone turned their attention to Filli-Second.
"Oooooooh." Filli-Second said. "That makes sense."
"How could that make..." a Resistance soldier started to say before Filli-Second interrupted.
"Well, if I was evil, I'd want more sweets as a reward, and if Twilight was evil, she'd say no, so if I was evil--again--I'd build a secret tunnel that leads to a bakery that I was in charge of. It's that simple."
"I... see... I guess." Bell Weather said. "Anyway, if this is going to be another strike against the Peril Ponies, this needs to be done carefully. They still have the Power Ponies' friends. If we get them first, we'll have just as much power as the Peril Ponies."
"Not that much." the Masked Matterhorn said. "The Negahorn seemed to be more powerful than I was."
"How do you know that?" Hum Drum asked. "She didn't use her own magic when you first fought her. She just used that Golden Apple thing."
"Just a feeling, Hum Drum." the Masked Matterhorn answered. "I don't know, but I just... knew."
"Hold on." Blunder said. "Back up. You said the Negahorn didn't use her magic?"
"Nope." Hum Drum said.
"You know," Bell Weather said rubbing her chin, "Now that I think about it... I don't think we've ever seen the Negahorn use her own magic since she ruled Equestria."
"Really?" the Masked Matterhorn asked. "Why?"
"I don't know." Blunder said. "But the only magic I think I've seen her use is the Apple's."
"That shouldn't be good for her." the Negahorn said. "Every magic-user must use their magic at one time or another. Keep it bottled up for too long, and it could have lasting effects on the pony body. She should know this."
"Well, whatever the reason is," Bell Weather said, "This gives us a strategy. If we can somehow take the Golden Apple and use it against her, we may take away her advantage."
"Hold on!" the Shadow Blot protested. "We can't use the Golden Apple. I've seen it first-hand, and trust me, no one should have that kind of power."
"Well, hiding it didn't work, did it?" Bell Weather asked. "Think about it this way: the Masked Matterhorn said that the Negahorn seemed to have stored up her magic for a while, and if we took the Apple and didn't use it, she'd have to use her own magic, and if it'll be as big as Matterhorn said, we wouldn't make it. If you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it. Otherwise, I don't really see another way out."
The Shadow Blot thought hard and tried to look for another angle, but he knew the Pegasus was right. He fell silent and gestured his reluctant agreement.
"All right." Bell Weather said. "Here's the plan. We're going to have to use as much knowledge of the Peril Tower's structure as we can. The dungeons are below the ground floor and the throne room, where the Negahorn can most likely be found, is on the 19th floor. We'll have two teams. Team A will go up to the throne room. The Masked Matterhorn will be with us, and she will keep the Negahorn talking while we sneak up behind her and take her Golden Apple. When she realizes her secret weapon is stolen, we'll use her shock as the time we need to beat her with it."
"Me?" the Masked Matterhorn asked. "What do I say?"
"I don't know. What do Twilight's like to talk about?" Bell Weather said. "I never said it was a perfect plan. Just say whatever you have to say to keep her distracted. Think you can handle that?"
The Masked Matterhorn thought hard about it and nodded.
"Meanwhile, Team B, made up of our less stealthy heroes, will head on down to the dungeon and free as many prisoners as you can, including the Power Ponies' friends. Any enemy of the Peril Ponies is a potential ally of ours. We'll meet up in the throne room and use the Apple to clear the skies as a sign of freedom."
"Hold on, ma'am." a soldier said. "You do realize the tower is crawling with guards and Peril Ponies, right? Not to mention the Malicious Machines?"
"Who?" Gryphon Goodness asked.
"Evil Mighty Machines." Shadow Blot said.
"Which is why we're taking the Sisterhood of Justice with us." Bell Weather replied. "Hair-oine, you're with me leading Team A. Gryphon Goodness, Serene Sorceress, you two are leading Team B."
"Awesome!" the Hair-oine shouted. "Can I get an 'oh, yeah'?"
"No, no." Gryphon Galore returned.
"Close enough." the Hair-oine said.
"Now, wait a minute, Bell Weather." the Serene Sorceress said. "What if something goes wrong with this plan? We'd be sitting ducks at the heart of enemy territory, and my natural magic would be less than useless."
"Which is what these parchments that the Masked Matterhorn gave are for." Bell Weather said passing folded pieces of paper to the Hair-oine and Gryphon Goodness. "These have magic runes that allow you and your team to return to his camp. If things get dicey, simply place your hoof on the circles, and you will be brought back here. All right. Everyone, prepare. We leave an hour before dawn."
When the meeting ended, the ponies left and went to their own tents to pack. The Masked Matterhorn met up with the Shadow Blot.
"Are you sure we shouldn't use the Apple?"
"More sure than anything." Ricky said. "Trust me, I've seen what it's capable of doing and noticed a pattern: every time that Apple's used, disaster follows."
"No way!" Zapp shouted as she pointed at the nearby cages. Inside the cages were a costumed mare with green super-hair and a gryphon wearing a dark costume. The two of them had metal clamps completely covering their mouths. "Is that who I think it is?"
"Oh, them?" the Serene Sorceress asked. "Yeah, the Sisterhood and I found them on the outskirts of town before we rescued you. As soon as we were told there was an identical world, it made sense. We keep them there to make sure they don't cause any trouble."
"They must have been blasted here with us." Zapp said. "But why did you cover their mouths?
"They tried to talk the Hair-oine and I here into doing evil and betraying the Resistance." Gryphon Goodness said. "Thankfully, we gagged them up before they could persuade us. As you know, they are dangerous."
"You know what they say," the Hair-oine said, "'Silent, but deadly'."
Zapp chuckled, but the gryphon wasn't amused. "Really? Let's just get ready."
Zapp was about to return to her tent when she heard a rhythmic tapping noise against metal. She turned and saw Gryphon Galore tapping the bars of her cell in an unusual pattern that caused Zapp to raise an eyebrow.





"I can't believe we're going down this path randomly!" Timberwolf growled.
"You want to lead us out of here?" Masque asked. "Be my guest!"
"Hold on." Radiance said stopping in front of a door. The wirewolves stopped with her and read the label on the door.
"'Zoo'?" Timberwolf asked. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know." Radiance said. "But I get the feeling we'll find something in there."
"Like our deaths!" Timberwolf shouted.
"Come on, Terry." Masque said. "Don't be a 'fraidy-cat and be a proud wolf!"
"I want to be a proud wolf... at home." Timberwolf argued.
Radiance ceased the arguing and opened the door. As the three went inside, they saw rows and rows of stables and pens.
"Okay, this is pretty spooky." Masque admitted. "Hey, Timberwolf, does this remind you of the time when Xai Bau took away our wirewolf forms and left us and the others to our old pony-and-dog forms and locked us in stables like these?"
"It didn't until you brought it up." Timberwolf said. "What, or who, are in these?"
Radiance looked in one and recognized the old, green Earth pony chomping on hay.
"Oh, my goodness!" Radiance gasped. "Boys, it's Granny Smith!"
"Really?" Masque asked. "Oh, she's awesome."
"Hey, Granny Smith." Radiance called out. The old pony didn't respond. "Granny? It's me, Rarity. Why aren't you answering?"
"Hang on." Timberwolf called from another stable. "Aren't those the Wonderbolts? What are they doing here?" He continued going down the aisles seeing many familiar faces. "Zephyr Breeze. Maud Pie. Big Mac. Shining Armor. And there's more. It's a whole collection of our friends and family... or at least, this world's version of our friends and family."
"But why aren't they answering us?" Radiance asked. She approached another pen and recognized the two inside. "Mother! Father! It's me!" She removed her mask. "It's Rarity! Don't you recognize me? Say something!"
The two ponies looked at her and opened their mouths. But the sounds they made weren't their voices, but a sound that scared their daughter's good counterpart.
"Neeeeeiiiiigh!"
"That's spooky." Masque commented.
"No." Rarity gasped as she dropped her mask. "What.. What happened?"
"Well, I'm no behavior scientist wolf," Timberwolf said, "But judging by how these ponies are acting, it's like their intelligence is gone. The Negahorn must have casted some kind of stupidity spell or something."
"Never heard of a spell that can do that." Masque said. "How powerful would it have to be?"
Timberwolf was about to answer, but he was interrupted by the sight of three alicorns in the pens before him. One had a rainbow mane, another had a dark coat, and the other was pretty and pink. He then continued with his answer. "I'd say pretty powerful."
"How..." Rarity asked as she picked up her mask and proceeded down the aisle. "How can any pony be so cruel? And Twilight, of all ponies!"
"I'm sorry, Rare." Timberwolf said. "But don't worry. Our Twilight would never do this."
"I hope you're right." Radiance said putting back on her mask. She took a moment of silence to look around until a familiar noise caught her attention.
"Zip-a-dee-doo-dah! Who's on first? She sells seashells by the sea shore! Who is 'she' anyway?"
"Did you hear that?" Masque asked.
"How could I ignore it?" Timberwolf asked. "Should we get out of here?"
"Hold on." Radiance said. "If something is still intelligent, maybe he can help us."
"Attention, Peril Ponies shoppers!" the voice echoed from the end of the hallway where the three followed. "We have a special on soft drinks in aisle I3. BINGO! You sunk my battleship!"
"Can you even call that intelligent?" Timberwolf asked. "Is it just me, or does that voice rub you off the wrong way too?"
"It does sound familiar." Radiance said. Suddenly, a big cage came to view with a tall figure inside. She squinted her eyes for a moment before widening them wide in shock. The wirewolves joined in.
"Is that..." Radiance gasped.
"No way." Timberwolf said in surprise.
"It can't be!" Masque exclaimed in shock.
"Anar D?" Radiance asked as she observed the draconequus in the cape within the cage. "How is that possible? I thought he was destroyed in Tambelon."
"Maybe that's this world's version of Anar D." Masque said.
"No, it's ours." Radiance said. "That's the cape Discord gave him in Republic City. I know that because it clashed with Asami's curtains. That's the same one we fought with against Scynder, Arcanus, the Red Lotus, and Grogar."
"No way!" Timberwolf said still amazed at the sight of Anar D sketching on a desk. "Hey, Anar D, remember us?"
"I know exactly who you are." the caped draconequus said. "You're President Millard Fillmore, the Snowman, and Speedy Gonzales. You've come because it's Arbor Day, and there aren't enough zippers to go around."
The three heroes just stood there petrified with confusion.
"Say what?" Timberwolf asked.
"Yeah, I don't think even Filli-Second could make sense of that." Masque said.
"D, don't you recognize us?" Radiance asked. "We're you're friends... for the most part. You sacrificed you life for us."
"No, no, no, Mr. Potato Face." Anar D exclaimed. "Don't you know mixing honey and oil will start World War 3.2?"
"I'm having a hard time following what he's saying." Timberwolf said.
"Let me try something." Masque said. "Anar D, President Fillmore is ordering you to tell us what you're doing here."
"Yes, Mr. President," Anar D said still sketching, "But I must be paid in bicycles."
"...That can be arranged." Masque said shrugging his shoulders when he was looked at by his friends.
Anar D finished his sketch and held up a piece of paper. He showed his drawing to the three with great pride. What the three saw was just a picture of a dark-purple dragon.
"Yeah, I'm not paying a bicycle for that." Timberwolf said. "We're not going to get anything from this guy."
"That's too bad." a monstrous voice echoed scaring the three. "We were hoping you would bring him back to his senses."
"Who said that?" Radiance asked.
"Santa?" Anar D asked.
Suddenly, six wirewolves fell from the dark ceiling and surrounded the three heroes. they looked just like the Mighty Machines, only with more spikes and other scary features.
"Well, well, well, would you look at this." the Ricky look-a-like said. "It seems we got a few escapees in the zoo."
"Who are you?" Timberwolf asked.
"Look in a mirror lately, dummy?" the Terry look-alike asked. "We're you, or some of us are. Anyway, we're the Malicious Machines. I'm Direoak. Our Joe is Shifter, our Devastator is Bruticus, our Marty is Torch, our Aaron is Blight, and our fearless, fear-striking leader is the Phantom Blot."
"Another one?" Timberwolf asked. "They're just popping out of the woodwork."
"We're also known as the Negahorn's best destroyers." the Phantom Blot said. "I see you've stumbled upon her special little guest. Yeah, the Golden Apple did her already-awesome magic wonders. However, it didn't seem to restore his mind. A minor setback for her master plan."
"Master plan?" Radiance asked. "What master plan, and what does Anar D have to do with it? And why are you going along with this?"
"Sorry, telling you the plan would be a big spoiler." the Phantom Blot said. "And as for the reason we're doing this... Hit it, boys."
Circling the heroes, the Malicious Machines set up for a song.

"You're a long way from home"
"Hey, listen up. We're praising our sins" the Phantom Blot sang,
"We love this world, because here, evil always wins"
"True, instead of cheers, we just get screams" Direoak sang.
"But that's just us living the dream" Torch sang.
"I'm large, scary, and proud" Bruticus sang.
"I'm happy to stand out and decimate a crowd" Blight sang.
"My jokes are a killer. I do have the knack" Shifter sang,
"AND IF YOU DON'T LAUGH, I'LL MAKE YOU CRACK"
"This is definitely" the Malicious Machines sang
"Most incredibly
The greatest fun that I've ever had
See, it's no use
Being a goody two-shoes
'Cause it feels so good to be so bad"
"I'm hungry and mean. I think it's funny" Bruticus sang,
"I'm so vicious, I give Cujo a run for his money"
"I get a thrill off of scams and tricks" Direoak sang.
"And making others feel hopeless gives me my kicks" Blight sang.
"This is definitely" the Malicious Machines sang,
"Most incredibly
The greatest fun that I've ever had
See, it's no use
Being a goody two-shoes
'Cause it feels so good to be so bad"
"When you got no trace left of pony-anity" Shifter sang,
"Your only choice is to go through insanity"
"When you only burn, you learn the hard way" Torch sang. 
"That the world did this, so it has to paaaaaaaaaaay" the Phantom Blot sang.
"This is definitely" the Malicious Machines sang,
"Most incredibly
The greatest fun that I've ever had
See,    it's no use
Being a goody two-shoes"
"It's just great" Torch sang.
"To have hate" Direoak sang.
"It's just cool" Blight sang.
"TO BE CRUEL" Shifter sang.
"IT'S PERFECT" Bruticus sang.
"TO BE A REJECT" the Phantom Blot sang.
"IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE SO BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD" they all sang.

Suddenly, the floor shook a little, but it got everyone's attention.
"Hey, what was that?" Direoak asked.
"It's called, an opportunity, evil twins!" Masque shouted. Suddenly, he flipped backward and kicked Bruticus in his chin. He toppled backward and began to lose his balance over his evil team. Without warning, Bruticus fell onto the Malicious Machines while the heroes escaped to the next room.
"Get off of me, you metal hippo!" the Phantom Blot shouted. When Bruticus got off, the leader looked at where they went. "Find them! Find them! First one to catch them gets extra meat tonight!"
With that, the Malicious machines ran out the door and went down the hallway. What they didn't know was that as the door they just exited through creaked forward, Radiance, Masque, and Timberwolf sneaked out from behind it and proceeded down the hallway.
"Let's go." Radiance said. "We need to find out where that rumbling came from."
"Do we have to?" Timberwolf asked. "Tell you what, put me back in the cell. It was safer there. I miss my cell."
"No time to argue." Radiance said.
The three proceeded downstairs until they made it to a door.
"This room is directly underneath the zoo, all right." Masque said. "Let's make like Prince Albert and open up this can!"
"But what if it's worse than the Malicious Machines?" Timberwolf asked. "What if it's the Negahorn herself?"
Suddenly, the door just opened on its own. The heroes began to prepare for whatever they find. But instead of a foe, they found a few friendly faces.
"Princess Celestia?" Timberwolf asked. "How is that possible? We just saw you upstairs all stupid-like."
"Excuse me." Celestia said.
"It's quite a story." the orange unicorn in glasses said.
"Hey, you're that Canterlot librarian." Masque said. "Sunny-Side-Up, was it?"
"Sunburst, actually." said another voice. Everyone looked behind Sunburst and saw another unicorn with a starry-smoke Cutie Mark. The sight of her made Radiance jump.
"ARRGH! IT'S STARLIGHT!"
"Starlight?" Timberwolf asked. "Wait, that's the unicorn who tried to illegalize superheroes?"
"Calm down." Sunburst said. "Don't panic. She's on our side."
"Wait, what?" Radiance asked.
"He's right." Starlight said. "I don't want to hurt you all anymore." Hearing that brought a moment of silence in the room.
"Bum, bum, buuuuuuuum!" Masque exclaimed. "Cliffhanger!"