The Alternate Adventures of the Power Ponies

by DisneyFanatic23


Longhorn's Journey Into Night: Part 1

"I don't give up on friendships easily, and when I do, it's because they gave up first."

- WorkingWomen


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."