//------------------------------// // The Mane-iac Strikes Back! Part 1 // Story: Pinkie Pie: The Amazing Spider Mare // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// Mysterio and Scorpion may have been brief in their appearances, but they revealed a rather unfortunate truth about Pinkie Pie's web slinging alter ego. Spider Mare was a great tool for justice, but under the wrong circumstances she ended up unintentionally creating villans more dangerous then any criminal. Filthy Rich may have turned over a new leaf in regards to his view on Spider Mare, but Pinkie Pie couldn't shake off the guilt she believed she played in inadvertly starting the process, by leading to the creation of Scorpion. As such Pinkie Pie began to have second thoughts about being a web slinging superhero. Perhaps, she was better off letting the police and the royal guards take care of things. The worst part was, Pinkie Pie had no one she could turn to for advice. Not a single soul knew of her secret. Not her Aunt Suzanne, not The Cakes, not even her P.F.F.s. And Pinkie Pie could not bring herself to get any of them involved. As far as she was concerned they had enough problems to deal with. "Well, that's my story so far Uncle Al." Pinkie Pie said, sitting besides Uncle Al's tombstone in the Ponyville Cemetery. Pinkie Pie believed that, even if her Uncle Al wasn't alive anymore, his spirit would certainly be listening. There was no reply, except for the occassional Spring breeze that swept across the graveyard hillside. "I really wish you were still alive right now." Pinkie Pie went on "You always seemed to know just what to do to make me feel better. But, you can't help me anymore, because of me. I-I know you've probably already forgiven me. But once again, please forgive me. What would you do if you were in my horseshoes? I've already created two villans, and ruined the life of an innocent stallion. Should I just stop trying to be the hero? I don't want to cause more problems then the ones I'm trying to fix." A long silence followed. Pinkie Pie said nothing. She just sat there, waiting for a response that she knew she'd never get. In the end, Pinkie Pie reluctantly decided to continue her crime fighting life. She couldn't let two cases of unfortunate events scare her off. There were those who viewed Spider Mare as a hero, either because she saved their lives, or because she helped to make Equestria a better place for everyone. No matter how hard it might be, she had to put others before herself. The one time she hadn't, Uncle Al had payed the price. Photos and stories of Spider Mare still sold like hotcakes, and Pinkie Pie's photography career give her plently of money to send to her Aunt Suzanne. Add to that her constant parties, and the adventures she went on with her friends, and Pinkie Pie's life was a life of excitement on an almost daily basis. For a time after the Scorpion incident, crime in Equestria dropped to an all time low. In no small part thanks to Spider Mare, who seemed to only get more and more mysterious as the days and weeks passed. Unfortunately, this lull in criminal activity was merely the calm before the storm. A new villan was about to emerge, one that would come as quite a shock to Spider Mare. Especially considering this villan's history. It happened on the day that Pinkie Pie left with her friends, to accompany the Ponyville relay team, to the qualifying round of the Equestria games (held in the beautiful, and peaceful, Rainbow Falls). Enchanted Comics had come under harsh fire after Spike had sent a letter to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, warning them of the danger the comic books possed. Before long, many would be customers were frightened off. And Princess Celestia gave Captain (and Prince) Shining Armor permission to lead a special task force to shut down the store, and bring the owner/founder in for interrogation. To be fair Princess Celestia sent a notice to the store, giving its owner two days to willingly shut down and be brought in for questioning. After which, if he failed to comply, Shining Armor and the royal guards would do so for him, by force if need be. The owner, a fat unicorn stallion with a yellow coat, a messy orange mane and tail, brown eyes, and a cutie mark depicting a comic book, panicked upon obtaining the notice. The last thing he needed was the one of the rulers of Equestria interrogating him. The instant his secret was out he would certainly be arrested, and thrown into jail. His store would shut down, and he would go bankrupt. Having made some risky deals with a group of loan sharks, he could ill afford to get on their bad side. But if he tried to explain himself to the princesses, the loan sharks would see to it that his reputation was ruined. There were even talks of making arrangements with "friends in high places" to keep him from talking. Reluctanlty, the stallion ignored the notice, hoping that Princess Celestia was merely bluffing. Alas, two days later, he learned that she was not. "Mr. Five and Ten!" Captain Shining Armor shouted "This is the captain of the royal guard speaking! We have your store surrounded, and are under direct orders to capture you, and turn you over to Princess Celestia! Come out with your hooves over your head, and no one gets hurt! We've been authorized to use force if you do not comply! Surrender now and you will not be harmed!" "What am I gonna do?! What am I gonna do?!" Five and Ten said to himself, as he paced back and forth at the register. If he surrendered his store would close and he would go bankrupt. If he resisted he would likely be branded a criminal, and be made to stand trial. At which point he could either take the fall, or rat out the loan sharks and face the consequences. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the very comic that had lead to all of this trouble in the first place. The highly acclaimed issue #10 of The Power Ponies series, entitled The Mane-iac Strikes Back!. It told the tale of how the Mane-iac tried to get revenge on The Power Ponies, after their sidekick Hum Drum broke her heart, and lost his powers in the aftermath. It then went on to show how The Power Ponies finally defeated the Mane-iac. That last part had been enchanted to allow for die hard fans to relive the action themselves, and yet somehow, it had ended up in the claws of a certain baby dragon. Five and Ten recalled how, compared to her debut in issue #8 Rise of The Mane-iac, the supervillan had gone from just being annoying to being flat out dangerous. Trying to kill The Power Ponies on several occassions, and nearly succeeding. "If I had the powes of The Mane-iac I would be unstoppable!" Five and Ten thought to himself. Those very thoughts gave him an idea. One that would give him the power to solve all of his problems. The time had come for one last great enchantment, the enchantment to end all enchantments. "Mr. Five and Ten! This is your last chance!" Shining Armor shouted "Come out now or we will storm in and capture you ourselves! I mean it!" There was no reply. Shining Armor sighed, he really didn't want it to come to this, but orders were orders. "All right men!" he said, turning to the royal guards "Looks like we're going in after all! Be ready for anything!" Before the royal guards could enter however, there was a huge explosion, and the building was completly destroyed. "How kind of you to come boys!" a female voice said. "Who are you?!" a royal guard asked. "Your worst nightmare." the female voice said. A moment later a figure emerged from the smoke. It had a familiar green mane and tail made up of tentacles, wore a familiar purple vest with black boots, and had light purple skin. The guards gasped. They couldn't believe it. "That's right. It's me. The Mane-iac!" The Mane-iac said, letting out her trademark laugh. "What did you do with Mr. Five and Ten?!" Shining Armor asked. "You'll never see him again!" The Mane-iac said "Not that it matters. Now I'M the one you boys have to face!" "If you think we're afraid of a freak like you then you're sadly mistaken." Shining Armor said confidently "We fear nothing! Certainly not the likes of you!" "Oh really?! We'll just see about that." The Mane-iac said "Just try and stop me!" "You'll regret saying those words!" Shining Armor said, and turned to the royal guards "Don't just stand there, get her!" he ordered. "Sir yes sir!" the royal guards shouted, and charged The Mane-iac head on. "Leave it to boys to start a fight." The Mane-iac teased "Oh well. I guess no one ever told you. Ladies don't start fights, but they can finish them!" The Mane-iac used her mane to pick up a nearby mailbox, and hurled it at one of the guards. The royal guard barely dodged it. "If that's the best you can do you're in a lot of trouble lady." the royal guard said. "That was only a warm up!" The Mane-iac said, and picked up pieces of the destroyed comic book store. "Try and dodge this!" she shouted. The guards tried, but the beams and boards were too much for them. Eventually one board managed to bring them all down. "This is bad! This is very bad! This is very, very bad!" Shining Armor thought to himself as he observed the scene. The royal guards weren't hurt too badly, but they were completly buried beneath a pile of debris. "Let that be a lesson to all of you!" The Mane-iac boasted "Don't get in my way if you know what's good for ya!" "I think we're in big trouble." Shining Armor muttered to himself as The Mane-iac fled the scene. Papers all over Equestria exploded with headlines within hours of the humiliating defeat being made public. They all came with such explosive titles as It's Alive!: Comic Book Super Villan Comes to Life, Royal Guards Badly Battered by an Alledged Attack from The Mae-iac, and Maniacal Mane-iac Crushes The Long Arm of Celestia's Law. Before long, everyone had heard the news. Though some couldn't believe it. Meanwhile, The Mane-iac wasted no time in making a name for herself. And began pulling off crimes, and comitting acts of violence, in big cities all over Equestria. And each time she did she would either escape before law enforcement could arrive, or crush anyone who tried to stop her. Even Princess Celestia was heard to say that The Mane-iac might be too powerful, and too dangerous, for anyone to catch. Upon learning the news from The Ponyville Express, Pinkie Pie was furious! Any doubts she may have had about being Spider Mare were completly erased! It was villans like The Mane-iac that Pinkie Pie had sworn to defeat! Evil doers that believed they were above the law just because they had power. Regardless of how The Mane-iac had escaped from the world of the comics, Spider Mare would see to it that she was sent right back. And so, Spider Mare swung into action once more! For a little while The Mane-iac maintained a low profile, and went into hiding. Thus keeping Spider Mare from finding her, as the web slinging, wall crawling crime fighter searched all over Equestria. This only served to make Spider Mare angry. "You can run Mane-iac! But you can't hide! Especially not from me!" she thought to herself, as the hunt dragged on. The juggling act of being Spider Mare, throwing parties, working at Sugarcube Corner, and providing photos for The Ponyville Express, was difficult. But Pinkie Pie found a way to pull it off. All the same it did take a toll on Pinkie Pie, and she hoped with all her might, that a breakthrough in the search for The Mane-iac would come soon. And it did. Though not until about two weeks had passed since The Mane-iac first showed up. As it turns out, The Mane-iac could not ignore the lure of crime, and began to pull off operations in the town of Manehattan. She would break into stores (usually jewelry stores), steal the most valueable objects for her own private collection, and then flee before anyone could catch her. "If only she was smart enough to make sure no one was taking a picture of her. Or contacting the police when she showed up." Pinkie Pie thought to herself "Oh well, I guess she'll have to learn her lesson the hard way." Making the trip to Manehattan was pretty easy, it was as simple as taking the train. All Spider Mare had to do, was use her webbing to grab the rear of the last coach. From there, she used the string to swing herself up onto the rooftoop. And with her 'Spider Sense', she would not be taken by surprise by any low bridges or tunnels. Once the train arrived in Manehattan, Spider Mare quickly but covertly slipped off. "Now, if I were an evil comic book supervillan, where would I stash my loot?" Spider Mare asked herself, as she roamed the streets of Manehattan. As if to answer her question, in the distance appeared the distinctive figure of The Mane-iac. And it looked like she was on the move, searching for her next target. And she didn't even see Spider Mare. "You gotta be kidding me!" Spider Mare thought to herself "This is far too easy! Like taking candy from a baby. Not that I would ever do such a thing of course." With The Mane-iac unaware of her prescence, Spider Mare carefully slipped a homemade tracking device into a tiny ball of her webbing, and threw it at The Mane-iac. It stuck to her suit without so much as a sound. "If Twilight's done her math right. And she always does her math right. Then the instant The Mane-iac moves, the tracking spell will kick in, and I'll be able to track every move that she makes. Like a manticore stalking its prey." "Ah. What a beautiful night in Manehattan." The Mane-iac said to herself "This city reminds me so much of Maretropolis, except this city never sleeps. And, there aren't any annoying power ponies around to stop me! Soon, and very soon, I shall take over! And finally have my revenge! But for now, I believe a little late night shopping is in order. And I know just the place to visit. As usual, I'll be taking a two hooves discount." And with that, she took off. "Yes! That's it! Lead me right to you!" Spider Mare said to herself, as she took off in pursuit of The Mane-iac. Eventually, she spotted the Mane-iac, just as the super villan was about to break into Crown Jewels: The Jewelry Store of The Rich and Famous. "I've been looking for that 'jewel in the crown'." The Mane-iac said to herself, eyeing an extremely rare (not to mention valueable) diamond. "And it looks like I've finally found it." "Sorry pal, but the shop's closed. Try coming back when it's actually open and you can afford it." Spider Mare taunted, and swooped down from a nearby rooftop. "Who are you? You don't look like a power pony." The Mane-iac said. "A power pony? What in the hay is a power pony?" Spider Mare asked "In any case, I'm not a power pony, as you can clearly see. I'm just your friendly neighborhood Spider Mare." "Oh, so that's your name." The Mane-iac said, sizing up her opponent. "Yep." Spider Mare said with a smile "So, what's your story? Doing a little 'after hour shopping'?!" "It's like you can read my mind." The Mane-iac said happily "But why should you care? Didn't your father ever tell you not to get involved in a lady's personal business?" "Yes indeedy, but in your case I'm sure it's okay if I make an exception." Spider Mare replied "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Surrender now, and I might put in a good word for you with the cops, not that it'll help your situation. Resist me, and you'll live to regret it for the rest of your life." "Ooh, such big words!" The Mane-iac teased "But I doubt you can actually back them up." "Wanna bet?!" Spider Mare asked. "You looking to start something?" The Mane-iac asked "Cause, while I don't start fights, I can certainly finish them." "I was about to say the same thing." Spider Mare said "So why not make it easier on both of us, and just give up now?" "Never!" The Mane-iac shouted, and ran off. "Go ahead and run!" Spider Mare said "I'll find you! You can't hide from me any longer!" "I'd love to see you try!" The Mane-iac taunted, and disappeared. Spider Mare wasn't at all worried. Everything was going according to plan. The Mane-iac still didn't know about the tracking device. "That's it! Lead me to your hideout!" Spider Mare thought to herself as she followed The Mane-iac from the rooftops. Easily closing the distance between them without The Mane-iac being ever the wiser. "Spider Mare? Huh, what a joke. She's no match for me." The Mane-iac said to herself, unaware that Spider Mare was listening in. "Oh well. Looks like it's time to lay low again. Good thing she doesn't know about my hideout." She suddenly ducked behind an alleyway. Spider Mare followed from a distance. The Mane-iac looked around, making sure that no one could see her. No one did. "Okay, the coast is clear." she thought to herself, and pressed a button on what looked like an ordinary wall. The wall rose up, like a sliding door, revealing an entrance into a hideout fit for a super villan. "So that's where she's been hiding all this time." Spider Mare said to herself. "Well, too bad it's not so much of a hiding place anymore." Spider Mare waited for The Mane-iac to enter, and the door to close, before making her move. She jumped down from the rooftop, and pressed the same button The Mane-iac had just pushed. Once again, the door rose up, and the entrance was revealed. "Time to get to the bottom of things." Spider Mare said to herself, and went inside. The hideout looked like something straight out of a comic book. In fact, just the sight of it would've been enough to make a diehard comic book geek squee with delight. In addition to being packed with all sorts of jewels and other stolen goods it was also filled with all sorts of strange, and unusual pieces of technology. If Spider Mare didn't know any better, she would've assumed she'd stepped straight into the world of The Power Ponies. She had little time to marvel at the sights however when her 'Spider Sense' went off. "Well, well." The Mane-iac said sternly "It looks like you've stumbled across my little hideout. How naughty of you. Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not polite to be snooping around other ponies property?" "Oh they did." Spider Mare said with a smile "But once again, I'm sure this an exception. Especially considering this is where you stash all your loot." "You really are a bothersome little pest, and I've only just met you." The Mane-iac groaned "Oh well, I guess I'll have to teach you some manners." "Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you!" Spider Mare taunted "I don't know how you got out of the comic in the first place, but I do know that I'm gonna be the one to send you back! And when I'm done, I'll make sure to let the Manehattan police know where you've been hiding. They'll see to it that all of your loot is returned to where it belongs." "Just try and stop me Spider Mare!" The Mane-iac gloated "If you don't share my vision, then you will be crushed by it! As will anyone else who's foolsih enough to get in my way!" "You're the one who's gonna be crushed!" Spider Mare said. "We shall see." The Mane-iac said with a fiendish smile. And used her mane to try and hit Spider Mare. Spider Mare dodged, and fired off a string of webbing. The Mane-iac struggled for a minute, but quickly broke free. "What?!" Spider Mare gasped. "It'll take more then your measly little webs to stop me Spider Mare!" The Mane-iac boasted, and used her mane to grab a nearby electric pole. She tried to hit Spider Mare with it, but Spider Mare's 'Spider Sense' allowed her to stay one step ahead no matter what The Mane-iac threw at her, or tried to attack her with. "You couldn't hit the broadside of a barn Mane-iac!" Spider Mare taunted, dodging another swipe of The Mane-iac's mane whips. "You're really starting to bug me!" The Mane-iac said with a growl "And if there's one thing I hate most of all, it's annyoing bugs that just don't know when to lay down and die!" "Sorry Mane-iac, but that's one trick I never learned!" Spider Mare taunted as she punched The Mane-iac hard in the chest. "Oh that's it! Now you've done it! You've made me angry! Very angry! And you're gonna be sorry!" The Mane-iac bellowed. "Oh yeah?" Spider Mare asked. "Yeah! You just don't know it yet! But you will!" The Mane-iac said angrily. Spider Mare began to grow a little bit worried upon hearing those words, But she was confident that as long as she had her 'Spider Sense', she could avoid anything The Mane-iac might try to pull. "Just try and dodge this Spider Mare!" The Mane-iac shouted, and hurled a canister of some sort at the ground. Suddenly, a powerful orange gas started seeping out. "What are you up to?" Spider Mare asked. "You'll see." The Mane-iac said with a grin. Spider Mare was about to reply, when she saw that the gas was about to catch up to her. She tried to shoot a stream of webbing to escape it, but she suddenly found herself unable to do anything. "What's going on?" she asked. "Instant nerve gas!" The Mane-iac explained "It can't hurt me because my body's already filled with chemicals. But for anyone else, though it isn't very potent, it's strong enough to produce temporary paralysis. Almost from the moment it's released. Even your little sixith sense is useles against it. But don't worry, it'll wear off in only a few minutes." "So why did you hit me with it?" Spider Mare asked. "So you can't escape from THIS!" The Mane-iac said, and struck Spider Mare on the head with one of her hooves. Spider Mare was knocked out and fell to the ground. "Nighty night Spider Mare." The Mane-iac teased "Now to put my plan into action." For how long she was out Spider Mare had no idea. Eventually however, she opened her eyes, only to find herself strapped to some kind of table. Said table was pressed up against a wall, and had braces that tied down all four of her hooves. Spider Mare struggled, but couldn't break free. "Ah, you're finally awake." a familiar voice said. Sure enough, it turned out to be The Mane-iac. "What have you done to me?!" Spider Mare asked. "Isn't it obvious?" The Mane-iac asked "I've tied you up nice and snug so you can't escape." "I have a feeling I'm not going to like what comes next." Spider Mare gulped. "Indeed you won't, Spider Mare." The Mane-iac hissed "Because I'm gonna set my base to self destruct." "But why? That would destroy all of your loot." Spider Mare said. "Don't worry, I've already got everything I need stored in containers." The Mane-iac explained "And they're already on their way out. In fact by the time this base blows up I'll be long gone. I can't say the same for you, however." "So you're going to kill me?" Spider Mare asked. "That's the idea!" The Mane-iac said "And the best part is, I know it will work. You can't escape!" "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." Spider Mare said, struggling against the restraints "You'll never get away with this!" "Oh, but I will!" The Mane-iac said, and triggered the self destruct sequence "Asta la bye bye Spider Mare! It was nice meeting you, but I really must be going. Hope you enjoy your little 'farewell' present. I promise you, it has extra 'bang'!" The Mane-iac quickly fled, leaving Spider Mare alone in the building. "Self destruct in 60 seconds!" a pre recorded voice said. "I've got to think of a way out of here! And fast!" Spider Mare thought to herself.