//------------------------------//
// Darkness Falls 
// Story: Power Ponies 2: The Eternal Bond 
// by Epicdiscord214 
//------------------------------//

"I'm sorry," the Masked Matterhorn said, "But it sounds like you're saying that you're my uncle."
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Darkmatter said. "Your father, Night Light, is my older brother."
Anar D turned to the Siren Sisters. "Did you three know about this?"
"Of course, we did," Serena said. "That's why we recruited him."
"But..." the Masked Matterhorn said nervously, "...How is that even possible?"
"How's about one last bedtime story before eternal slumber," Darkmatter said. "It all started when your father and I were young. We started off on trying to make a few good coins. Your father was a genius, but he never had the guts to do what was needed. Like you, I found some friends. The only difference between yours and mine is that mine were usually involved with some... illegal affairs. I tried to convince your father to join us, but he turned his back on me. It was then that I learned that it was every pony for themselves. I worked my way up to the gang until I became the head of it all. Years later, you were born and you displayed more incredible magic than any that I have seen."
"Let me guess," the Masked Matterhorn said, "You couldn't stand seeing my dad with a powerful unicorn baby while you got squat. That's why you offered to teach me magic, because you thought you could raise me better than your brother."
"You're kidding me," Anar D said with a disappointed tone. "You're telling me that this whole thing was all about jealousy? You're weirder than I thought. And what about your little method for killing alicorns? You know, there was a very, very small chance the kid was going to be princess."
"You think I didn't know that," Darkmatter asked. "My method wasn't for the child; it was for the other princesses in case they could stand in my way. But I was captured before I got the chance. Now that you're a princess, my little monkey, and it's too late for me to train you my way, I guess I'll have to kill you."
"Oh, yeah," the Masked Matterhorn asked. "I faced sinister sorceresses, an army of Changelings, a dragon made of my own magic... even Hum Drum's morning breath. I can handle anything."
"I don't think so," Darkmatter said. He approached a cabinet and opened a drawer. "You see, I learned that nothing can match the power of an alicorn. So I figured, the only way to kill an alicorn is with the power of another alicorn."
"You're going to turn yourself into an alicorn," the Masked Matterhorn asked. "Forget prison. You're going to the funny farms. You'd have to be an alicorn to have their magic."
"Do I," Darkmatter said. "Not as long as I have this!" He held up a little necklace. At the front, there was a red jewel surrounded by a decorative, black alicorn on it. The Masked Matterhorn gasped when she saw it.
"The Alicorn Amulet! You found the Alicorn Amulet?!"
"I've had it hidden in my original lab for years," Darkmatter explained. "After we took over Maretropolis, I had my supplies moved here. Yes, this is the Alicorn Amulet, forged by a dark alicorn to store his power in case of emergency. Legend says that any unicorn can have the magic of an alicorn with this thing."
"Seriously," Melody groaned. "Why didn't you use that thing back at the Under Dog caves?"
"Because there's a side-effect of the Alicorn Amulet," Darkmatter said. "The more you use it, the more it takes influence over your body. I can't risk my mind."
"What mind," the Masked Matterhorn asked.
"Instead, I've got a weapon in storage upstairs that'll work," Darkmatter continued. "It absorbs the magic from any artifact and makes into a focusing beam."
"So when you put the Alicorn Amulet in the machine," Serena said, "It becomes some kind of... death ray for alicorns."
"And anything else," Darkmatter said. "Anar D, you stay and watch the prisoner. We'll retrieve the death ray."
"Yes, sir, captain, captain, mister, man," Anar D said.
"Keep pushing me, D," Darkmatter growled as he left the lab with the Siren Sisters.
"Whew," Anar D sighed. "I thought they'd never leave. Now, then..." He approached the control panel and started to push buttons. There was no reaction.
"What are you doing now," the Matterhorn asked in anger.
"Oh, what does it look like I'm doing," Anar D asked trying to tug a piece of the tube off. "I'm trying to get you out of here so we can stop them from freeing Arcanus."
"What," the Masked Matterhorn asked in confusion. "But... I thought you betrayed us."
"You actually bought all that," Anar D asked in a chuckle. "Kid, the last thing I want is to join forces with the very girls who tried to kill me 10,000 years ago. I'm still on the side of truth, justice, and the Equestrian way and all that jazz."
"But why..." the Matterhorn asked.
"Look," Anar D said. "I promise, I'll explain it all later. Right now, we got to stop them before the sirens reach the top of the tower."
"Why," the Masked Matterhorn asked.
"Because that's where they're going to bring back Arcanus from," Anar D explained. "I convinced them to tell me they're plan. When they gave the New Heroes superpowers, they also put in a life-draining spell that takes away their essence. Once they're at the highest point here, which it the top of the tower, they'll use the essence of superheroes to open a portal and break the chains off of Arcanus at the same time. And if that happens, the New Heroes are goners!"
"Well, don't just stand there," the Masked Matterhorn said. "Get me out!"
"Just give me a minute," Anar D said. "I have no idea how this works. Maybe this button."
Anar D pushed a button, and everything the Masked Matterhorn said couldn't be heard.
"Oops," Anar D said. "Soundproof. Maybe... OOOOWWW!" He screamed when he felt a chomp of metal teeth. He looked at his cloven hoof and there was a little, metal imp gnawing at his ankle. He shook it off. "Where did you come from?"
"From me."
Anar D didn't see the Power Ponies and the Mighty Machines coming from the window. He gasped when he saw them.
"It's my power," the Shadow Blot said. "Now, release the Masked Matterhorn before I make a metal manticore to chew you like gum."
"Hold on," Anar D said. "I can explain."
"GET HIM," Zapp shouted.
The Ponies and wirewolves attacked Anar D, but the draconequus didn't try to fight back. Dusk blasted shadows from his claws into D's face. Masque tripped Anar D with his tail. Timberwolf ripped off his arm and smacked Anar D with it. Filli-Second ran in a circle around him making him dizzy. Radiance formed a hard-light flyswatter and smacked him with it. Hum Drum turned into diamond form and punched him with it.
"THIS IS FOR BETRAYING US," Saddle Rager shouted turning into her monster form. She and Devastator punched Anar D back and forth between each other like a ping-pong ball.
Finally, Mistress Marevelous levitated her rope and hogtied the draconequus.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Anar D shouted. "Where's the fire!"
Suddenly, Rodan reached out his claws and fire came out of it blasting Anar D. The fire cleared and the draconequus was covered with soot.
"Is it hot or is it me," Anar D asked. "Look, everyone, I'm still on your side."
"Yeah, right," Zapp said. "And I've been lobbing with the Pish-Posh Brothers."
"You took my head off," Timberwolf said.
"Oh, you've lost your head plenty of times," Anar D said. "I thought you'd be used to it."
"Devastate," Devastator shouted.
"Hey," Anar D said. "Did I insult your mother?"
"Listen to him."
Blue Comet flew from the cieling and landed in front of Anar D.
"Blue Comet," Radiance asked. "What are you doing here?"
"And why are you defending this creep," Hum Drum said.
"Because he's telling the truth," Blue Comet said. "He tried to get the princess out of there. I saw the whole thing."
"Then why didn't you save me from being clobbered," Anar D asked.
"Back when you were evil, you trashed my living room," Blue Comet said. "That was payback."
"Let's just get your friend out of that thing and stop the bad guys," Anar D said.
Suddenly, everyone screamed when they saw Darkmatter at the doorway. Next to him was a large, mechanical cannon with the Alicorn Amulet in a capsule on top.
"So, Anar D cannot be trusted with anything," Darkmatter said. "Therefore, you must be destroyed along with the little monkey." He pulled a lever and the cannon started to hum.
"What is that," Shining Armor asked.
"A death ray powered by the Alicorn Amulet," Anar D said. "It's the weapon he has that can kill an alicorn... and, in the crossfire, us."
"Devastator, I think this is your moment to shine," Saddle Rager said. "I can count on you."
Determined, Devastator reached the front of the group and faced the death ray. Suddenly, the death ray blasted and headed towards the big wirewolf. Then, Devastator opened his mouth really largely. The inside of his mouth had boring tools. The blast went right inside of the big guy. As soon as the cannon stopped firing, Devastator closed his mouth. Darkmatter was astonished when he saw that Devastator's belly was glowing.
"But you're a mindless beast," Darkmatter said nervously. "How?"
"Devastator..." Devastator said. He then opened his mouth pointed at Darkmatter. A larger blast shot out of his mouth and he shouted the rest of his sentence from it. "...SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"
The red beam covered Darkmatter and his death ray. Darkmatter screamed wildly as he felt major pain flowing through his body. When the blast cleared, the death way was gone, but Darkmatter was standing with cracks covering him. He looked at the Power Ponies with complete anger.
"Kids."
Darkmatter fell to pieces and into a pile of dust. After that, Shining Armor went to the control panel and pushed one button. The capsule the Masked Matterhorn was in opened up and she was released.
"Show off," Anar D complained.
"Hey, Anar D," Saddle Rager said, "Why didn't you just use your magic to teleport Matterhorn out?"
"AW, MAN," Anar D shouted.
At that moment, the Masked Matterhorn hit Shining Armor on the head.
"OW," Shining Armor shouted. "What was that for?!"
"For not telling me Darkmatter was our uncle," Matterhorn said.
"Oh," Shining Armor said nervously. "He told you, didn't he?"
"Let's just get going," Anar D said. "We've got New Heroes to save."





On top of Power Tower, the Siren Sisters looked at the city and beyond. They were grinning.
"Ready, girls," Serena asked her sisters.
"Ready," Melody said.
"What she said," Carol said.
"Not so fast, Siren Sisters," the Masked Matterhorn shouted as she bursted through the door with her friends.
"Looks like we got some rats," Serena said.
"They're not rats," Carol said. "They're 8 ponies, 6 wirewolves, and a draconequus."
Melody groaned. "Go back to sleep, Carol."
"All right," the Masked Matterhorn declared. "Let's Power Pony up!"
The heroes and villains charged at each other. The Siren Sisters were tougher than they looked, so despite the numbers, it was an even battle.
"I'm putting you down," Melody called out to the Masked Matterhorn. She shot a red beam from her jewel and aimed it toward the alicorn.
"NO," the Blue Comet shouted as he flew in front of the beam. He was pushed toward the Masked Matterhorn. He didn't pass out, but his mask slipped off of his face when they hit a wall. When she saw his face, the Masked Matterhorn gasped.
"News Flash," the Masked Matterhorn asked, "The TV reporter? But why..."
"Talk later," News Flash said putting his mask back on.
The battle continued. Soon, the Siren Sisters were back-to-back with each other.
"NOW, RADIANCE!"
The unicorn heard the Matterhorn's words and formed a hard-light cage around the trio. She also created some clamps around their mouths so they couldn't be heard.
"We... We did it," Anar D said. He then celebrated. "WEEEEE DID IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! WE WON AT LAST!"
"Hold it, Anar D," the Masked Matterhorn said. "You've got some explaining to do."
"Oh," Anar D said. "All right. Ask me anything, friends?"