The shampoo factory was surrounded by police cars from every side. Inside, the Mane-iac could see them all from the window. Starlight was still tied to the chair in beside her.
"Ooh, looks like we've got a full house. Let's make things a little more fun. I'm thinking about dropping a few machines down before I turn myself--and you--in."
Suddenly, a crash was heard across the room. The Mane-iac turned and saw the Power Ponies falling through. They posed and stared straight at the villainess.
"Hold it right there you..." the Masked Matterhorn said before taking a good look. She gasped along with the rest of her team. "I... You... That's a very freaky mane."
"The Power Ponies!" the Mane-iac spoke with excitement. "I heard you were back together, but I didn't think your first mission would be me. I am truly honored. Here." She reached to a lower floor with a tendril and pulled up a bottle of shampoo. "Care for a complimentary bottle?"
"Oh." Saddle Rager said. She reached for the bottle. "Don't mind if I..." She was interrupted when the Mane-iac squeezed the bottle quickly and the shampoo burst out onto Saddle Rager's face.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" the Mane-iac cackled. "That gag never gets old!"
"You're insane!" Mistress Marevelous exclaimed.
"Sure I am." the Mane-iac agreed. "What's your point? I'm the Mane-iac. I think it'd be obvious."
"Power Ponies, don't..." Starlight Glimmer was about to speak, but the Mane-iac wrapped a tendril around her mouth.
"Now, now, missy." the Mane-iac said. "Let's not ruin the surprise just yet. The 'mane' event is yet to start."
"Enough!" the Masked Matterhorn shouted. "Release Ms. Glimmer and surrender yourself now!"
"Uh, Matterhorn," Zapp pointed out, "I doubt that a supervillain as crazy as her would never surrender."
"I surrender!" the Mane-iac defied.
"Huh, I stand corrected."
"Here." the Mane-iac said pullinging a tape recorder from her outfit. "You can even take that as evidence."
"Evidence of what?" Radiance asked.
"The truth is, I'm just a victim of circumstance just like you are. The one pony who is truly at fault is... Starlight Glimmer!"
"What?" the Power Ponies asked. They turned their heads to the hostage struggling in panic.
"What the hey are you talking about?" Mistress Marevelous asked.
"On that little recorder, you'll find a little confession I took from Starlight. As it turns out, Starlight Glimmer is, and has always been... the Purifier!"
"WHAT?!" the Power Ponies gasped in complete shock.
"Yes, I know that it was her who caused the original team to split up." the Mane-iac said. "I thought you wanted a face to go with the name as does the rest of the world."
"Ms. Glimmer," the Masked Matterhorn said turning her upset face to her, "Is this true?"
"You can talk about this during visiting hours in prison." the Mane-iac said. "Now..."
Suddenly, an explosion from below interrupted the Mane-iac. Smoke covered half of the ground floor.
"What was that?!" Hum Drum shouted.
The smoke started to clear and everyone was shocked at what they saw. There stood an Alicorn in black-and-blue armor. A smokey mane and tail whipped from her.
"It's her!" the Masked Matterhorn shouted. "It's the Dark Alicorn!"
"That's her?" Hum Drum asked. "She's scarier than I imagined."
"Hey, yoo-hoo!" the Mane-iac shouted catching the Dark Alicorn's attention. "We're in the middle of something here. So why don't you go back to wherever it is you came from and sayonara?"
"NEVER!" the Dark Alicorn shouted pointing her horn toward the Mane-iac. Before anyone could react, a dark-blue flash blasted out of it and hit the Mane-iac sending her across the hallway. She was a little dizzy after that.
"And that, kids, is why it's not okay no point." she said dizzily before shaking herself back. She felt something warm in her hoof and saw the tape-recorder, or what was left in that pile of scrap after that blast.
"NO, NO, NO!" the Mane-iac shouted angrily. "I'M OUT OF HERE!"
Quick as a flash, the psychotic pony released everything and swung out the window.
"I got her!" Zapp shouted.
"Whoa!" the Masked Matterhorn shouted. "Not yet!"
"But she..." Zapp said.
"Is the least of our concerns." the Masked Matterhorn pointed out. "The Dark Alicorn is down there and her power is magnified by the Asteroth. The Mane-iac is a crazy idiot who wanted to be arrested. Which do you think is more dangerous?"
"Ooh... all right." Zapp said.
The Power Ponies looked down and saw the Dark Alicorn pulling out machine parts from different places. The evil Alicorn pulled out a muffler and examined it.
"Well, I have everything this building has to offer, but it's not enough." she told herself. "I'll have to..."
She was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a pink superhero stopping her run right beside her. She reached out her hoof and grabbed the muffler. "Ooh. This looks shiny."
"Return that!" the Dark Alicorn snarled.
"Hey, Zapp, got a present for you!" Filli-Second shouted tossing the muffler to the cyan Pegasus.
"Thanks, Filli!" Zapp said. "It's what I always wanted!" The Dark Alicorn growled and elevated herself in front of her. "Whoops. Not my size. Radiance!"
Zapp tossed the machine part across the room. Radiance pointed her jeweled bracelet and made it glow. A large, purple, see-through baseball mit that caught the muffler. The Dark Alicorn turned an evil glare toward Radiance and she threw it to Hum Drum.
Left and right, the muffler was thrown to another Power Pony out of the Dark Alicorn's reach. Up above, Starlight Glimmer--who was now free from the Mane-iac's grip--watched them fighting and grew upset.
"Look at them." she talked to herself. "I'm having my company torn apart by these supers. I've got to put an end to this." She turned her head and saw a pile of crates above Saddle Rager and grinned.
Below, the Dark Alicorn got more and more peeved at the Power Ponies. The muffler fell into the Masked Matterhorn's hooves when the villain lost it. "ENOUGH!" She grabbed Hum Drum and held him tightly.
"Hum Drum!" the Masked Matterhorn shouted.
"Every pony, stand back!" the Dark Alicorn shouted. "Give me the machine part or the dragon gets it."
"Ooh, what are you going to give him?" Filli-Second asked. "Is it a labradoodle? Congrats, Hum Drum; you're getting a labradoodle!"
"What do we do?" Mistress Marevelous asked.
"I'd use my pendant, but I might hit Hum Drum." Zapp said.
"What kind of heartless villain holds a baby dragon a hostage?" Saddle Rager asked sternly.
"You don't understand anything." the Dark Alicorn said. "I'm..." She stopped when she saw a pile of crates scooting off the edge. She saw the nervous heroine underneath and widened her eyes. "GET DOWN!" She let go of Hum Drum and lowered her head. Her horn blasted out and hit Saddle Rager who was pushed back. Right after, the crates fell and crashed right in front of her.
"SADDLE RAGER!" everyone gasped. The Masked Matterhorn dropped the muffler and ran to check on her with the rest of the team.
The Dark Alicorn seized the opportunity and grabbed the muffler on the floor and put it in a burlap bag with the rest of the parts she took. She grabbed the bag and flew out the door while the Power Ponies looked after their teammate.
"Saddle Rager, are you all right?" Radiance asked.
"Yeah, of course." Saddle Rager replied.
"That Dark Alicorn!" Zapp shouted. "The next time I see her, I'll throw down the thunder!"
"Wait." Saddle Rager spoke out. "Listen, that blast didn't hurt me. It just pushed me out of the way of those crates. I think... I think the Dark Alicorn saved me."
"Saved you?" the others asked in confusion.
"Saddle Rager, that's ridiculous." the Masked Matterhorn said. "Why would the Dark Alicorn want to save you?"
"I don't know." Saddle Rager said. "I just know I would've been crushed if she hadn't pushed me."
"Hey, where did those crates come from anyway?" Mistress Marevelous asked.
They looked up and saw Starlight Glimmer behind where the crates once stood. She chuckled nervously.
"Ms. Glimmer, did you push the crates down?" the Masked Matterhorn asked.
"What?" Starlight asked nervously. "No. Of course not. Why would I hurt one of the city's greatest heroes?"
"Starlight, why did the Mane-iac say that you were the Purifier?" the Masked Matterhorn asked.
"She used to be one of my employees. She tried to ruin my company and must have had an accident. She's crazier than she was before. I'll bet she'll say anything to make sure the factory's shut down."
"Well, without that tape, we have no way of knowing for sure." Hum Drum said.
"All right." the Masked Matterhorn said. "We'll keep watch out for that mad Alicorn later."
Outside, Briny Deep waited in a rusty van until the Mane-iac entered from the back door in a hurry.
"Don't just sit there, sweetie. HIT THE GAS!"
In a panic, Briny Deep stepped hard on the gas pedal and the van drove out in a flash.
"What happened?" Briny Deep asked. "I thought you were going to let yourself get caught!"
"That's what I thought too." the Mane-iac said. "Suddenly, some big, bad villain showed up and cramped my style. So, this Dark Alicorn wants to make this into a turf war? She's got one."